Zaiqa

One of my favorite Iftaars, or snack items~Ande ke bhajiye, which I enjoy plain, sans ketchup or any chutney.

Egg slicer ~ a nifty kitchen tool that slices hard-boiled eggs evenly in a jiffy

Ande ke bhajiye – Egg Fritters

Ingredients:

Hard boiled eggs – 6
Gram flour/Besan – 1 1/2 cup
Ajwain/Carom seeds – 1 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Ginger-garlic paste – 1 tsp

Ande ke Bhajiye ~ Egg fritters

Method:

1. Using an egg slicer slice the hard-boiled eggs and keep aside.
2. In a bowl, add the gram flour, red chilli powder, salt, ginger-garlic paste and carom seeds. Add cool fresh water to make a smooth and fairly ‘thick’ paste, make sure it not at all thin or runny, and keep aside.
3. Heat canola oil to deep fry in a kadai.
4. Gently add the egg slices to the gram flour batter, and cover the egg slices completely with the batter. This is important or else the uncovered egg will explode in hot oil. Drop the batter covered egg slices into the hot oil, one at a time, and deep fry in batches, until lightly brown on both sides. Remove with a slotted spoon into a large wire mesh strainer for the oil to drain away. Serve them immediately along with tomato ketchup, or any chutney.

This goes to the event ‘Joy from Feasting to Fasting-II‘ event being hosted by both Yasmeen and Lubna.

Luv,
Mona

It has been raining since a few days here, and I was craving for some snacks. Palak Pakodi with Til ki Chutney is what I prepared today and we enjoyed it الحمد لله along with chai.

Palak ki Pakodi – Spinack Fritters

Ingredients:

Spinach – 100 gms

Palak – Spinach

For the batter:-

Gram flour/Besan – 1 cup
Cool fresh water – 1 cup
Red Chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – 1 tsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Ginger garlic paste – 1 tsp

Palak ki Pakodi – Spinack Fritters

Method:

1. Heat oil in a kadai to deep fry the fritters.
2. In a bowl, prepare the batter. Mix all the ingredients under the heading for the batter until the batter is smooth. Keep aside.

Spinach strips in batter

3. Wash and pat dry the spinach thoroughly. Discard stems and pile the spinach one above the other. Cut into strips and add it to the batter. Using a fork mix well and gently lift a small amount in the fork and drop it into the hot oil in the kadai. Deep fry on both sides until golden brown in color, around 3-5 minutes.
4. Remove the fritters into a large wire mesh strainer for the excess oil to drip off.

Til ki Chutney – Sesame seed Chutney

Ingredients:

Sesame seeds/Til – 1/2 cup
Small green chillies – 5, stems discarded, roughly chopped
Tamarind concentrate – 2 tbsp
Fresh Chopped Cilantro/Kothmir – 1 tbsp
Fresh Mint leaves/Pudina – 6 leaves
Garlic cloves – 2
Salt – to taste
Fresh cool water – 3/4 cup

Til ki Chutney – Sesame seed Chutney

Method:

1. In a pan at medium high heat, dry roast the sesame seeds until lightly golden brown in color. Remove the pan from heat and keep aside to cool.

Dry roasted Sesame seeds

2. Once the sesame seeds are completely cooled, add the rest of the ingredients and grind in a blender until smooth. Add more water if you need. Adjust salt to taste.
3. Prepare baghaar/tempering in a pan- pour 1 tbsp oil in a frying pan at medium hight heat. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds, 2 dry red chillies, and a few curry leaves. As they crackle, remove from heat and mix into the chutney. Serve.

Dip the Spinach fritters into the chutney and enjoy as a snack.

I also prepare this snack along with the chutney quite usually in Ramadan at Iftaar. This is my entry to the ‘Hyderabadi Ramadan Food Festival ’09’ that I am hosting on my blog.
Do send me your entries as soon as possible before Ramadan starts. The deadline is 20th August ‘09.

Luv,
Mona

My father is not a very good cook, but he prepares a few dishes perfectly well, like Pyaz ka Anda, Ande ka Meetha, Khichdi, Nimrish Anda, etc. Among these dishes, Besan ka Salan is his favorite, which he very lovingly used to prepare while my Ammi fixed a few Parathas to go along with it for us all as the Sunday breakfasts during my childhood. 

Besan Ka Salan – Gram Flour Curry

Today I present you all with one of my beloved father’s favorite curry, which I enjoyed along with store brought Afghani Roti as my weekend breakfast today. Hope you enjoy it as well. 

Besan Ka Salan – Gram Flour Curry

Ingredients:

Chickpea flour/Besan – 1 cup
Canola oil – 2 tsp
Sliced Onions – 1/2 cup
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Small green chillies – 4, finely chopped
Warm Water – 2 cups
Chopped Cilantro – for garnish

Method:
-In a non-stick frying pan at medium heat, pour in canola oil and as soon as it warms up add the onions and fry them until they are golden brown in color. Add the besan and mix throughly. Roast the flour along with the onions for a minute or two, stirring it continuously until you achieve a rich orange-yellow color, similar to the color of turmeric, and a beautiful aroma. Be careful so that you do not burn it into brown and also that the flour does not form into lumps.
-Pour in warm water, add red chilli powder, salt and chopped green chillies and stir it all well and breaking any lumps of flour if present into a smooth paste with the back of a wooden spoon. Let it cook for 2-5 minutes until you achieve the desired pasty consistency. Taste for salt and chilli, add more if you wish. Garnish with chopped cilantro. Serve warm immediately.

Note:
1. Serve Besan Ka Salan immediately as soon as it is prepared, or else it will absorb the liquid and form a cake. If due to any reasons it has dried up, simply pour in a little more water so that it forms a paste and reheat it stirring it well. Serve right away.
2. Enjoy this curry along with Roti/Paratha/Phulka. Rice is a not good accompaniment to it.

Suggested Accompaniments: Serve Besan Ka Salan warm along with warm Roti or Parathas for a delicious breakfast.

Luv,
Mona

Mirchiyon ke bhajiye, or stuffed deep fried chillies in a thick chickpea flour batter is a very common sight as a snack item loved my almost all Indians. Its one among the top rated street foods dear to every Bharatiya.

Mirch Bhajiye – Stuffed Deep fried Green Chillies

In this cold and chilly weather, I had prepared these as a snack. Actually I was missing Hyderabad so much and felt very nostalgic. It was necessary for me to have Mirch Bhajiye atleast once weekly, or even better more than that when I used to live in Hyderabad. My Ammi used to prepare them for us all, or we used to get them from the Chaat-Walas while shopping at Abids along with the delicious array of chutneys they offer.

Slit Serrano chillies

I use serrano chillies for preparing these bhajiye, you can however use any kind of long fat and straight green chillies that you like.

Mirch Bhajiye – Stuffed Deep fried Green Chillies

Ingredients:

Serrano chillies – 12, straight
Oil for deep frying

Roasted coconut paste – 1/2 tsp
Roasted groundnut paste – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Sesame seed paste – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Tamarind concentrate – 2 tbsp
Salt – to taste

For the batter:

Besan Batter

Chickpea flour/Besan – 300 gms
Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
Salt – to taste
Ajwain – 1/2 tsp
Water

Method:

• Wash and pat dry the chillies. Slit them with the tip of a knife and carefully remove the seeds from inside. (Be careful with your hands while you do this. Do not rub you eyes with your hands while doing this or else they will burn. When all the chillies are done, wash your hands well in warm soapy water)

• In a mortar and pestle, add all the ingredients for the stuffing and make a paste. Stuff the chillies with the prepared stuffing and keep aside.
• In a seperate bowl, add the flour and spices and mix well with a fork. Add water, just a little at a time, to make a thick and smooth batter. (Make sure the batter is not thin)
• Heat a Kadai or Wok at medium heat. Gently dip the stuffed chillies in the batter to cover them completely and slowly drp them into the hot oil. Deep dry until golden brown in color. Serve warm.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy this snack along with any chutney of your wish.

Wishing every Indian a very Happy Republic Day. Mera Bharat Mahaan!

Luv,
Mona

Earlier, traditional dishes like Luqmi-Kawab, Mirchi Ka Salan, Kacche Gosht ki Biryani and desserts/meetha like Double ka Meetha and Gajar ka Halwa were a sure sight at any Hyderabadi wedding on the dinner tables. With passing time and generations, this has changed. A modern take on several authentic dishes and innovative techniques to present them is todays mantra. Among them, ‘Apollo fish’ is a seafood manchurian type of dish that is getting very popular nowadays, which more and more Bawarchis are prefering to include in the menus, and quite liked by common masses.

Apollo fish (or) Fish Manchurian

The below recipe is my imitation of ‘Apollo Fish’. I do not know why is it called particularly as ‘Apollo’ fish, but I sure am among those ardent lovers of this Hyderabadi seafood dish. Your friends will definitely enjoy this very light and tangy platter of fish.

Apollo fish (or) Fish Manchurian

Ingredients:

Any firm boneless fish fillets – 500 gms, cubed into bite size pieces (you can even use frozen fish fillets)
For Batter:
Gram flour/Besan – 2 tbsp
All Purpose flour/Maida – 1 tbsp
Corn Flour – 2 tbsp
Ginger garlic paste – 2 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder – 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin powder – 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 1/2 tsp
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Water – to make batter
Egg – 1, large
For Baghaar:
Canola Oil
Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsp
Fresh Curry leaves – about 20
Green, Yellow, Orange and Red bell peppers – 1/2 cup, cut into strips
Soya Sauce – 3 tbsp
Lemon juice – 3 tbsp
Mint and Cilantro leaves – 2 tbsp each, finely chopped, for garnish

Method:

1. In a bowl add the ingredients for batter and mix them well to make a batter. Add the fish cubes and gently mix with a spoon so that each piece gets completely covered with the batter.
2. Add a little bit of oil to a large non-stick frying pan at medium low heat and as soon as it gets warm, add the fish cubes in a single layer. Shallow fry them till they are golden brown on each side. Repeat until all the fish cibes are done. Remove in a platter and keep aside.
3. In the same frying pan, add a few drops  of oil and throw in the ginger garlic paste. Stir fry it till it is golden brown. Add the curry leaves and peppers. Saute it for 2 minutes. Pour in the soya sauce and add the fried fish cubes. With a rubber spatula, gently mix them all. Cover the lid and let cook for 2-4 minutes.
4. Add lemon juice and serve warm immediately.

Suggested Accompaniments: Enjoy the manchurian along with roti, rice or as a snack.

Cheers,
Mona