NIBBLERS
Bengali Murir Moa
1-1/2 cups Muri (Puffed Rice)
2 cups Gur (Cane Jaggery)
100 Ml. Water
Break gur into pieces and add water. Cook gently and bring it to boil. Stir in muri and remove from heat. With hands shape it into balls. Serve as snacks.
Bengali Nimki
1-1/2 cup Flour
Salt to taste
2 tblsp Ghee
3 tblsp Onion Seeds (Kalongi)
Water as needed
¼ cup Flour for Rolling
Ghee for frying
Sieve flour and salt. Add ghee, onion seeds and with water from a dough. Knead well. Roll out into 4" diameter circles. Flour both sides and fold into quarters. Prick well and deep fry in hot ghee. Drain and serve as snacks.
Bhaja Muger Dal (Roasted Mung Bean Puree)
1 cup moong dal
3 to 4 cups water
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
4 (2-inch) fresh green chiles
1 tablespoon ghee
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
4 bay leaves (tej patta)
1 tablespoon finely chopped ginger
Dry-roast dal in wok over moderately high heat, stirring constantly, 3 minutes. Reduce heat to moderately low and continue to dry-roast, stirring constantly, until dal turns medium brown, about 6 minutes. Rinse dal in several changes of water in a large bowl to remove any impurities, then drain in a sieve. Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a 3-quart heavy saucepan. Add dal and return water to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until dal is soft, 35 to 40 minutes. Pulse dal with salt and sugar in a food processor until blended, adding enough of remaining cup water to make a soupy purée. Cut a 1-inch slit lengthwise in middle of each chile. Heat ghee with cumin seeds and bay leaves in wok or a large heavy skillet over high heat until seeds begin to sputter, 15 to 30 seconds. Add chiles and ginger and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Pour in dal carefully (mixture will spatter) and bring to a boil, stirring, then immediately remove from heat and offer.
Bhatura
2 cups maida
1/2 cup fresh thick curds
1/4 cup milk
1-1/2 tsp cup ghee
A Pinch bicarb soda
Salt to Taste
Blend salt, soda and ghee with the flour in a mixing bowl. Pour curds, milk and knead well. (If necessary add more milk while kneading). Set aside, covered, for 2 to 3 hours. Roll out into small shapes and deep fry in hot ghee.
Cashew Nut Pakoda
Gram flour 1 cup
Rice flour 1/2 cup
Cashew nuts 1/2 cup
Melted ghee 2 tsp
Green chillies 4
Ginger (fresh) 1 inch
Curry leaves 1 sprig
Chilli powder 3/4 tsp
Salt 3/4 tsp
Asofoetida ½ tsp
Bicarb soda 3/4 tsp
Chop green chillies, ginger and curry leaves into small pieces. Chop cashewnuts into medium sized pieces. Sieve gram flour and rice flour through a fine sieve. Place the ghee and soda together and rub it well with your palm till the mixture becomes whitish in colour. Add all the chopped ingredients, both the flours, salt and chilli powder, quarter cup of water and mix into a stiff dough. (Add the water carefully.) Heat ghee in a kadai, when hot break small pieces of the dough and drop them into the hot ghee. Deep fry these pakodas over medium heat till crisp and golden in colour. Serve hot.
Chikki
1 cup of Roasted and Crushed Peanuts
1 cup of Sugar
Lightly grease a cookie sheet and a rolling pin with cooking spray. In a thick bottom dry pan put the sugar for melting. Keep stirring the sugar until it becomes brown liquid. Remove from the heat add the crushed peanuts, mix well and pour it on to the cookie sheet. Spread the mixture thinly with the rolling pin and cut immediately before it hardens. After about 5 minutes remove them from the sheet and let them cool for about an hour. Store in an airtight container until ready to offer.
Crispy Delight
Maida (flour) 1 cup
Ghee 2 tbsps
Salt 1/4 tsp
Kalonji (Nigella seeds) 1/4 tsp
Sieve maida and salt together. Heat the two tsps of ghee in a pan, and when moderately hot, pour into the maida. Mix well. Add Kalonji seeds and knead into a smooth dough adding quarter cup water. Divide into 22 balls. Roll out into moderately thin puris. Take a knife and cut each puri (in the centre only) into three parallel horizontal lines, keeping all the sides of the puri intact. Repeat with the remaining puris.
Heat ghee in a kadai. When the ghee is hot, take a puri in hand, roll it keeping the horizontal lines inside, twist both ends gently and press slightly so that the whole puri looks like a bud. Drop into the hot ghee. Make the remaining puris the same way. Deep fry on medium flame till crisp and light gold in colour. Store in an airtight tin when cold, until ready to offer. Don’t put the hot fried items on top of the previously fried items. Place each fried batch separately, and mix together only when cold.
Crunchy Pumpkin Slices
1 cup red pumpkin
ghee for roasting
½ tsp. fine pepper powder
¼ tsp. turmeric powder
½ tsp. cumin powder
salt to taste
1 tsp. chilli powder
coriander leaves for garnishing
Peel the pumpkin, remove the seeds and cut into thin, broad slices. Apply some salt and set aside. Heat a non-stick pan. Mix all the ingredients for the coating. Dip each pumpkin slice in this mix (dry) and coat both the sides of the slice with it. Arrange the slices on the hot pan. Put a few tsp. (one or two) of ghee around the pieces. Cover and cook for three to four minutes on medium heat. Uncover and turn the slices around. Roast both sides till slightly crunchy. Garnish with coriander leaves.
Cucumber Flowers with Bread Sauce
12 carved Cucumber flowers with a hollow in the centre
For the Bread Sauce:
Stale bread 2 slices
Olive oil 2 tsps
Coarse powder of almonds and walnuts 2 tbsps
Lemon juice 2 tbsps, or to taste
A pinch of red chilli powder
Soak the bread slices in water for a minute. Put in a blender with the rest of the ingredients. A quick blending ensures a rough textured sauce. Use a little water if needed. Fill the cucumber flowers with this sauce. Sprinkle a little chilli powder on top and offer.
Fried Peanut Crunchies
1 cup shelled dry peanuts
3/4 cup gram flour
2 tbsp. rice flour
1-1/2 tsp. red chilli powder
1/4 tsp. cumin seeds, crushed coarsely
1 tbsp. hot ghee
1 pinch citric acid powder
Salt to taste
1/4 cup water
Ghee to deep fry
Mix all ingredients well, except peanuts. Add peanuts, coat them evenly with mixture. Heat ghee in a frying pan. Take a lumpful of the mixture and drop coated nuts individually in hot ghee. Fry on medium heat, till light golden. Drain, place on absorbent paper to soak excess ghee. Separate any nuts stuck together. When cool, store in airtight jars. Add water a little at a time, since the coating paste should be quite thick. Alter the quantity as required.
Funky Chapatis
gram flour (besan)
coriander leaves
green chillies
salt to taste
ghee for frying
Make a thin batter of gram flour and add coriander leaves, chillies and salt. Coat one side of the chapati with the batter and shallow fry on a hot tava in a little ghee. Repeat with the other side. Offer hot with chutney.
Ghathia
1 pound Wheat Flour
1-1/2 cups. Water
1-1/2 tsp. Ajwain
2 tbsp. Ghee
Ghee for frying
Salt to taste
Sieve the wheat flour and rub the ghee into it. Then add the salt and ajwain and mix well. Make a well in the center, add enough water and knead into a stiff dough. Heat ghee in a kadhai, to smoking point. Roll out the dough into big size chapati and cut it into long strips. Now put these long strips into the hot ghee. Remove from the ghee when crisp and golden brown in color. Drain on tissue paper, cool and store in airtight containers until ready to offer.
Ghugni
White peas - 4 cups
Lime - 1
Cumin seeds - 2 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Ginger (ground) - 1-1/2 tsp
Asafetida - ½ tsp
Coriander chopped- 2 tsp
Salt to taste
Ghee for frying
Boil peas in salt water. Drain. Heat ghee in a wok. Add asafetida and cumin, stir for 1 minute, add ginger paste and chilly powder. Stir and add peas and salt. Squeeze lemon juice, stir and when done, sprinkle coriander leaves. Serve hot.
Konkani Bachung (Watermelon) Soornali
3 cups tandulu (uncooked rice)
1 tbsp of methi (frenugreek seeds)
1 cup of watermelon (bachung) pieces
1/4 cup yogurt (curds)
1/2 cup crushed jaggery
1/4 cup grated coconut
1 handful poha
1 tbsp haldi (turmeric)
Soak tandulu in water for 4 hours. Soak fenugreek seeds for 1 hour. Soak poha for 5 minutes. Grind soaked poha, fenugreek seeds and crushed jaggery together to a fine paste. Don’t add too much water, as the batter has to be thick. Add to this mixture the turmeric, watermelon pieces, yogurt, grated coconut, and tandulu. Grind all ingredients and make a thick batter. Add a pinch of salt. Keep aside the batter in a vessel overnight. In the morning, put a thavo (polachi kayali) on the stove and put 1/2 tbsp ghee on it and spread. Add 1 davalo of batter on the hot thavo and spread it in the shape of a circle. (the circle should be thick not like pan polo). Roast under cover on only one side. The end product is called soornali (surnali). When the soornali becomes brownish remove it from thavo. Offer with butter or chutney.
Masala Groundnuts
Roasted Groundnuts (Peanuts or Nella kadalae) 1 cup
Gram flour (besan) 1/2 cup
Rice flour 1/4 cup
Chilli powder 1-1/4 tsp
Salt 1/2 tsp
Remove skins off groundnuts. Sieve gram flour and rice flour through a fine sieve. Mix gram flour, rice flour, chilli powder and salt together, stir in the groundnuts and five tablespoons of water (little by little) mix till you have a dryish mixture the groundnuts should be well coated with the masala.
Heat ghee in a kadai and sprinkle the groundnuts into the hot oil, so that the groundnuts fall in separate pieces. Deep fry over medium flame till the groundnuts are well fried and crisp. (Do not over fry the groundnuts as they will taste burnt). Remove from oil, repeat with the remaining groundnuts. Allow to cool and place in an airtight tin until ready to offer.
Masala Murmure
4 cups puffed rice (murmure)
½ tsp. ghee
1/5 tsp. turmeric powder
2-3 pinches asafetida powder
2 green chillies chopped
1 stalk curry leaves
Salt to taste
1 pinch citric acid powdered
Heat ghee in a pan. Add chilies, curry leaves, turmeric, asafetida, and stir. Add murmure, sprinkle, citric acid, stir very well from below. Take off fire, if required, to avoid burning the bottom. Toss very well till flavours blend and murmure cools. Cool completely then store in airtight container until ready to offer.
Masala Senagalu
1-1/2 cup ground nuts
3/4 cup besan (senagapindi)
salt to taste
ghee for deep frying
1/2 tsp turmaric powder
1/2 tsp chat masala
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp chilli powder
a pinch baking soda
Put groundnuts in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of ghee. Add all the ingredients along with a very little bit of water and mix them so the besan and masala stick to nuts. Heat ghee in a pan and deep fry groundnuts till crispy and golden brown in color. Remove them from ghee and add chat masala powder and chili powder when hot. Store in airtight container until ready to offer.
Mogar
1-1/4 cups Moong Dal
2 Tbsp Ghee
½ inch Ginger, minced
2 Green Chillies
1 Tsp Salt
½ Tsp Red Chilli Powder
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
¾ cup Water
5 Tbsp chopped Coriander Leaves
Soak Dal in water for 1 hour and then strain water from it. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker and add dal to it. Pressure cook for only a few minutes so that the Dal stays whole and does not crack. Add all the other ingredients to it and mix well. Offer hot garnished with chopped coriander leaves.
Old Gold Chapatis
Leftover chapatis
ghee to fry
boiled potatoes
coriander leaves
salt to taste
curd
chaat masala
Break leftover chapatis into small pieces. Deep fry the pieces, and arrange them in a plate. Top with the sliced boiled potatoes, curd, coriander leaves and chaat masala. Serve hot.
Paneer Tomato Spread
3 large ripe tomatoes
1 tbsp. breadcrumbs
1/4 cup paneer, flaked
1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce vegetarian)
1 level tsp. unsalted butter
2 inches ginger, minced
1 green chilli, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
Scald and peel the tomatoes. Mash them to a smooth pulp. Heat butter. Add tomato pulp, Worcestershire sauce, ginger, green chilli, breadcrumbs, sugar and salt to taste. Cook on a low heat till the mixture thickens. Sprinkle a little pepper powder. Remove from heat. Spread a layer of this mixture on the un-toasted side of bread triangles and garnish with paneer flakes. Bake in a moderately hot oven till the paneer flakes turn golden. Offer hot.
Peanut Masala
1 cup Dry Roasted Peanuts
1-2 Roma Tomatoes finely chopped
Finely chopped Green chillies (to taste)
Finely chopped Coriander leaves
Lemon juice (2 spoons)
Salt to taste
Pepper powder to taste
½ tsp asofoetida
In a bowl combine peanuts, tomatoes, green chillies, and corainder. Sprinkle salt, pepper powder, asofoetida, and other seasonings you desire. Add lemon juice. Cover and shake well. Offer as a starter.
Pol Masala (Spiced Coconut)
Half a coconut, freshly grated
Coarsely powdered pepper ½ tsp
Green chillies finely chopped 2
Chilli powder ½ tsp
Whole masala, ground
Asofoetida, ½ tsp
Lime juice, 1
Salt to taste
Blend all the ingredients well using your fingers, then squeeze lime and salt to taste.
Power Puha
Puha (aval or rice flakes) 2 cups
Grated carrots 1 cup
Fresh moong sprouts 1 cup
Chopped capsicum ½ cup
Coarsely powdered ground nuts ½ cup
Grated coconut ½ cup
Chopped green chillies 2
Oil 2 tbsps
Cumin seeds (jeera) 1 tsp
Salt ¾ to 1 tsp
Sugar 1 tsp
Chilli powder ¾ tsp
Turmeric powder ¼ tsp
Lime ½
Wash and drain the puha. Heat oil in a pan, add the jeera. When it splutters, add green chillies, capsicum and groundnuts and fry till crisped. Mix in the puha, chilli, turmeric powder, salt and sugar. Stir in the carrots, sprouts and lime juice. Serve immediately. Note: Sprouts have the maximum nutrition when compared to other foods.
Sambharwadi
Maida
Salt
Ghee
Water
For the Filling:
½ cup Peanuts
¼ cup finely grated coconut
1 cup chopped cilantro
1 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
½ tsp Red Chilli powder
½ tsp Amchur powder
½ tsp Sugar
Ghee
Mix maida with salt and ghee and knead the dough in water. You need to do this ½ hour prior to the preparation of sambharwadi. For Filling: Roast the peanuts, remove the skin and crush to a coarse powder. Heat some ghee, add the cumin seeds and let them splutter. Then add the grated coconut and roast for 1 or 2 minutes. See that the coconut does not turn brown. Then add salt, red chilli powder, amchur powder, sugar and mix well and let the masalas roast. Then add the peanut powder. Then add the finely chopped cilantro and mix well and roast for 2 minutes. The filling is ready. Take a small portion of the dough and roll in the shape of a chapati. Cut the curved edges to make it square shaped. Place the filling on it and cover in the form of a roll, join the edges well. Now put this in the hot oil and fry till golden brown.
Savoury Bags
1 cup refined flour
½ cup rice noodles
½ tsp ajwain
a pinch of soda-bi-carbonate
1-2 drops orange color
½ tsp salt
1 tbsp ghee
For Filling :
3 potatoes (boiled and mashed)
1/4 cup spinach
1 chopped green chilli
½ tsp asofoetida
1 tsp asofoetida
½ tsp turmeric
salt to taste
Mix all the ingredients for the dough except orange colour. Add enough water to bind to a stiff dough. Take a small portion of the dough add orange color and set aside. Heat ghee. Add salt, spices, boiled spinach, chillies and potatoes and saute for two minutes. Divide the dough into marble sized balls. Roll each ball into thin puris. Put a tablespoon of the filling in the centre. Lift the sides, folding into pleats. Collect the folds and press to give it shape of bag. Roll out the colored dough and cut thin diagonal strips approximately 1cm wide. Apply a little water on the strip, place it around the neck of the bag and tie a bow in center. Make 12-13 such bags. Deep fry in moderately hot ghee till golden brown, and offer.
Sunflower Rolls
Tomato chopped 1
Germinated sunflower seeds 2-1/2 cups
Juice of 1 lemon
Dulse flakes 1 tsp
One small Zucchini or yellow summer squash, diced
Romaine lettuce leaves or other broad leaf from the garden
Soak the sunflower seeds for eight to 12 hours and then let them sprout for a day.) Liquefy the tomato in a blender. Add the sunflower sprouts, lemon juice and dulse flakes, and blend on medium speed until smooth. Pour into a bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Spoon the mixture onto the lettuce leaves, roll them up, pierce the rolls with toothpicks to hold together, and offer.
Vamu (Coriander) Bajji
Vamu (coriander) leaves
Besan - 1 cup
Rice flour- ¼ cup
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Vamu powder - 1 tsp
Salt to taste
Red chilli powder 1 tsp
Ghee for frying
Cut vamu leaves and clean them thoroughly. Take besan and rice flour in a bowl and add salt, baking soda, vamu powder, chilli powder and mix well with water so that no lumps can be found. Heat ghee in a pan for frying. Take a leaf and dip in the batter, then fry in the hot ghee until light brown. Offer hot.
