Chiwda Deepawali Faraal 4/5

When we were kids, and our neighbors were the best people in town, we used to have a truckload of Faraal in a dedicated container, from the neighbors. As kids, the chaklis and shankarpalis would go first and then the karanjis and laddoos. Chiwda would be what was left in the bottom. But that would get rid of distractions and we would carry the entire container to our small Tea table and enjoy them by the handfuls, with hot, sweet tea.
After a decade in U.S. when homesickness made us miss the Faraal packets and spicy-sweet chiwda, I decided to call up my sweet neighbor Aunty of old times and ask her for the recipe. She surprised me by emailing me the recipe through her kids.
And I have been using her recipe adding a small touch every year, to accomodate a healthy lifestyle and matching the availability of ingredients.
Made with a variety of fresh and dry ingredients, this dish uses very little oil and lasts a long time when prepared right. Make sure to remove any trace of moisture from the ingredients and utensils, as any moisture will mess with the taste and freshness of Chiwda.



Ingredients:-

2 sprigs of curry leaves
6-7 green chillies- chopped
1/2 cup raw peanuts
1/2 cup dry coconut slices (khobra/kopra)
1 tbsp crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 cup split chana daliya
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp Asafoetida (hing)
2 cups puffed rice (kurmure)
2 cups thin beaten rice (poha)
2 cups of rice crispies (as in the unsweetened cereal) (optional)
1/2 cup of oil in a bowl with a teaspoon to measure out. (you may not need all of it)

Salt to taste
Sugar - to taste.

Method:-
Making Chiwda requires low heat, a heavy and big wok or pan, and lots of patience.
To begin, heat 2 tsp of oil in the pan, in medium heat and fry the curry leaves and green chilies until crisp and dry. Drain, remove them and keep aside.

Next, in the same oil, roast the peanuts carefully without burning them, until they are cooked through. and crunchy. Drain and keep aside.

Next, roast the coconut and daliya until they are crispy and roasted well. Drain and keep aside.

Now add 3 tsp of oil to the pan and when it is hot, add the hing, cumin seeds, crushed coriander and turmeric. Stir well until browned lightly, then add the kurmure, poha and rice crispies (if using). Toss gently and well. The turmeric goes a long way to show which parts need stirring. When evenly coated, the entire contents should be yellow.

Now add the reserved ingredients to the mix and toss gently to roast. Its quite a workout for the arms, but you can rest once the poha turns crispy and crunchy when you taste one. Should take about 15-20 minutes or longer depending on the quantity of the chiwda.

When all ingredients are roasted well and crunchy, sprinkle the salt and the sugar and toss well again, turning off the heat. Let it cool completely, and then store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place.
Enjoy!

Mamma's Pakkaavada (Ribbon Pakoras) Deepawali Faraal 1/5

My Mom makes these beauties only on two or three occasions every year. One is for Diwali and the other is for Onam. The third time is whenever we bed, plead and bribe her to make some. But the reason why she doesn't make these on a regular basis is--- us! We eat it up! We gobble these up before the day is over and with her health issues, no matter how many hours she puts on these- roasting, kneading, squeezing them out and standing long hours frying them in hot oil - its all gone within hours, irrespective of how much she makes. I used to be clueless, when she used to be mad about the big dabba (container) being empty at tea time...but now I know! It doesn't last in my house either. :-D
Love You Mom! <3

Indian Kitchen Press with its various discs. Similar to a cookie press, but used for deep fried savories.

Ingredients:-1 cup rice flour
2 cups besan (gram flour)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp kashmiri red chilli powder
1 tsp onion powder (*this ingredient makes all the difference*)
1 tsp asafoetida (hing)
1 tsp white sesame seeds
1 tbsp coconut oil
Water- enough to make a smooth dough (approximately 2 cups, but you wont need it all)

Oil- to fry

Pakkaavada Disc used to make ribbon pakoras.

Method:-Dry roast the rice flour and besan separately. Let them cool, mix them together.
Boil 2 cups of water. Take one cup and dissolve the salt, chilli powder, onion powder, and hing in it. Now make a well in the center of the flour mixture and pour the coconut oil in the center. Onto the coconut oil, pour the cup of water with spices and stir with a wooden spoon. Cover with a lid and leave for 10 minutes.
After 10  minutes, using the remaining water as needed, knead the dough into a stiff but pliable dough. Spread a tsp of coconut oil in your hands and pat the dough. Divide the dough into balls sized approximately to fit into the barrel of your Kitchen Press. Brushing the insides of the barrel and the contact points of the press is also a good idea. It makes the cleanup later, a breeze!

Now use the ribbon pakoda disc inside the barrel and squeeze out the ribbons directly on to hot oil. Do not overcrowd.
Deep fry both sides on medium heat until bubbles are very few and the pakoda is crunchy and golden brown.

Drain on paper towels.
Store the completely cooled pakkavadas in air tight containers, and serve with tea.
Enjoy!

Savory Oats Uttappa

When people say Oats and Milk, I am one of those people who mentally gag. No offense to anyone, but I just cant eat sweetened oats. It could be the texture or it could be the idea of a sweet dish early in the morning, but I just dont do Oats and fruits/Milk. Period!
Over the past few years, Oats became center staged as a health food,but I wasn't sold. I have always believed most whole grains with bran can be equally or even more healthier. But my Ma and Pa in law absolutely adore Oats. They can eat it three times a day in any form. They both suffer from Diabetes and prefer Oats, rather than eating rice. But they were out of ideas soon and it was while cooking for my diabetic in-laws, and trying out healthy, no-other-carb-added, nutritious recipes I discovered what a joy it is to cook savory oats recipes.
And as an added bonus, I started enjoying my savory Oats creations too!
Now, Oats and I are on much better terms. (wink!)

Here is the proof: Oats Veggie Uttappa :-)
Ingredients: -
For the batter:-
1 cup thick yogurt
2 inch piece of ginger
1 cup milk
2 cups Oats (I used old fashioned rolled oats)
2 peeled fat carrots
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp salt or to taste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin seeds
1 tsp sugar

For stirring in (texture):-
1/4 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup finely chopped cabbage
1 cup chopped french beans

Method:-

In your blender, blend all the batter ingredients until smooth. Now to the batter, add oats, the finely chopped cabbage and  chopped french beans. Keep aside for 20 minutes to soak. 

Check salt and consistency of batter. Add some more milk to get the right thickness.
In a pan, spread 1tsp of oil/ butter and pour 3 small uttappas. Do not spread. Cover with a lid. Cook on low for about 3 minutes. Remove lid, flip and let the other side cook. Serve hot with sambar/chutney/ as is. Enjoy!!! 

Mamma's Perfect Choco-Chip Cookies

Chocolate chip cookies are something of a habit here, in my house. Kids expect me to make it every couple of months and keep our humongous cookie jar filled, and I do that gladly. There is a reason, why I do it gladly- it has to do something with one big change we made when we could, to a better, healthier lifestyle.

It was not always like this. There used to be a time when I was scared of baking. Once my son got to the toddler stage was when I started paying more attention to the packaging labels and noticed the tough-to-pronounce ingredients there. We stopped buying them altogether. But how would you explain your refusal to buy packaged cookies to a toddler who absolutely loved his "chokochikookie???"

Introducing... my Chef Guy. Read more about how I met him in my next post! :-)

I had to give him a healthier option. I'd watch the food channels where baking cookies were what they did between basting the roast. I would hear it from the Moms at the park, how they baked a batch and they binged on it because it was so good when it was warm. I wondered, was it that easy? If it was that easy, why am I not making it for my poor kid suffering from choco-chip cookie withdrawal?

The answer lay in my cold, cold feet. So I dragged my feet up and down the baking isle of our local Publix and got all the ingredients mentioned in my favorite recipe. It was nerve-wracking to pick up even flour. Enriched, unbleached, self raising, whole wheat, healthy blend and so on. After pissing off hubby (who hates shopping) and 2 and a half tantrum from his son later, I finally settled on an enriched, unbleached all purpose flour and walked out of the store.

At home, I laid out the ingredients in  neat order on the counter. I gingerly followed the directions to the T and creamed and mixed and stirred and folded. I sent a silent prayer heavenward before thrusting the cookie sheets in the oven. And twelve minutes later came out my first creation from the world of cookies. I am strictly not a cookie or cake person. 1 sliver of a slice and 2 cookies are the max I can stand in a day. So it wasnt until S had 6 and sonny boy grabbed the third one,I decided to take a bite and see how it tasted. I took a bite...it was warm, the chocolate chips were gooey and filled my mouth with sweet warmth. The cookies were perfectly soft and chewy, but as I swallowed, the unmistakable tightness in my throat, that comes from too much sweetness, made me freeze, in my tracks. I put down the cookie and immediately knew I had to improvise.

The next day, using the leftovers and tweaking the recipe,I made my second batch. This time, I tasted it first. It was perfect! Just perfect!
That incident was 9 years back. To this day, I haven't changed my recipe.
Today, I have 4 kids in the house, 2 mine and 2 my son's best friends. Its almost 1.30 a.m. and they are laughing, watching some goofy kids movie and playing and talking as if its the middle of the day. Right between the circle is a plate full of the same cookies and I take to the side table a huge jug of lemonade. My son takes a cookie and takes a bite and unplanned, his eyes meet mine and he smiles and winks at me- a natural reflex for him. That smile creates the memories of that toddler drooling and munching on his chokochikookie and I beam back with a wink.

And I am sitting here, in the kitchen listening to their laughs and typing out this recipe. It is an odd time, but maybe the time to write this recipe down, cant get any better. :-)
(Makes about 2 dozen cookies, depending on your cookie size. These are about he size of your palm, sans the fingers. Does that make sense?)


Ingredients:-3/4 cup (1 1/2 stick) sweet cream butter, softened at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 large fresh eggs
2 tsp tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups semi-sweet /milk chocolate Chips

Method:
Preheat oven 350°F.
Cream together the butter, sugar and brown sugar until smooth in a mixing bowl, using an electric mixer.
To this add the eggs and vanilla and beat until incorporated into the sugar butter mix.
In another large bowl, stir the flour, salt and baking soda, very well.
Make a well in the center and slowly add the wet mix into the flour mix. Carefully combine them using the electric mixer until a very sticky and soft batter if formed.
Now, using a wooden spoon or spatula, stir in the two cups of chocolate chips
Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Drop 1 tbsp of the batter into the pan, leaving about 1 1/2 inch of space. these cookies spread beautifully. if you dont leave that space, you will end up with a single sheet of cookie instead of the separate ones. 9 is perfect number for a standard cookie sheet.
Bake at 350°F for 10 minutes. If you want chewier ones, bake an additional 2 more minutes.
Cool them in the pan for 5 minutes and using a thin spatula lift them off the parchment and cool them on a cookie rack.
My family says skip the rack and grab them right off the pan. Either way, enjoy them with a cup of cold milk. Enjoy! 

Mamma's Savory French Toast

Hey Peeps,

Its been almost 6 months now, that I joined Chef at Large and found myself in the middle of World Class Foodies, who are just as crazy as me when it comes to food. It was here that I met Sonal G. She is one of the most talented and creative bloggers I have come across. She not only became a very good friend, but also mentored me on the finer aspects of blogging and cooking. She never fails to amaze me with her huge collection of recipes that is every bit amazing and unique as her.

Her blog "Simply Vegetarian 777" has a dedicated number of followers who stay tuned in to the yummy vegetarian posts she churns out systematically.

I adore her and always tune in to her blog, so it came as a very pleasant surprise when she asked me to feature in a Guest post in her blog. I accepted in a heart beat! Thank you Sonal. I am honoured! :-)

Now, I am a staunch non vegetarian who goes cranky if I dont get my animal protein. I need some meat or fish or eggs on a daily basis in a very small portion. Au contraire, Sonal's blog features vegetarian recipes which are her forte. I couldn't think of anything vegetarian that Sonal hasn't attempted on her blog. But she graciously let me use eggs in my recipe, and I made her some French Toast but, with a twist.

Savory French Toast: A french toast made without all that sugar, but absolutely yummy.

You can visit my Guest post and get this recipe here. Please visit,try and do let me know how you find my recipe. xoxo

--Mamma

Mamma's Stuffed Bruns

Sometimes there are certain dishes, that you want to make since a long time, but doesnt. Not because you cant make it, but because you have never seen it made. For me that dish was Paav aka Bombay buns.
There are countless bakers in the small, narrow streets of Mumbai who wake up before the sun does, knead, bake and sell these delicious, simple staples to stores or door to door, fresh and steaming hot.  They offered a variety of fresh baked goodies from a few different kind of paavs, doughnuts (not the American kind, but a soft long roll stuffed with creamy icing), pizza bases and cake rusks.
The Brun Paav aka crusty roll was one of my most favorite items among them. Brun paavs sold those days around 50 paise per roll. The seller was an old man we called Babu. His family made and sold paav for years and Babu was the second generation in this business and he brought them out to sell in his trusty cycle, hanging hot from burlap bags filled to the brim. Now, these burlap bags attached to the handlebars of his cycle. It was an actual art trying to not hit his knees on the steaming bags, and burn his skin. he would pedal his cycle with a lean on either side and knees turning away from the cycle which was pretty much pedalling with his heels. It was quite a sight, watching him ride his cycle in the mornings with a full load, which gave us kids something to be amused at.
Without fail, Babu arrived at 6.15 a.m. every morning. We brought hot "kadak paav" as it was called, at 2 for a rupee, Babu, carefully wrapping it in a piece of pre-cut newspaper piece, so that us kids didnt burn our hand. Mom would have boiled the milk and cooled it down byt hen for us. We would tear off pieces off the paav, dip it into our milk and eat it with relish. The salty, soft interiors and the chewy crust sweetening as we chewed was quite the experience. May God bless that sweet guy!
To replicate this experience, I would always wait to go back to India, sometimes two to three years so that I could catch up on all the flavors I grew up with Brun Paav always remained an item on that list.
Now switching back to the present, I finally found a fail-proof Brun paav recipe from a fellow Mumbaiite and blogger, Shailja Tomar Gonsalves, and under her mentoring recreated the same magical taste in my own kitchen. And its a keeper!
Now, after making three batches of Brun Paav in 4 days, I had to experiment. And this recipe is the result of that curiosity. How do you make a perfect recipe, perfect? Stuff it up with spiced meat!
presenting my Stuffed Bruns...and I dedicate my post to the amazing Shailja, without whom I would still be waiting for my India trip to enjoy my Brun paav! 

 Ingredients:-
Bruns: 4 cups all purpose flour
2 tbsp yeast ( I used active dry yeast)
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

2 tbsp melted butter
Warm water + 1 tsp sugar to bloom the yeast
Warm water -as needed to knead
3 tbsp milk - to brush the buns

Filling:
1 lb ground meat ( beef or mutton)
1 tbsp minced ginger
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 tbsp chopped green chillies
1 sprig tender curry leaves, chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp ground garam masala made from  fennel seeds, green cardamom, star anise, cinnamon, and cloves.
1 large onion, thinly sliced
1 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp of the rendered fat from browning the meat or 2 tbsp of your favorite oil
Salt as needed

Method:-
1. In 1/2 cup warm water stir in 1 tsp of sugar, and then stir in 2 tbsp yeast. Leave it aside to bloom for about 10 minutes. At the end of 10 minutes, it should be frothy.

2. Stir together the flour, butter, sugar and salt well until combined and make a well. Into this well, add the bloomed yeast mixture. Incorporate it into the flour as much as possible. Now, use the warm water and knead the dough into a soft, lightly sticky dough. You can use a mechanical mixer or use your hands. Pour a little oil in your palms and pat it all over the kneaded dough and leave it covered with a tight fitting lid, in a warm place to rise, for an hour.

3. In a pan, brown the ground meat with a little salt and pepper. Drain the meat, once browned, reserve for later. If you dont care for the Saturated fats, use that fat to saute the onions. If not, use 2 tbsp of oil and saute the onions. When they turn soft and translucent, add the minced garlic, ginger, green chillies and chopped curry leaves, and saute well until tender and aromatic. Now reintroduce the reserved ground meat and add all the dry spices and stir well.Cover and cook for  about 15 minutes on low heat until all the spices are incorporated into the meat. Switch off the heat, stir in the chopped coriander leaves and let it cool.

4. Meanwhile, check on the dough. It should have doubled in size. Roll it by hand, on a floured surface into a cylindrical shape. Now using a knife, divide and cut into 12 pieces. Roll the 12 pieces into rounds. Leave in a pan, covered to rise for 45 minutes. It should rise and double again. Even if it did not, at the end of 45 minutes, you can still move on to the next step. 

5. Preheat the oven to 450°F.

6. Grease your palms lightly. Take each round and make a well. Divide the meat mixture into 12 parts and stuff one part inside the dough well. Gather the edges on the top, and lightly twist and press it on to the top and gently roll the stuffed roll to form a ball.

Keep the ball on a lightly greased baking pan. 

Now, repeat the steps until all the meat mixture and dough is used up.

7. Brush the stuffed rolls with a little milk all over. Place an oven safe pan with 1 cup hot water on the bottom shelf to make the crust chewy. Now bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes until the top of the buns are lightly reddish brown and hard when tapped.

8. When done, cool off in a bread basket, on top of a clean towel.

Serve them warm with tea for breakfast or as a filling snack.

Enjoy!!!

Easy Peasy Doughnut Holes

This recipe came to me when I told one of my American friends Sherry R,  how I ended up craving doughnut holes throughout my pregnancy, but always after my dinner, and how insane it was to send my poor hubby out on a doughnut run. Ok, I have done it in my hormone driven craziness, but more than 3 times a week? That was the insane part! Buying it and freezing it seemed like a good option until I tried to defrost it. The soggy, sticky, lifeless thing did not resemble like the dreamy glazed puffed up beauties I was craving in the first place. That was when I decided to up my standards and make my own hot, fresh doughnut holes.
And for the ones who still wonder what doughnut holes are, they are small, round, bite-sized doughnuts that the Doughnut chains claim are the bi-product of making doughnuts. I don't buy that! I believe these babies are better than real doughnuts, due to their amazing "poppability" and portion control and they need to be giver a better name than doughnut holes, which sounds like you-know-what, a term for mean people.
So here is my version of Doughnut holes, which my dear friend Sherry and I, both have adapted, because it is so much more better than its Vegan version, which we tried recreating in those early experimenting days.
This recipe makes 12 poppers.


Ingredients
2 tablespoons butter
2 tbsp granulated sugar
1 egg
4 tablespoons buttermilk or milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Confectioner's sugar (optional)

Doughnut holes, rolled in confectioners sugar, while still hot.

Method:-
Cream together the butter, sugar and milk. 

Then add the egg and beat lightly until combined well. When combined, add the vanilla and stir well.
Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt.
Make a well in the center of the dry flour mixture and pour the egg mixture in. Stir gently. Do not overmix.
In a cast iron or enamel frying pan, heat oil until approximately 350 - 375 degree Fahrenheit.
Drop spoonfuls of the batter in the hot oil. Some balls might turn over on their own as the bottom gets cooked and they puff up. If not turning over on its own, help a little using a fork or spoon.
Fry until its golden brown all over.
Remove from oil, drain well and roll in powdered sugar or enjoy as is.
Goes perfect with Coffee and Tea.

Mamma's Tomato Mini-Pies (Pictorial)

These pies are a result of my switching over to a much healthier lifestyle, ironically. I used to buy refrigerated pie dough for my pies and had a few boxes of them left. I had to find a way to get rid of them soon, before i switched over to a homemade crust and no more processed stuff from the grocers.
I call these stuffed, baked, savory goodies mini-pies, purely because I don't know what else to call them and also because they are made from Pie crust. The tomatoes I used for these are fresh beefsteak tomatoes. Its kind of important to prep your tomatoes before baking, if you don't want your pies to be soggy.
The stuffing can be really versatile. This recipe used a onion-chive-cream cheese topping on the tomatoes. But I have also used Basil Pesto and toasted Pine-nuts on top of the tomatoes, in the past and they were quite yummy too. Other ideas also include Pepperoni and Fresh Mozzarella, Spinach and Goat cheese and Mushrooms and Ground Beef sauteed with Ginger and Garlic. (Oh yeah! So many possibilities!)
These make amazing appetizers or a delicious brunch/breakfast item, as well. This recipe makes 6 mini pies.

So without much ado, here goes:

Ingredients:-
1 pk refrigerated pie crust (2 sheets)
3 tbsp finely chopped fresh chives
3 tbsp finely chopped green onions
1 8-oz pk of Cream Cheese/ Neufchatel Cheese (softened)
1/4 cup Parmesan, grated
2 large beefsteak tomatoes
Salt and Pepper
1 egg- for egg wash (make egg wash by beating lightly 1 tsp of water with one egg)
1 tbsp Nigella seeds (for sprinkling on top of egg wash)

1 cup or bowl that is slightly wider than the beefsteak tomato slices in circumference

Method:-Slice each beefsteak tomatoes into 3 thick slices (excluding the top-most and the bottom slices. make the top and bottom slices thin so that you will have 3 thick, uniform slices that sit flat.) Now, place the slices in single layer on paper towels, and sprinkle salt on top and bottom of each slice. Leave for 15 minutes on each side to drain maximum liquid out of them. Change paper towels if needed.
Bring the pie crust to room temperature.

Preheat oven to 425 degree Fahrenheit.

Mix together the chives, onions, cheese and cream cheese together adding a little salt and pepper to taste.Use a single beater of a hand mixer or use a fork. Using a stand mixer is not recommended.

Flour a rolling surface and gently spread out a pie crust sheet on it. Roll out gently with a floured rolling pin until smooth and rectangular, about 1/2 inch thick.

Repeat with the other sheet and make sure they are uniformly sized, though not necessary to be accurate.
On one sheet, place the 6 prepped tomato slices, uniformly spaced (at least 2 inches of space between each). Sprinkle ground pepper on top.

Divide and spoon the cream cheese mixture  on top of the tomato slices.

Now brush egg wash, all over the exposed parts of the loaded pie crust. Cover the first loaded pie crust sheet, with the other sheet of pie crust and press down gently so that it sticks to the bottom sheet of crust.

Now, carefully using the cup/bowl/glass cut around the tomato slices to get mini-pies that are slightly larger than the tomato slice.
                                                


 You may crimp the edges of the pie using a fork if they are threatening to come apart.
                                                 


Carefully, lift each mini pie and place them on a parchment lined cookie sheet.

Cut a small vent on top of each pie, brush with egg wash, sprinkle a few nigella seeds and bake them at 425 degree Fahrenheit for 30-40 minutes, or until the tops become a light golden brown and lightly crack.

Now, let them cool slightly as the filling can be hotter than the exterior.

Serve them as a snack/appetizer or as a yummy main course with a soup and salad on the side. Enjoy!

Falafels - A yummy Vegetarian Treat from the Middle East.

Falafel is a deep-fried ball or patty made from ground chickpeas, fava beans, or both. Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, usually served in a pita, which acts as a pocket, or wrapped in a flatbread known as lafa. The falafel balls are topped with salads, pickled vegetables, hot sauce, and drizzled with tahini-based sauces. Falafel balls may also be eaten alone as a snack or served as part of ameze (appetizers). (quoted from Wikipedia)

I have been wanting to try making thee for a long time now. Finally last Friday, I decided to go with my Middle East dinner theme and make these for my family. I bought some cute-looking Mini Pitas from the local grocers' and picked up some fresh herbs and feta. The rest I had in my pantry.
You wont believe how simple these are, to make once you have everything prepped.
So here goes the recipe:

Falafel Patties:- (makes ~30 patties)

Ingredients:
 2 cups soaked chickpeas, soaked one full day and night
Oil, for frying
3 tablespoon olive oil
5-6 cloves minced garlic

1 whole bunch green onions (white and green part) finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup  chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup  chopped fresh coriander leaves
1 lemon's juice
2 teaspoons cumin powder
3 teaspoons coriander powder
salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Drain the water used to soak chickpeas, then rinse well. Drain the chickpeas very well.
Using a food processor, pulse the garlic, drained chickpeas, green onions, parsley, mint, cilantro, lemon juice, cumin, coriander, salt and pepper together. Add 3 tbsp of olive oil while pulsing. Pulse until the mixture is finely ground and a little fluffy.
Using damp hands, form tiny golf ball sized balls and press lightly to form a patty.
Traditional falafels are made into ball shape. I made them into patties because, personally I feel they cook much better that way, especially since I am using raw soaked chickpeas and not cooked chickpeas from a can.
Heat about 3 inches of oil in a cast iron pan or fry pan. Repeat with the rest of the patty mixture, to form patties.
Over medium heat, fry the patties to a golden brown. High heat is not advised as the insides may not get cooked, leaving the outsides too browned.
When evenly golden brown, take the patties out of the oil and drain on paper towels.
Keep aside.

For the Yogurt Sauce:
1 cup greek yogurt
1 tbsp lemon zest
1 tbsp tahini paste (or pulse 1/4 cup soaked sesame seeds with 2-3 cloves of garlic and a tbsp of sesame oil and make your own)
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper - to taste
1 tbsp minced mint and parsley
1 whole cucumber, grated

Method:-
Add everything to a blender except the mint, parsley and cucumber and pulse until smooth. Stir in the cucumber, mint and parsley, cover with a cling wrap and refrigerate until needed.

For the Pita Pockets: 
Large or mini Pita pockets, warmed --count 3 minis per person or 1 8 inch pita per person (with 3 patties for stuffing)
Chopped Iceberg or Romaine lettuce
Pickled veggies like carrots, cucumbers etc (optional)

Assembling:- 
Take a Pita pocket, stuff it with some lettuce, one or two pieces of pickled veggies and a Falafel patty. If you are using a bigger Pita or Lafa (Taboon Bread, usually served in the Middle East), you can use 3 patties.
Drizzle a tablespoonful of the yogurt sauce inside the pita but over the patties and serve immediately.
Remember to not keep the Pita and Falafel for long once you add the yogurt sauce.

Eat it as a dinner, breakfast or even as a snack. These never disappoint! Enjoy! :-)

Also see, Kashk-E-BaadamJan or Eggplant Dip, another delicious way to enjoy your Pitas with.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Chicken Dip

They say Necessity is the Mother of all Inventions. While creating this recipe, my necessity was abundance. Ironic...right?
I had too much of these multicolored peppers from Costco and I didn't know what to make with them, as all the cooking I did up to that point involved green Bell Peppers or Green Capsicums.
Now these were sweeter, crunchier and had a sourish quality to them.
They hung out in my refrigerator that weekend and until the next weekend, when I finally decided to make something out of them. Now weekends at our home are sacred. We don't do pasta (Hubby), we don't do spicy stuff (kids) and we don't do hard-to-prepare items (Moi- coz I am the laziest person in this planet when the weekend arrives finally!)
I checked out a couple of recipes over the Internet and ruled out almost all of them because they kept on appearing with pasta recipes or some other stuff which I was in no mood to make. But what caught my attention was how many recipes asked for the Bell Peppers to be roasted and then used.
That kind of gave me the idea to this super simple recipe.
For this recipe, you can use canned chicken breast or leftover cooked chicken breast or rotisserie chicken sans the skin.

Ingredients: 
3 large bell peppers (any one of the colors pictured above will do, but I prefer red ones) - washed, seeded and cut into flat pieces as in the picture
Olive Oil and Salt - enough to drizzle and sprinkle over the bell pepper sections

1 can or 10 oz of boneless, skinless, cooked chicken breast
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp onion powder
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tsp dry basil/ 4-5 leaves of fresh basil (For another yummy variation, sub Basil with Dill)
salt and pepper - to taste

Preparation:-
1. Lay the cut bell peppers (cut-side down) in a plate and drizzle olive oil over it to coat. Sprinkle some sea salt on top. Lay them flat skin side down on a cast iron skillet or lipped cookie sheet. Now you can either bake them in a 375 degree F oven or on a gas top in the skillet, for a few minutes until it resembles the image below. 

2. Now, peel the cling film-like skin from the roasted peppers and scrape off any burnt parts gently.
Add the remaining ingredients and the peeled, roasted peppers and pulse until your preferred consistency is reached. Chunky or smooth, this dip is delicious.

3. Now chill them for an hour or more before serving. You can serve them on french bread or as a dip with  crackers or use them as a sandwich filling. Possibilities are endless!

Enjoy them your way! Bon Appetite! 

Sabudana Jeera Bites

For Maha Shivraatri, the Hindu Festival held in reverence of Lord Shiva, I made some yummy Tapioca pearl Khichdi aka Sabudana Khichdi. Now, I shouldnt have made that delicious Kheer! My kids filled up on the dessert first and there was almost 2 cups of the delicious khichdi left. But the problem with this Khichdi is that it doesnt taste that great the next day. A self-appointed advocate for saving food and reducing wastage, I came up with this makeover, inspired by the Sabudana Vada which follows a similar recipe.
The makeover was a hit and hope you all make extra Khichdi to just try this one out.

Ingredients: Leftover Sabudana Khichdi- 1 cup (follow the link above for the recipe)
2 medium boiled potatoes.
Crushed Roasted Jeera (Cumin Seeds) and grated coconut-- to roll the balls in
salt to taste
Peanut Oil--- to fry

Method:-Mash together the potatoes and khichdi together to form a smooth-ish dough. Add salt as needed.
Form into small bite sized balls.
Roll in the grated coconut and crushed jeera mixture. Repeat with the rest of the dough.
Heat peanut oil until really hot. Try inserting a wooden spoon into the oil. It should be sending up bubbles. This is a good sign of oil getting to the required temperature. Note that if the oil isn't hot enough, the balls can disintegrate in the hot oil or absorb a lot of oil.
Now, deep fry the Jeera Bites until browned all over. When done perfectly, it should be crunchy from the outside and soft from the inside. Serve hot, with your favorite chutney. 

When experiments are successful but conclusions go awry : Baked Kale Chips

Last week, I finally tried my hand at something that I wanted to do for a long time...to be exact, a year. I am an avid follower of natural foods and sustainable farming, and in my quest to read more about "good" habits in kitchen and the vegetable garden, I kept running into Kale chips recipes. Everyone was praising them, their nutritional value, how they replaced potato chips, how delicious it was, so on, so forth.
I took every review to heart and waited until Kale's price came down to a dollar per bundle and bought two from the local organic sellers.
I have to tell you, I am a woman who likes savory foods over sweets. And, I like crunchiness in everything I eat. I hoard Pita chips, crunchy celery sticks and hard homemade biscottis like they are going to go out of style. I get that crazy, glazed, murderous look in my eyes during my time of the month, if there are no crunchy foods around. I sprinkle crunchy items on my soft textured foods like cereal flakes on oats, Aaloo Bhujiya on my Khichdi and Potato chips over Pasta. Well, I hope you get the idea!
So, I came home, washed the Kale thrice, dried them, de-veined them  and aired them out just like all the 12 recipes demanded. I used the best canola oil and coated every leaf evenly and baked them at the perfect temperature until the leaves turned bright green and crispy right before my eyes.
I waited a minute, sprinkled sea salt and with only the highest expectations, took my first bite!
"CRUNCH!!!"
The perfect crunch, just enough salty, and...and...
I couldn't find the words. My expectations just fell apart. I took another bite, and it was still....well, "MEAH!"
I felt like Mary Katherine Gallagher in the cult classic "Superstar (1999)", after she got that much awaited kiss from her crush, who was played by Will Ferrell.
I mean, the chip was fine. It turned out beautifully, it was a good food, but I just didn't love it..No!
It tasted to me like chewing on a dry leaf that was salted. I have chewed on curry leaves that tasted better than this hyped health food.
Or maybe, that WAS the problem! Maybe, my palate was used to better things that got my taste buds jaded and couldn't appreciate the simple earthy, leafy (?) flavor of this current food. Whatever it was, I am not going to make this again. We just don't have enough chemistry to keep the love going. But my dear culinary explorers, you are welcome to try this and decide for yourself if this is your love, which will make you break up with the hunky Potato chip and embark on a walk toward sunset, of course, hand in hand.
I am sharing the recipe with all the enthusiasm of a girl trying to set her ex up with all her friends, knowing that he is a good guy and make someone truly happy, but also knowing that he is not the guy for her.
(Darn, this blog is starting to sound like a chick-flick!)
Here goes the recipe:-

Ingredients:-

1 bunch kale - fresh and firm leaves with a nice curl

1 tbsp olive oil/ canola oil

1 tsp sea salt

Kale

Kale: Trimmed, washed and dried.

Baked and ready for a salt sprinkle

Voila, Kale Chips! 

Directions:-

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C. Prep a cookie sheet with parchment paper lining.

Wash the kale thoroughly in lots of water. I usually fill one of my twin sinks with water and soak them for 5 minutes. Then agitate the water and lift the leaves into a colander by hand. That way, the water in the sink holds the mud and impurities, and the leaves come out clean. Repeat if you are a little bit Obsessive-compulsive like me.
Carefully de-vein the leaf by removing the thick stems, using a kitchen shears or a knife. Get the leaves into bite sized pieces. Pat dry or use a salad spinner to get it dry. The leaves need to get as dry as possible or else they will turn soggy on you in the oven. Once dry, drizzle canola or olive oil on them. The secret is getting the leaves lightly and evenly coated with oil. If you have a oil mister, its a good choice to use it now. Bake in the middle rack, in a single layer, in the prepped cookie sheet for approximately 12-15 minutes. If you see the edges getting brown, it will get a slight bitter taste. Adjust the temp and times accordingly. A perfect chip should be bright green and crunchy.
After you take it out, sprinkle sea salt lightly. You dont need much, just a light sprinkle. Too much can make it inedible, so proceed with caution on the salt.
Enjoy as it is, or with sandwiches like you would do with potato chips. 

Mamma's Parippu Vada (Yellow Split Pea fritters)

Now, for the ones who are still wondering what the big deal is a Parippu vada, its nothing but soaked yellow split peas/ channa dal ground coarsely and mixed with spices, shallots and salt and deep fried. But its not as simple as it sounds. Every Indian state makes it with a variation and every one defends their version. Housewives are silent when it comes to their secret ingredient, and no two women makes their vada, the same way.
There are soft and chewy versions, and some of these soft-and-chewies have fillings (think onions, curry leaves etc) added for texture. Some just grind it coarse and leave it chunky with the fillings ground in for a mysterious flavor. Then there is my honest version where all the ingredients are thrown in a rustic mix, and you can actually see what you bit into and hence no surprises.
When I hear the term Parippu vada, I just subconsciously get transported into a hot, fast moving, express train and am sitting cross legged on a top berth, with a wrapped paper parcel in front of me. Inches from my head is an electric fan enclosed in a dusty, metal cage, whirring away top speed, and still managing to only circulate the hot air further, instead of cooling.
I peel away the paper, to reveal a banana leaf wrap inside, separating my eager fingers from the mysterious goodies inside. And with mounting glee, I peel open the steaming banana leaf, only to unleash a cloud of aroma bursting forth from piping hot, delicious parippu vadas, that are inside. Despite the heat, I grab a hot vada that is as big as my palm, crispy on the edges, and softer in the center, and take a greedy bite. I chew it fast before it gets to burn my mouth, and savor the aroma of fennel seeds filling up my nose and the savory salty goodness of the vada sending my taste buds into pure rapture. Dad repeats the question from down somewhere in earth, "I asked, Will you have a tea with it?" And I nod blissfully, taking another bite of that blessed piece of food, and getting a spicy hot green chili piece, in my mouth, instantly setting my moth on a fire, making me crave the hot-and cooling effect of sweet, milky tea, that appears in front of me- the timing just perfect! Thanks to the Pantry Car and roaming Tea-Sellers in our train!
That, as unique as that sounds, happens to be the same experience almost every other Mumbaiite Mallu kid had at least once in their Summer train trip to Kerala.
My Dad, an ardent fan of Parippu Vadas, never missed a chance to treat us kids to it, whenever he found a good specimen. I have loved the Railway Stall offerings, but never figured out how much until I moved away from home. At home, Mom always made them chewy but never crunchy, with all the right amount of spices and flavors.
When I started making them on my own at first, I made them just like my Mom made them, but it took an accidental mishap (my food processor broke down halfway into the grinding) to discover how I liked my vadas, and finally lead me to my original recipe here. The original recipe was also majorly influenced by one of my sweetest friends Amitha, who to-this-day makes the best Parippu vadas in the history of mankind, and I have to admit, no matter how much I try, I might never attain the perfection that she achieves in her creation.
I have always preferred my snacks crunchy, so my Vadas are no different. I don't like them overly spicy, so I have avoided the red chilies that are present in the traditional ones. But I do add more green chilies to the mix to make them hot enough to be cooled down with a hot cup of tea, kinda like fighting fire with fire.
Since its purely vegetarian, and very simple to make, I suggest everyone give this recipe a try and let me know how you like my version.

Makes about 24-36 mini Vadas or 12-16 palm sized ones.

Ingredients:- 2 cups yellow split peas, soaked for 4-5 hours,then rinsed and drained
1 medium onion or 1 cup shallots, finely chopped

2 tbsp roasted fennel seeds
1 tsp ground fennel seeds
1 tsp red chili powder ( optional)
5-6 coarsely chopped green chilies
2 sprigs of curry leaves (chopped coarsely, if they are large; else leave them whole)
salt (as needed)
1/2 tsp sugar

Oil-to deep fry

Preparation:-In a food processor, take about 2/3 the soaked split peas and pulse it until fine, without adding water.
In a big bowl, mix together the pulsed peas, onions, fennel seeds, chili powder, green chilies, curry leaves, salt and sugar.
Lastly fold in the remaining soaked peas. These will provide crunchiness and texture to the vadas once they are fried.
Heat oil. Insert the narrow end of a wooden spoon into the oil. If you see bubbles rising up from the dipped end of the spoon, the vadas are ready to go in.
Make a small ball from the mixture and gently flatten it in your palms. Make sure the center is not too thick or else your vadas may not cook uniformly on the inside.
Lower the flattened ball, gently and carefully into the hot oil, and deep fry it for a couple minutes on medium low heat, turning over once- as necessary, until it turns a golden brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels.
Repeat with the remaining mixture until, all used up.
Serve with a nice hot Chai!
Enjoy!!!

All about Princesses and their Tea Parties...

Typing the above title, made me wince- almost,...that's how much of a tomboy I am! growing up, I never had a barbie, a tea-party or even a princess dress up kit. But I distinctly remember a lot of trees and the amazing aerial view from the top of them. The ladies in my life, always tried very hard to keep me down from trees, keep me dressed in nice, girly frocks and instill some kind of feminine qualities in me, like wash my face on a regular basis, but no! I preferred to roam around in muddy shorts, with dirt on my face, climbing trees and picking fights or playing cricket with boys.
But years later, I have evolved (or forced to change?) into a lady on the outside, but a tomboy by heart. I have managed to camouflage myself enough outwardly to fit in, keeping my wild side pretty much reined in. Today, I am a Mom, a wife and pretty much, a quieter version of myself and have settled into my more responsible role. And as a Mom to a daughter, my views have matured to see that there exists two sides to every coin.
My daughter takes on the very wild spirit that I used to be, and it never ceases to amaze me to discover what a miracle it is to see so much of yourself in another separate person. My daughter inherits a lot of traits from me, but her surroundings sometimes manage to overpower these traits, making her to go into those "phases". As a Mom who instinctively understands if she is going against her true nature, I know the majority of these phases are just social experiments that are the building blocks to the amazing woman she will grow up, tomorrow.
That kind of wisdom really lets you enjoy those so called "phases". One of those, included her wanting to be a Doctor, which kind of lasted a couple weeks. All that time, anyone lying down for a nap or just to rest, would suddenly find themselves poked and asked to open the mouth and ears for her scrutiny so that she could diagnose you, prescribe medicines and a give you a  mandatory injection, for whatever was wrong with you. Then it was a puppy phase, where she would walk on all fours, shake her cute little rear and the worse part, lick or nip you. Thank Goodness, that lasted just a week!
Anyways, the phase she is going through right now is where she thinks of herself as a princess and is having plenty of tea parties. (Thanks Disney Channel!!!) In case you didn't know, a princess just cant have tea without a lot of finger foods. (Thanks again, Disney channel!) So since she has enlisted Mommy to her personal Kitchen Staff, it has fallen upon me to keep her Tea Room constantly supplied with delicate, tiny snacks that fits into her Porcelain tea set. Apple juice, or bottled water with a few drops of Rooh Afza (Rose Syrup) passes off as Tea and if she fancies a green Tea, I add some Khus syrup to it...lol!
Now she is flexible on the teas but when it comes to sandwiches, I have seen she prefers real food, not the pretend stuff. And since some of these "Tea-room sessions" go on for hours, it was smarter to incorporate her snacks or sometimes meals into these play-times. So I have been baking miniature cupcakes and cookies, and sandwiches after I discovered how she loves it when I cut it into tiny triangles.
I am not sure how long these random phases last, but I do know when we think back after many years, it will all be so silly and funny. As a Mom, my job is to make these moments as perfect as I can make it, for her to draw something positive from the emotions she felt, to shape what she wants for herself.
As far as the recipes goes, I am going to share her favorite Princess Sandwiches, which are a simple chive and cream-cheese sandwiches, stuffed with thinly sliced cucumber slices. Then there are small, non messy Mini-Pizzas that were custom-created for a princess who didnt want to get her hands messy from Pizza Sauce and sloppy veggies falling off the regular Pizzas.
Hope you enjoy making these for your Princesses or just try them out yourselves, to get a taste of Royal Finger foods. (wink!)

Click Here to go to Princess Tea Sandwiches

Click here to go to Miniature Pizza Pies

Princess Sweet and Savory Sandwiches

These delicate sandwiches are as open to imagination and improvisation as a Tea party. The veggies need to sliced very thin (preferably in a Mandolin) so that picky princesses don't bite into something that's just chopped up and goes against their delicate sensibilities. The bread has to be of your Princess's choice: white/ brown or multi-grain. I used warm English Muffins for the sweet sandwiches and Multigrain bread for the Savory Sandwiches.
This recipe serves about 3-4 princesses for snack time.
                                           

Ingredients:-
Savory Mix:-
4 oz Cream Cheese softened in room temperature
2 tbsp of finely chopped chives
1/4 tsp garlic powder
2 tbsp light sour cream
Thinly sliced cucumbers, tomatoes and chopped lettuce

                                                                                                                 
                                                    

Sweet Mix:-
4 oz Cream Cheese softened in room temperature
2 tbsp honey
4-5 strawberries- sliced

                               

                                 

For Sandwiches:-
1 loaf of Sliced Bread

Preparation:-I have seen people mix large batches of cream cheese in big stand mixers and also using Hand Mixers. But the words to be noted are "large batches." I use a single paddle of an electric hand mixer, since I am using just a measly 4 oz of cream cheese at a time. Or use a whisk or fork if you please!

Mix together the savory mix ingredients except the sliced veggies, together until everything is well combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the honey and cream cheese, and keep it aside.

Take a slice of bread, spread the savory mix or the sweet mix generously and layer with a few slices of the cucumber and tomatoes (savory) or strawberry (sweet). Top with another slice. Press down lightly.
Trim the edges. Cut diagonally to form 2 or 4 triangles that will fit the Tea Sets.

Arrange in a platter, and clap for the royal server (mostly you will have to multitask!) and ask for the delicacies to be taken to the Tea Room for the Princess.