Paneer Tikka

In the world of Indian appetizers and finger foods, marinated, spicy, roasted paneer (and some veggies for balance) is an instant crowd pleaser. It is straightforward to prepare (just needs a bit of planning), and if you have an outdoor grill, the smokiness will enhance the flavors!

I have tried roasting them in the oven, but prefer to roast them on the stovetop where I have more control over the individual pieces.

Easy Chivda / Spicy Chex Mix

Chivda / Spicy Indian chex mix made with an assortment of deep fried treats involving rice flour, besan (chickpea flour), and corn is a very common and popular savory dish that's had with tea, just as a quick munch/snack, or on festive days. The more ingredients that go into the chex mix, the more "festive" it becomes :)

This is a very simply recipe that involves tossing some common store bought ingredients along with a few items from home. I took the easier route by making chaklis and breaking them into small pieces, and then using plain corn and rice cereals from the store to make up the volume of the chex mix. This is not really innovative, but this is the first time I tried it, and was pleased with the output!

Ammini Kozhakattai

There many different kinds of savory kozhakattais (rice flour based dumplings). Of the many, ammini kozhakattais are a tasty and cute variation. They are commonly prepared from left-over rice-flour dough that's used to make the traditional sweet and savory kozhakattais. The left-over dough is rolled into small balls, steamed, and flavored with different kinds of spice-mixes. I am sharing three most common ways to flavor them.

Sabudana Vada / Tapioca Fritters

Sabudana Vadas are delicious deep-fried fritters made with tapioca, potatoes, and peanuts. When I mentioned to one of my friends that this is basically a double-carb deep-fried fest, she balked. It seems almost illegal to make, let alone consume, such decadent food these days. The calorie-police are all over the place :).

But, as I always say, that's why we have special indulgent days in the year in the form of birthdays, anniversaries, and festivals. So, set aside your guilt to try these out during an indulgent evening.

I added a few additional ingredients - onion, cloves, and cardamom - that are not commonly added to sabudana vadas. I couldn't help adding the essential ingredients that spice up masala vadas. But, not to worry, the cloves and cardamom do not overpower the vadas. They bring a subtle flavor and aroma that will intrigue your guests enough to wonder what the "secret" addition is.

Uppu Cheedai /Savory Seedai

Cheeda/Seedai are festive savory munchies commonly prepared during Gokulashtami (Lord Krishna's birthday) or on Diwali. It is a complement to sweet cheedais prepared with jaggery, rice flour, and cardamom.

The only word of caution while preparing savory cheedais is to exercise extra care while frying them. Cheedais are known to sometimes burst and splutter out of the hot oil because of trapped bubbles of air/moisture. So, drop the balls carefully into the oil and maintain a good distance away during the first minute of frying. Also, make sure to not neglect roasting and sieving the flours, because they are essential steps to make sure the flours are dry and smooth to minimize the risk of spluttering oil.

Wheat Thattai

Tomorrow is Deepavali - the Indian festival of lights. As the most celebrated and popular Indian festival, Deepavali symbolizes the entry of light and goodness in everyone's lives. 

Specialized sweets and savories, firecrackers, and shiny new clothes are just some of the many indulgences that the festival brings with it. 

Half away around the world, during a quiet Fall weeknight, people like me celebrate Deepavali by invoking the spirit of warmth and cheer. I usually prepare at least one sweet and savory dish to mark the festival. This time, I thought of trying a slightly different version of thattai - a crunchy snack. Instead of rice flour, I used wheat flour, thanks to the inspiration from Meenakshi ammal's cookbook. 

Vella Cheedai / Seedai

Today is Janmashtami or Gokulashtami - Lord Krishna's birthday. On this festive day, cheedai/seedais, which are deep-fried balls made primarily with rice flour and black gram flour, are prepared. As with most Indian delicacies, there are sweet and savory versions of cheedai. 

I'm sharing a popular sweet version of cheedai today. It is a simple preparation with jaggery syrup sweetening rice flour and black gram flour. Some toasted sesame seeds, coconut and cardamom season the cheedais with crunch and flavor. 

Cheedais have a notorious reputation for bursting when frying in hot oil. It has led to many unfortunate accidents. However, sweet cheedais are less prone to bursting than its savory counterpart. So, if you are attempting this for the first time, be a little cautious and step slightly away from the oil, keeping your face and limbs at a safe distance when the cheedais are frying. But, don't fret much. If an accident-prone clumsy person like me can make this cheedai safely, so can you!

Murukku / South-Indian Chakli

Murukku is a very popular deep-fried savory snack that's made during festive occasions like weddings, Diwali, and other religious days. Tomorrow is Gokulashtami - Lord Krishna's birthday. So, this is one of the many savory dishes that's made to celebrate the day. 

My husband and I love murukkus, however, these murukkus are made entirely by hand instead of using any equipment to press out the spirals. The prepared dough is slowly spun in a twisted rope-like fashion to make the murukkus, as shown in this video. Now, to do this one needs a special skill and dexterity that I lack! My mom always says this skill is something that you are born with - like the ability to touch your nose with your tongue ;). I have resisted this idea and have tried several times to make these murukkus by hand when I was a teenager, but my success rate has been erratic. I don't want to discourage anyone, though! This is just my limitation. 

So, I have started to make these murukkus using a press. After all, the ingredients are the same, and consequently, the end product tastes the same. If the murukkus are made using a press, they resemble chaklis - another Indian deep-fried equivalent of murukku.

Here's the simple procedure to make murkkus.

Aloo Bonda / Batata Vada

When it comes to indulging my husband with food, potatoes feature prominently and repeatedly in the list. I am sure it tops everyone's list! So, there's been a potato fest at our home recently. 

If there's potatoes and a fest, it has to involve something deep-fried. And one of the most popular Indian street-foods that calls for deep frying spicy potatoes has to be aloo bonda, or known as batata vada in Mumbai. How can a food that calls for deep frying spicy balls of potatoes dipped in a thick and tasty batter not be popular on any planet (involving humans)?

Making these vadas at home brings in the pungent and nostalgic smell of hot oil meeting batter and potatoes - an inescapable aroma that's sure to assault your senses if you take a walk down a busy Indian street that clamors with food, lights, colors, sound, and chatter.

Milagu Vadai / Pepper Vadai (Anjaneyar Vadai)

Milagu vadai is a thin deep-fried disc prepared from coarsely ground whole black gram and lots of cracked black pepper. It is a common religious offering to the Hindu God, Hanuman (also known as Anjaneyar). Ever since I was three years old, I have had a special fascination and reverence towards this particular Hindu God. So, this vadai is a special favorite. I love its simple taste, and the feeling of peace, quite, and hope it evokes.

This is a very simple and easy preparation that takes no time at all to make.

Thenkuzhal

Thenkuzhal (also colloquially called "thengozhal") is yet another popular Indian savory. It is commonly prepared during festive occasions such as Deepavali, weddings etc. But it is also just as commonly prepared as a tea-time snack. A simple mixture of rice flour and black gram flour are mixed to form a dough with butter, salt, and cumin. This dough is squeezed through a thenkuzhal press to make strands of interconnected spiral-looking crispy treats. 

Two years ago, I made mullu thenkuzhal (a slight variation of regular thenkuzhal) for Deepavali. Now, with my mom around, we are getting to eat this treat as an afternoon nibble. 

Masala Pori / Spicy Puffed Rice Salad

This is a quick evening snack that is very very close to the popular Bhel Puri. The only thing that is missing in this snack is some crispy Sev (oma podi), and probably some boiled potatoes. Bhel puri is also served with two condiments - a sweet date-based chutney and a spicy coriander-chilli chutney. 

This dish is almost like a salad. It is healthy, extremely easy to put together when there is company and people are hungry, and not to mention - its yummy!

This version of pori is popular in South-India, especially in our Marina Beach! To make it more authentic, add some chopped raw mango to the snack. 

Ribbon (Savory Indian Snack)

Ribbon is a savory, deep-fried Indian snack made from rice flour and other flours that come from different Indian pulses. A dough is made from all the flours, and as the name indicates, it is pressed into thin ribbons that are deep fried. 

My parents are visiting, so we are lavished with good food and attention! My mom made this as an afternoon snack last week, and I hovered around her, recording the recipe. This recipe comes from my mother's aunt - an excellent cook who lovingly sent us a package of this savory from India, and it disappeared in no time!

So, here's the recipe. The proportion of flours used are: 3 parts rice flour, 3/4 part besan (kadala maavu/ bengal gram flour), 1/2 part moong dal flour (payatham paruppu maavu / yellow moong flour), 1/4 part pottu kadalai maavu (roasted gram flour). 

The above results in a big batch of ribbons, so my mother made a smaller batch using the above proportion as a guide. So here are the quantities of ingredients based on the smaller batch.

Mysore Bonda / Ulundu Bonda

Bondas are flavorful, deep fried fritters. Mysore bondas are popular for their distinct flavor and inviting rotund shape. Many prepare bondas with all-purpose flour (maida) and a little rice flour mixed with yogurt or buttermilk to make a fluffy batter that rises and puffs when fried. The addition of baking soda makes the bondas all the more round and puffy!

In contrast, this is another version that is prepared with black gram (ulundu). It is very similar to making medhu vadai, except this bonda is tempered with several seasonings.

When my husband heard that his mom recently made these bondas, he couldn't get them out of his mind :). So, here they are!

Avocado & Radish Mini Tartines

Our friends TK and Sindhu gave me this wonderful book by Clotilde Dusoulier as a gift. Right after the book was published, it was on my Amazon wishlist. So it was a delightful coincidence when I received it as a gift! Thanks to them for knowing me so well :). 

I've been trying out the recipes in the book, and they are all fantastic. The recipes defy the common notions and misunderstandings surrounding French cuisine. None of the recipes are high-brow or daunting. The book is a collection of healthy recipes based on fresh seasonal produce, and they are all accessible and easy to prepare. It's yet another testament to how simple ingredients and tasteful, minimalistic seasonings pair together to make amazingly delicious dishes. Although there are some ingredients that are perhaps a little hard to find in common stores, Clotilde makes sure to suggest substitutions and alternatives. 

Anyway, when my friends visited last week, I decided to make a three course simple meal from the book.

Starting with this appetizer, I adapted the recipe from the book, and thanks to TK's feedback and suggestions, it was improvised further for an addictive and incredibly easy finger food! 

Mini Cumin Butter Cookies / Jeera Butter Biscuits

Jeera biscuits/cookies (we call cookies as biscuits in India) are one of my husband's favorite savory items. Every so often, he hankers for them, and requests that I make some. Last weekend was one of those days when he craved for them. Thankfully, they are very easy to make and takes just 30 minutes of total work. 

I use two basic methods to make these cookies. The most frequently used recipe is this one (with cumin seeds instead of oregano), and the other commonly used is this one (with lots of cumin!). This time I borrowed elements from both recipes and decided to add more butter (sinful!) for the buttery aroma reminiscent of the melt-in-your-mouth powdery soft butter biscuits we get in Indian bakeries!

Also, this time I used a 1" (I think it's 1", but could be slightly smaller or larger) fluted round cookie cutter to make cookies that look like clouds of puffed buttery, cumin-y, golden-brown crunchiness! Anything that is a mini/baby version of anything is cute by default, right?!

Baked Kale Chips

Kale chips have become really popular in both the health-conscious and fine-dining circuits. It's very rare for something to find a place amongst both those exclusive communities! Take one crunchy, crispy bite, and you will stop wondering what makes these chips special. No one will believe the almost magical transformation that kale undergoes when baked low and slow with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkle of spices.  It's as sweet a transformation as a frog turning into a prince. Even sworn haters of kale have been turned around and placated by this addictive snack.

This is hardly a "recipe". But here's the general procedure: Wash and dry one bunch of Kale. Dry the leaves well, else they will not crisp. Remove stems and ribs and tear/cut the leaves into chunks. Place on a baking sheet. Drizzle 1.5-2 tablespoons olive oil, sprinkle some salt (1/8-1/4 teaspoon), black-pepper (1/4 teaspoon) and chaat masala (about 1/4 teaspoon). Massage salt and spices into the kale leaves. Bake for 25-30 minutes until crispy in a 275 F preheated oven. Flip the leaves about half way, if you would like. I normally don't turn the leaves, and they turn out fine. I also don't like to completely char the leaves... I like to see some green, but if you want the leaves to be super roasted, bake for longer.

Crunch away!

Pan-Fried Samosas

No Indian party is complete without samosas. It is a staple in almost every fun gathering. Crunchy, buttery pockets of pastry hold a delicately spiced stuffing of potatoes and peas. The soft stuffing perfectly complements the crispy shell.

Obviously, deep frying is the best method of preparing samosas. Nothing beats it. However, in the interest of making them less oily, I have pan fried them. In the past, I have tried baking the samosas instead of pan frying, but they didn't come out well. The samosas didn't cook evenly and the shell was hard. So, pan frying is the second best option. 

And, of course, this is just my version of making samosas - mini samosas. The original version of folding the dough to make the pockets to hold the stuffing is different from my "short cut" version. But, this is a decent short-cut. If you prefer, please deep fry and enjoy a better tasting samosa!

The steps (makes about 15-16 samosas, depending on the size of the samosas)

The dough:

1. 1.5 cups maida / all purpose flour
2. 1.5 tablespoons ghee / clarified butter (or use butter)
3. 1/2 cup buttermilk / diluted yogurt
4. 1 teaspoon salt or as needed

In a wide bowl, mix salt and all-purpose flour. Add ghee and mix it in. Slowly add the buttermilk / diluted yogurt and knead the dough until it comes together as a soft and pliable mass. If needed, sprinkle a little water. I usually add buttermilk/yogurt/whey to make rotis and I find a distinct difference in how soft the rotis turn out. Since the samosas are not deep fried, it is important that they turn out soft and not hard and brittle while pan frying. And yogurt comes to the rescue to ensure the samosas are soft. If you prefer, add 1/4 cup water and 1/4 cup yogurt/buttermilk. Cover the prepared dough with a damp cloth and let it rest for 15-20 minutes.

the prepared dough

The filling (some filling - up to 1/2 cup will be left over):

1. 2 potatoes, boiled, peeled, and crumbled 
2. 1 onion, sliced
3. 2 tablespoons oil
4. 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
5. 1/2 teaspoon jeera / cumin seeds
6. 2 green chillies, chopped
7. 3 cloves of garlic, minced
8. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
9. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
10. 1.5 teaspoons garam masala / vegetable sabzi masala 
11. 1/3 cup peas (thawed, if using frozen)
12. 1 teaspoon salt
13. 2 teaspoons dried mint leaves (optional)
14. 1 teaspoon of lemon juice
15. 1/4 cup coriander leaves / cilantro

Preparing the filling:

1. Heat oil in a pan. When hot, splutter mustard seeds, and add jeera. When jeera begins to sizzle, add ginger, green chillies, and onion and saute until onion begins to brown slightly. 
2. Add garlic and fry for 1 minute. 
3. Add turmeric powder and mix
4. Add the crumbled potatoes and mix them well. Fry for 5 minutes. 
5. Add garam masala and peas and give a mix
6. When peas are cooked, remove from heat.
7. Throw in dried mint leaves, coriander leaves and lemon juice and mix. Let filling cool.

 Making the samosas:

1. Pinch out and make about 7-8 balls from the prepared dough. Cover the balls/dough with a damp cloth or paper towel, so that they remain soft and don't form a crust. 
2. Roll out each ball into an evenly thin circle, so that the samosa cooks evenly (dust the rolling board/pin with all-purpose flour to avoid the dough from sticking). Cut the circle in the middle to make two semi-circles. 
3. Gently roll each semicircle along the curve to connect either sides and make a wide conical shape (just as you would roll a piece of paper to make a cone). Use water to seal the edges. Fill the pocket/the "cone" with the stuffing. Gently push the stuffing to the bottom using your finger and continue filling until the top. Then fold down the "flap" at the top to cover the filling. Use water to seal the flap. Hopefully the pictures below help visualize the process. If you don't want to go through all the trouble to make these pockets, just place the filling in the corner of a small circle of rolled out dough and close to make a crescent. Otherwise, cut out squares of the rolled out dough, place filling on one side, and connect the diagonals to form triangles. My samosas are anyway distant cousins to triangles and cones, so the shapes don't really matter! Just stuff any which way and fry!

Once all the "samosas" are stuffed, pan fry them. Cover all the prepared stuffed samosas with a damp cloth. For each batch, use about a teaspoon of oil in a pan and fry the samosas on both sides until golden brown. 

Things to keep in mind while frying:

1. First heat the oil on medium heat. When hot, start frying the samosas. Soon the pan would get too hot, causing the outside of the samosas to crisp up fast, leaving the insides of the dough raw. So, reduce the heat slightly in about 10 minutes time to ensure the samosas cook through and crisp up.

2. Gently press down on the samosas to help all the edges fry and cook evenly. Otherwise, the center of the samosas will brown and crisp, while the edges wouldn't even touch the pan and will remain raw.

Serve hot with ketchup or spicy mint-coriander chutney.

Baked Sweet Potato Fries

Superbowl finger food this time - Sweet Potato Fries and pan-fried Samosas! Both my husband and I LOVE sweet potato fries. We can't seem to get enough of them. They are so incredibly addictive. After a few lukewarm attempts where my fries were either too caramelized or just a little limp or lacking in flavor, I finally hit upon a combination of spices and bake time that seems to work. This version of the fries is sweet and spicy. I also added some brown sugar to bring out some extra camerlization action!

So, here it is!

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into wedges about 3/4 - 1 inch wide
2. 1.5 tablespoons corn starch
3. 1 teaspoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
5. 2 teaspoons brown sugar
6. 1/2 teaspoon amchur / dry mango powder
7. 1 teaspoon chaat masala
8. 1.5 teaspoons cumin powder / jeera powder
9. 1 + 2 tablespoons olive oil

Coated with spices and ready to bake!

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F
2. In a big enough zip lock bag, throw in the sweet potatoes and corn starch. Seal the bag and give it a good shake until all the wedges are coated with corn starch. This makes the fries slightly more crispier.
3. Next, add the remaining spices - salt, pepper, brown sugar, amchur, chaat masala, and cumin powder.  Lastly pour 2 tablespoons of oil into the bag. Seal the bag and toss the wedges and massage them so that they get coated with all the spices. 
4. When all the wedges look evenly coated, transfer them to a baking sheet and bake for 15 - 20 minutes on one side (I recommend 17 minutes :)). Now, flip the wedges onto the other side, drizzle a tablespoon of oil and bake for another 20 minutes or until the wedges are sufficiently browned/caramelized.

That's it. Remove from the oven and serve immediately.

Moong Dhal Tikki / Mung Bean Tikki

Tikki or cutlets are deep-fried/pan fried spicy patties. They are popularly prepared with mashed potatoes and Indian spices and are called Aloo Tikkis. The fried potato patties are as popular as Samosas are as party and tea-time appetizers in India.

I never would have thought to make tikkis with lentils or dhal (although now that I think about it, it is like making masala burgers!), until I came across a lovely recipe that used moong dhal instead of potatoes, and oats instead of bread crumbs to crisp the tikkis. And after trying, tasting and testing the tikkis on friends, I can say that nobody could guess that the tikkis were made with plain old dhal and not potatoes! They taste really good, are healthier than potato tikkis and are perfect as an appetizer that doesn't allow guilt to creep in.

Adapted and tweaked from this recipe

Ingredients (serves 4):

1. 1/3 cup uncooked moong dhal /payatham paruppu / yellow mung beans
2. 1 cup oats
3. 1/2 a medium-large red onion, finely chopped
4. 1 teaspoon minced ginger
5. 1 green chilly, finely chopped
6. 1 teaspoon coriander powder
7. 1 teaspoon garam masala or pav bhaaji masala
8. 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
9. 4 tablespoons (and a few extra teaspoons) vegetable oil, or as needed
10. 1/4 chopped coriander leaves / cilantro
11. 1/4 - 1/3 cup buttermilk or diluted yogurt (as needed)
12. 1.5 teaspoons salt or as needed

Preparation:

1. Cook the moong dhal with just enough water to complete cook the dhal until mushy. If there is any extra water, drain it from the cooked dhal and let it cool. When cool, pulse in a blender until the dhal is broken down. Do not add any water.
2. Grind 1/2 cup of oats. Add this to the cooked & pulsed dhal along with chopped onion, ginger, green chilly, garam masala/other masala, turmeric powder, salt, and coriander leaves and mix everything well. Try to form small discs/patties that hold together. If you are unable to form patties, grind some more oats and add to the mixture until you can form patties. 
3. Create an assembly line to pan fry the patties/tikkis. Heat a teaspoon of oil in a skillet (cast-iron ideally). Dip the patties in buttermilk/yogurt, roll it around in the remaining 1/2 cup of oats that is coarsely ground (just pulse a couple of times in the blender) and pan fry on either sides until golden brown. Replenish the skillet with oil and pan fry all the patties. Note: for most of the tikkis, I didn't need to dip in buttermilk/yogurt to coat them in coarsely ground oats. The patties were moist enough by themselves for the oats to attach to their exterior. So, dip in buttermilk/yogurt if required.
4. Remove and drain on paper towels. Keep the fried patties in a warm oven (200 F or less) until ready to serve. 

Serve with tomato ketchup or a favorite sauce of your choice.