Popped Rice Balls

Popped Rice Balls (Khoi Moa/Murkhi )

Makes:300gms                                                                                     Time:10 mins

Popped Rice Balls or Khoi Moa/ Murkhi as it is known in Bengali. Yes, this dish is a Bengali specialty. It is a simple, sweet and tasty snack which you can make in minutes. A near-extinct recipe as mothers are moving on to unhealthy fast food such as chips, noodles, and burgers. 

Ingredients

Popped rice   200gm

Jaggery         100 gm

Water             2 tbsp

Ghee              2tsp

Preparation

Take a kadhai/ sauce pan put the jaggery and water and keep on stirring while letting it boil until it becomes bubbly and starts sticking to the stirring spoon. Then add the ghee. Switch off the flame.Keep on stirring for a little more time to cool it. Add the popped rice and mix well so all of it is uniformly coated with the jaggery. Make sure it is not sticky.Then take a handful of the mixture and press it between the palms to shape it into a ball. Your snack is ready

Baked Veg chops/Cutlets

                               Baked Veg chops/Cutlets

INGREDIENTS(MAKES 15-20 MEDIUM CUTLETS):

• ½ tsp of cumin seeds,
• ½ tsp of fennel seeds,
• 6 cloves,
• 3 green cardamoms,
• Small ½ inch cinnamon stick,
• 5 peppercorns,
• 2-3 green chili,
• 1-2 dry bay leaf
• 2 medium sized beetroot, cut into small pieces,
• 2 medium sized carrots, cut into small pieces,
• 2 small potatoes, boiled and mashed,
• 1 tsp of grated ginger,
• 2 green chilies, finely chopped,
• 2 tsp of peanuts,
• Salt to taste,
• Sugar to taste,
• Green coriander, finely chopped
• 4 tbsp oil

FOR THE COATING:

• 2 tsp of rice flour
• 5-6 tbsp of gram flour
• 3 eggs

PREPARATION:

1. First, grind the roasted whole spices and keep it aside.
2. In a skillet, take 1 tsp of oil and lightly fry the peanuts. Keep them aside and in the same oil, fry ginger and green chilies till you get a light aroma.
3. Into this add the grated beetroot and carrot and saute well. Cook until they are soft and can be smashed. Now add the mashed potatoes, salt, sugar, ground roasted spice powder and chopped coriander leaves. Mix well.
4. Cool the mixture and make 15-20 medium cutlet balls.Take medium sized balls and pressing it softly on the palm give it an oval shape as shown in the picture.
5. In a separate bowl beat the eggs, in another take 2 tsp of the rice flour and in a third container keep the gram flour. Roll each ball into the egg batter and then roll them in gram flour and then rice flour.
6. Now warm the oven and place them in a greased baking pan and bake them at 200.Try to turn them over after 10 mins to give nice even coloring.Now, bake it for 10-15 minutes till it turns a little brown.To get nice crispiness like the fried ones grease them with oil ones you turn them.
7. Serve them piping hot with onion rings, ketchup.

How to make Pizza - Pasta Sauce

How to make Pizza - Pasta Sauce

Learn how to make this simple easy - to - make homemade pizza pasta sauce that is commonly used in Italian dishes like Pizza, Pasta, and Lasagna. But it also it can be used to make any ordinary dish like a gravy, tasty.

Ingredients:

• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 8 cloves fresh garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 5-6whole tomatoes 
• 1 jar of tomato paste
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried basil leaves (or 1/4 cup fresh, finely chopped)
• 2 bay leaves (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat the olive oil in a medium-size pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until soft, about 5 minutes
2. Add garlic and saute another minute.
3. Then, add tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, basil, bay leaves, thyme and salt/pepper.
4. Bring to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer.
5. Simmer for 10-15 minutes to let flavors meld. (Can simmer longer if desired for a thicker sauce with a deeper flavor).
6. Your sauce is ready

Sweet crepe (patishapta)

Sweet crepe (patishapta)

Ingredients

Rice : 1cup
Buckwheat : 1/4cup
Dry dates : 3-5pieces finely chopped
Salt : 1 pinch
Milk : 1/2 cup
Grated coconut : 1/4 cup
Jaggery : 100 gm
Ghee/oil : 1 tbsp

Preparation

Soak the rice and dates in water for 2 hrs .Grind it into a coarse paste try not to add more water but substitute with milk while grinding.Make a pourable batter by adding milk.In a separate bowl mix the grated coconut and jaggery evenly .To make it tastier you can add Khowa or solidified milk to the mixture.

Now take a skillet add a little oil and warm it pour some of the batter on the skillat and spread it out. Cook it for 2 mins until golden brown flip it cook the other side add some of the coconut mixture on one edge so that you can roll it. Spread some ghee on it. Best when consumed warm.

Stuffed Moong dal pancake / roll

Stuffed Moong dal pancake / roll

Ingredients

Moong dal/split green gram - 2 cup
Hing/aesofoetida - 1 pinch
Ginger finely chopped
Finely chopped green chillies
Finely chopped coriander leaves
Salt
Oil - 2/3 tbsp
Cottage cheese finely grated
Radish finely grated
Cheese
Some finely chopped vegetables (veggies) like capscicum carrot

Preparation

Soak the dal / pulse in for 2 hrs in water and make a paste of it add the chillies and ginger and radish while grinding.Add the coriander salt and aesofoetida to the paste and mix.The batter should be as free flowing as you would for any pancake recipe.

Brush a large griddle with oil and heat over medium-low heat. Pour some of the batter and spread it out and cook until bubbly on top and golden on the bottom, about 2 minutes. Flip and cook until golden on the bottom, about 2 more minutes. Now take some grated cottage cheese and mix together with the freshly chopped vegies or some leftover cooked veggies make a fine layer on one side of the pancake and roll it.

Suggestion(oil-free cooking)

If you do not desire to use too much oil heat your iron skillet add oil when it smokes rub it off with kitchen towel sprinkle water and again spread out some oil and rub it off it would become non stick and definitely adds more flavor to the food then the nonstick ionized ones.And you can keep on cooking and just keep on rubbing the oil soaked towel on the skillet and get a oil free pancakes.

Best Buttermilk Waffle

Best Buttermilk Waffle

Makes : 3-4 (Depending on size of waffle iron)

The secret to great waffles is a thick batter, so don't expect a pourable batter. This recipe can be doubled or tripled

Ingredients

1 cup       buckwheat flour(rice flour can be used instead)

1/2 tsp     salt

1/4 tsp     baking soda (optional)

1              egg, separated

7/8 cup    buttermilk

2 tbsp      unsalted butter, melted

Preparation

Heat waffle iron. Whisk dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Whisk yolk with buttermilk and butter.

Beat egg white until it just holds a 2-inch peak

Add liquid ingredients to dry ingredients in a thin steady stream while mixing gently with a rubber spatula.(Do not add liquid faster than you can incorporate it into the batter.) Towards the end of mixing, use a folding  motion to incorporate ingredients. Gently fold egg white into the batter.

Spread appropriate amount of batter onto waffle iron. Following the manufacturer's instruction , cook waffle until golden brown, 2 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately. (In a pinch, you can keep waffles warm on a wire rack in a 200-degree oven for up to 5 minutes.)

Yellow Puffed Rice

Yellow Puffed Rice

 I today will give you an easy peasy snack recipe you can make in minutes

Serves 5                                                                                          Creates around 250 gms

Ingredients 

Puffed Rice - 250gm

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Asafoetida - 1 pinch 

Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Curry leaves - 1 bunch

Oil - 2 tsp

Salt to taste

Preparation 

Warm the oil in a kadai. Add turmeric powder,mustard seeds,asafoetida,curry leaves and add salt as per taste. When the leave's start crackling lower the flame add the puffed rice and mix it thoroughly for 2 mins. Let it cool down and pour it in a vessel ( if you put it in an airtight container it you can store it for 2 - 3weeks ).