Pappadi Samosa

Ingeredients:

Lijjat Pappad - 1 pkt (either garlic variant or jeera variant)

Potato - 4 nos big

Ginger paste - 1 tbsp

Onion - 2 nos (finely chopped)

Salt - to taste

Oil - to fry

Method:

Boil and peel the potatoes, mash it finely. Add onion, salt and ginger paste. Mix well. 

Dip the pappad in water and place it on a flat plate, make balls of the potato mix and fold the pappad to desired shape. Fry in oil. 

Grated Paneer or cheese can also be added to the stuffing mixture. 

This makes a different party starter and also evening snack. 

Pappadi Paneer Balls

A starter dish and also a dish that kids will love it as an evening snack after school.

Ingredients:

Urad Dal Papad (Raw) - 4 nos

Paneer - 100 gms

Chaat Masala - 1 tsp

Green chillies - 1 no (finely chopped)

Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)

Mint leaves - 1/4 cup (finely chopped)

Corn Flour - 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Oil to Fry

Method: 

Crush the papads finely and spread them on a plate. Mix Paneer, chaat masala, salt, finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and mint leaves together to a dough form. Make small balls out of this dough. 

Mix salt to corn flour and add little water to it to make a thick and smooth paste. Dip the paneer balls in flour paste and roll them in the crushed papad. 

In a shallow pan heat oil and fry these balls till they turn golden brown. Serve hot with tomato ketchup. 

Cauliflower Manchurian Dry - A starter dish (IndoChinese Style)

After Paneer, Cauliflower is another ingredient that is made as Manchurian an Indo Chinese dish. This also can be made both as dry starter and also as a gravy. When my brother visited us, I wanted to surprise him and his family with something different and unique and for the starter I had made this Cauliflower Manchurian which every one liked and relished.

Ingredients:
Cauliflower Big - 1 no.
Onion - 4 nos

Tomato - 1 no.
Spring Onions - 3 stems
Green Chilly - 2 nos
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tbsp
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp
Corn Flour - 2 tbsp
Pepper Powder - 1/4 tbsp (optional)
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tbsp
Coriander Powder - 3/4th tbsp
Cumin Powder - 3/4th tbsp
Water - 1 cup
Oil- 4 tbsp and 1/4 tbsp for shallow frying

Salt to Taste

Method :

Clean and cut cauliflower into florets. Put them in boiling water added with turmeric powder and a bit of salt. Cover with a lid and remove from flame. Drain the water and separate the florets. 

Mix cornflour, red chilly powder, salt, cumin powder and coriander powder and add little water to make a fine paste. Add the drained florets to the paste and mix thoroughly so that all the florets are coated evenly. Let it marinate for about 15 minutes.

Chop onions finely. Grind tomato to a puree. Chop spring onion leaves into bits.

In a frying pan add the 1/4 cup of oil and fry the cauliflower florets slowly. Remove them when they turn golden brown in colour. Remove and drain well.

In a flat bottom pan, add 4 tbsp oil, saute the spring onion leaves, add finely chopped onions and saute them too. Add the green chillies and pureed tomato. Mix well. Add the Soya Sauce and Tomato Ketchup followed by fried Cauliflower florets, Mix everything thoroughly till all the ingredients blend together. Add the ginger garlic paste and give it a toss. Transfer it to a serving bowl and top it with chopped spring onions and caramalized onions

If you want to make it as a gravy for side dish, then add a cup of water and add the left over marinated paste and bring it to boil. Keep stirring so that it does not settle at the bottom.When it turns glassy, remove from flame, transfer to a serving bowl, decorate it with finely chopped  spring onions and serve with any Roti or Chappati of your choice or even Veg Pulav and Fried Rice.

Upma Kozhukattai- Pidi Kozhukattai by Uma Sridharan

This is also known as Pidi Kozhukattai.

Ingredients:

Raw rice 1 1/2 cup

Toor dhal  1/4 cup

Salt to taste 

Oil  2 tbs

Ghee  2 tbs

Mustard  1 tsp 

Urid dhal  1 tsp

Pepper corn 1/2 tsp

Jeera  1/2 tsp

Red chillies 3

Asafetida powder- a pinch

Preparation

Grind rice, toor dhall, pepper, jeera, red chillies to a rava consistency. Heat a heavy bottomed pan, pour oil. Add mustard seeds, urid dhall and curry leaves. Pour 4 cups of water and bring to boil. Add salt and ghee. Now slowly put in the ground rice mixture.

Mix well without any lumps till the rice mixture absorbs the water and becomes soft .

Remove from heat and keep aside.

When it is cool shape them into small cylinders.

steam for 15-20 minutes.

Serve with coconut chutney

Makes a different kind of Party Starter dish

Mixed Vegetable Bonda by Shripriya

Starter recipe posted by Shripriya Ramakrishan for party menu contest entry 1

Make the mixed vegetable curry with potato, carrot, beans, peas, capsicum etc., and make lemon sized balls. Instead of dipping it in the Besan gravy, we are going to wrap it in white bread. Remove the brown part in the bread, sprinkle little bit water on the white part, place the mixed vegetable ball on the bread, then wrap the mixed vegetable ball with the bread...if the bread is hard and you are not able to wrap, then wet your hands and try. It will work out. Then deep fry these rolls. The taste will be awesome. I made this for one of the potluck parties....and the guests were going ga-ga over this. :)

Dhokla

Party menu posted by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients

Gram flour                            1 cup

Juice of a lime

Sugar                                     1 tsp

Turmeric powder               1/4 tsp

Ginger paste                        1/2 tsp

Green chilli                           1 crushed

Water                                     3/4 cup         

Soda bi carb                        3/4 tsp

For seasoning

Mustard seeds                    1 tsp

Chopped coriander leaves          handful

Grated coconut                   handful

Green chillies                      2 finely chopped

Method

Mix salt, sugar, lemon juice along with 3/4 cup of water. Mix gram flour, turmeric powder, crushed chilli  and ginger paste. Slowly add the water mixture and prepare a smooth batter.

Grease a suitable baking dish to steam Dhokla.  

Heat a cooker or steamer with enough water to steam. When the water is hot, mix soda bi card with the batter and pour it into the greased baking dish. Now steam it for 10 mts.

Remove from the fire. Let it cool for few mts. Remove the Dhokla carefully from the baking dish.

Cut into big cube.

Heat a kadai, pour oil and add mustard seeds. When the mustard seeds splatter, add coconut and green chillies. Remove from  the fire. Pour it over the dhoklas. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot.

Paneer Tikka by Uma Sridharan

Party menu recipe posted by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Large block of Paneer                         1

Onion                                                 1

Capsicum                                           1

Ripe hard Tomato                               1

finely chopped Coriander leaves        handful

 

To Marinate:

Curd                                                    1 cup

Ginger - Garlic paste                          1 tbsp

jeera powder                                       1 tsp

Salt to taste

Red chili Powder                                 1 tsp

 

Method

Cut Paneer into 1/2" thick cubes. Cut all vegetables into cubes. Mix all ingredients for marinade and keep aside. Marinate  vegetables and paneer separately. Keep the marinated paneer in fridge for atleast 2 hrs.

Heat oil in a kadai and fry marinated paneer till done. Fry vegetables also. Arrange fried vegetables and paneer in a serving plate.

Garnish with coriander.

Vegetable Kebab by Uma Sridharan

Ingredients:

Potato                          250 gms

Paneer                         200 gms 

Cauliflower                   grated  1 cup 

Capsicum                    1 finely chopped

Green chilly                  3 finely chopped  

Coriander leaves         chopped handful

Maida                          1 cup

Red chilly powder       1 tsp  oil for frying

Method

Boil and mash potato. Grate paneer.  Heat oil in a kadai. Sauté grated cauliflower and capsicum for 2 to 3 mts. Add mashed potato, grated paneer and green chilli. Add enough salt. Remove it from the flame and let it cool. Make small balls of the mixture and keep aside. Make a smooth batter by mixing maida, salt, red chilli powder and  water. Heat enough oil for deep frying in a pan. Dip the balls in the batter and deep fry them until they turn golden brown.   Serve hot        .

Hara Bara Kebab by Latha Mahadevan

Party menu recipe posted by Latha Mahadevan

Ingredients:

Boiled Potatoes - 3-4 medium sized

Boiled green peas - 3/4 cup

spinach - 100 gms

Chopped green chillies - 1 tblspn

Chopped green coriander - 2 tblspn

chopped ginger - 1 tblspn

Chaat masala - 1 tspn

Salt - as per taste

Cornflour - 2 tblspn

Oil - for deep frying

 

Method:

1. Peel n grate boiled potatoes

2. Mash boiled green peas

3.Blanch spinach leaves in plenty of salted boiling water, refresh in cold water and squeeze out excess water. Finely chop.

4. Mix grated potatoes, peas and spinach. Add chopped green chillies, chopped green coriander, chopped ginger, chaat masala and salt. Add cornflour for binding.

5. shape into ball and then press it in between your palms to give it a flat tikki shape.

6. Deep fry the tikkis in hot oil for 3-4 minutes.

Recipe for Kadhamba Vadai with vegetables

Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal/Toor Dal - 1 cup
Bengal Gram Dal - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
Raw Rice - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies - 4 nos
Red Chillies - 8 nos
Hing - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cashew nuts - 12 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few
Grated Carrot - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped cabbage - 1/4 cup
Green Peas (Boiled) - 1/2 cup


Method:
Wash and soak the dals and rice for about 4 hours. Better soak Thoor dal and Bengal gram dal together, rice separately and urad dal separately. Drain well.


Grind urad dal first a bit coarsely without adding much of water. Grind other two dals along with red chillies, green chillies, salt, 1/2 of the curry leaves, coriander leaves and hing sprinkling just 2 tbsp of water. Before removing from the mixer add the coarsely ground urad dal and give a spin so that all the dals mix well nicely. Slice the cashewnuts thinly and mix it with the dal. Add the grated coconut and mix that too well. Cut the remaining curry leaves into half and add it to the ground mixture.


Slightly boil the carrot and cabbage or better steam or microwave it to make them soft. Add it to the ground dal mixture along with the peas. 


Mix well with hand again and pat them to make small vadais. You can also make them as balls and serve it as bondos. Fry them till they are golden brown. 


 Serve hot with tomato sauce, tomato ketchup or coconut chutney.

Recipe to make Kadhamba vadai

An easy to make tiffin item. Which also makes a different starter dish for parties. Kids will love it.
Ingredients:
Thuvar Dal/Toor Dal - 1 cup
Bengal Gram Dal - 1/2 cup
Urad Dal - 1/4 cup
Raw Rice - 1/4 cup
Green Chillies - 4 nos
Red Chillies - 8 nos
Hing - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Cashew nuts - 12 nos
Grated coconut - 1/2 cup
Curry leaves - few
Coriander leaves - few

Method:
Wash and soak the dals and rice for about 4 hours. Better soak Thoor dal and Bengal gram dal together, rice separately and urad dal separately. Drain well.

Grind urad dal first a bit coarsely without adding much of water. Grind other two dals along with red chillies, green chillies, salt, 1/2 of the curry leaves, coriander leaves and hing sprinkling just 2 tbsp of water. Before removing from the mixer add the coarsely ground urad dal and give a spin so that all the dals mix well nicely. Slice the cashewnuts thinly and mix it with the dal. Add the grated coconut and mix that too well. Cut the remaining curry leaves into half and add it to the ground mixture.

Mix well with hand again and pat them to make small vadais. You can also make them as balls and serve it as bondos. Fry them till they are golden brown.

 Serve hot with tomato sauce, tomato ketchup or coconut chutney.

Cheese Pakora an after school snack recipe

Cheese Pakoras are delicious snacks that can be served to the kids as an after school snacks.

Ingredients:
Cheese cubes - 2 nos
Onion - 1 no
Green chilly - 2 nos
Bread slice - 2 nos
Curry Leaves - a few
Gram flour - 1 cup
Corn flour - 1 tbsp
Salt - 1/2 tsp
Red chilly Powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying

Method:
Cut the sides of the bread slices. Soak them into water for a min. Squeeze out the water. Mix salt, red chilly powder to gram flour. Chop onions, green chillies and curry leaves finely. Mix these too to the gram flour. Cut the cheese into small cubes. Mash the bread and mix it with the corn flour. Mix the cheese cubes also to the corn flour and make a dough which is not too hard or too watery.

Heat oil in a shallow pan and add small balls of the dough to it. Fry them till they become golden brown in colour. Serve with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Masal Vadai using Urad Dal

Masal Vadais or Masala Vadais are speciality vadais made using the same batter that is used to make Ulunthu vadai or Aama vadai with slight variations. Here is the recipe to make masal vadai using urad dal.

Ingredients:
Urad Dal - 2 cups
Curry Leaves - 1/4 cup
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Onion - 3 to 4 nos

Method:
Soak Urad Dal for about 2 hours. Grind it to a fine paste along with curry leaves, coriander leaves and salt. The dough should not be watery.

Chop onions finely. Add it to the ground dough. Make vadas using it. This makes a great evening time snack or a rainy day snack.

Masala Bhindi fingers - an easy to make party dish

Ingredients:
Lady's finger - 1/2 kg
Besan flour - 1/4 cup
Dhaniya powder (Coriander powder) - 1 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Oil for frying

Method:
Wash and dry the lady's finger thoroughly. Remove the ends and cut them into four lengthwise. Spread the cut pieces in a tray. Make a mixture of besan flour, red chilly powder, garam masala powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and salt. Mix well and ensure no lumps are formed. Sprinkle this mixture on to the cut lady's finger slices. Ensure all the pieces are evenly coated with the mixture.

Heat oil in a pan, when hot add few pieces at a time. Fry them till they become golden brown. Remove and serve it with tea or coffee.

Vegetable Kebab

Ingredients:
Potatoes - 2 nos.
Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Cabbage - 1 cup
Green chilly - 2 nos
Coriander leaves - 1/4 cup
Paneer - 1 cup (100 gms)
Ajinomotto powder - 1/4 tsp
All purpose flour - 1 cup
Red Chilly powder - 1/2 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tbsp
Cumin seeds powder - 1/2 tbsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:
Boil peel and grate or mash potoatoes. Cut cauliflower to small florets. Chop cabbage to very fine pieces. Chop green chillies and coriander leaves very finely. Grate paneer.

Mix ajinomotto to the cauliflower florets and cabbage pieces. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan and fry both of the separately. Remove from flame mix well. Mix grated paneer and potato together (care shoud be taken not to mash them).  Heat another 1 tbsp oil and add the fried cauliflower, cabbage and then the mixed potato and paneer. Add green chilly, coriander powder, cumin powder and 1/2 tsp salt and mix well, till all the ingredients blends together and the water dries up if any. Remove from flame and let it cool.

Make small balls of the mixture once cold.

Mix all purpose flour, 1/2 tsp salt, red chilly powder and 1 cup water. Heat oil in a pan. Make desired shapes out of the vegetable balls (square, diamond or heart shaped). Dip them in the batter and deep fry till they are golden brown in colour.

Serve hot with tomato sauce.

Paneer Fingers in Rice batter

Ingredients:
Paneer - 200 gms
Besan Flour - 1 cup
Cooked Rice - 1 cup
Khus Khus paste - 1 tsp
Sesame - 1 tsp
Spring onions - 1
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 1 tsp
Chilly paste - 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Buttermilk - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Salt to taste
oil - for frying.

Method:
Mash rice well and mix it with besan flour, buttermilk to form a thick batter. Set it aside for about 4 hours. Mix turmeric powder, chilly garlic paste, green chilly paste, red chilly powder, Khus Khus paste, Sesame seeds, finely chopped spring onions and salt.

Cut the paneer into one inch long finger sized strips. Coat the strips with the batter and fry in oil till they are golden brown in colour.

Makes a great snack for the brothers on Raksha Bandhan day.

Vegetable Balls

Ingredients

1. Cabbage – one cup
2. Peas – ¼ cup
3. Carrot – ¼ cup
4. Potatoes - 2
5. Corn Flour – 4 tbsp
6. Rice Flour - 1 tsp
7. Chilli powder – 1 ½ tsp
8. Salt to taste
9. Oil for Frying

Method

1. Chop the vegetables finely
2. Cook the potato and mash it
3. Cook the other vegetables in microwave for 10 minutes or cook all the vegetables in pressure cooker.
4. Drain the water from the cooked vegetables completely.
5. Squeeze them with hand to remove excess water
6. Add salt, chilli powder and corn flour and mix them thoroughly.
7.The mixture should be thick like pakoda batter.
8. Make small balls and fry them till they are golden brown

Tastes good with mint chutney or tomato sauce.
Ginger garlic paste and fennel seeds can be added if available.

Easy Veg Paneer Cutlet

Ingredients:
Potato - 2 nos
Carrot - 1 no.
Onion -  1 no.
Peas - 1/4 cup
Paneer - 100 gms
Corn flour - 2 tbsp
Ginger Garlic Paste - 1 tsp
Red Chilly powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Roasted Rawa - 1/4 cup
Oil for shallow frying

Method:
Pressure cook potatoes. Mash well. Heat oil in a pan and add ginger garlic paste and finely chopped onion. When the onion turns glassy, add the grated carrot, peas. Add red  chilly powder, pepper powder, coriander powder, garam masala powder and salt and mix well. Remove from flame add the grated paneer.  Make a watery batter of the corn flour .Make the potato mixture into small balls and flatten it. Coat both the sides in the corn flour batter and roasted rawa.

Heat oil in a shallow pan and shallow fry the cutlets. Turn it both the sides till they become golden brown in colour. (Care should be taken not to over brown it). Serve it hot with tomato ketchup and green chutney

Panner Tikka

Ingredients:
Paneer - 250 to 300 gms
Thick unsour curds - 1/2 cup
Ginger paste - 1 tsp
Galic paste - 1 tsp
Red Chilly Powder - 2 tsp
Kasuri Methi - 1/2 tsp
Punjabi Garam Masala - 1/2 tsp
Chaat Masala - 1 tsp
Chopped coriander leaves - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 firm and semi ripe
Green Capsicum - 1 small
Besan Flour - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
salt to taste

Method:
Cut Paneer into cubes. In a shallow bowl mix curds, ginger paste, garlic paste, chilly powder, dried fenu greek leaves, Punjabi garam masala, coriander leaves, chaat masala, oil and salt. The mixture should be of a fine paste. Immerse the Panner paste into the mixture. Ensure that all the sides of the paneer is coated with the paste. Let it set for about 15 minutes. Cut 1 inch square pieces of tomato and capsicum and mariante them too in the paste after removing the paneer.

This is best cooked in OTG in about 200 deg centrigrade. But if you dont have one, better do it in tawa. Coat the tawa with about 1 tbsp of oil. Arrange the paneer pieces side by side. Turn the flame to medium and when the side facing the tawa turns golden brown turn it to the other side and fry it till it becomes golden brown.

In the same way arrange the capsicum and tomatoes too in the tawa and fry both the sides for not more than 1/2 minute for each side.

How to serve:
In a tooth pick insert capsicum piece, then paneer piece and then tomato piece.

Serve with mint chutney and Katta Meeta chutney

Recipe for Aloo Tikka

 Ingredients:
Potato - 2 nos
Bread Slices - 6 nos
Onion - 1 medium size
Ginger - 1/2 inch piece
Lemon Juice - 1/2 tbsp
     or
Tamarind Paste - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 2 nos
Coriander Leaves - 1/4 cup
Mint paste - 1 tbsp
Oil for deep frying

Method:
  Soak the bread slices in a shallow plate for about 5 mins. Remove and squeeze out water and mash it finely. Pressure cook the potates and peel the skin. Chop onion very finely. Grind green chillies, ginger and coriander leaves, Mint Paste to a fine paste and add it to the potatoes. Mix all the ingredients along with mashed bread and make them into equally shapped balls. Shape them to a tikka.

Heat oil in a pan, when hot reduce the flame to medium. Deep fry the tikkas in the oil. Drain the excess oil.

Makes a great snack for parties, evening snacks for the kids. Serve with mint chutney.