Zaiqa

Every time I visit Hyderabad, I ask my father to get some crispy pyaaz ki pakodi from sweet shops in the city. I just love them. Small sweet shop at almost every corner in Hyderabad sell an array of sweets and also savory snacks.

But when I am in Toronto, missing them, I make these myself in my kitchen trying to replicate them as close as possible to the ones that I get in Hyderabad. I love these pakodi along with tamarind chutney on a rainy day. They also make a yummy Iftaar snack. Sometimes I also enjoy them along with my meal on the side.

Pyaaz ki Pakodi – Crispy Onion Fritters

Ingredients:

Besan – 1 1/2 cups
Rice Flour – 1/4 cup
Green chillies, finely chopped – 8
Ginger – grated, 1/2 tsp
Onions – 2, large, thinly sliced
Olive Oil – 2 tbsp
Curry leaves – 1 or 2 sprigs, roughly chopped
Salt – 3/4 tsp
Pinch of baking soda
Canola Oil for deep frying

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, add sliced onions, besan, chopped green chillies, curry leaves, salt, olive oil and baking soda. Mix well. Add just 1/4 cup of water and mix well to form a thick-hard batter. Go easy on water as onion and salt release water too.
2. In a kadai or wok, pour oil to deep fry and as soon as it is piping hot, drop small and flattish balls of the batter using your hands into the hot oil. Reduce heat to medium and deep fry till they turn golden brown. Remove using a slotted soon into a large strainer for excess oil to drip away. Continue until all the batter is used up.
Serve hot with chutney/sauce of your choice, along with chai/coffee or juice. I served them with tamarind chutney along with other sides at Iftaar yesterday.

Note:
1. If you want do not want them crisp, omit rice flour and add a little bit more water, to make onion bhajiyas.
2. If you do not want to fry them, you can even shallow fry them in about 2 tbsp per batch in a non-stick frying pan. Make sure you flatten the batter so that they shallow fry evenly. You can even bake them for a healthier version. I have tried baking them a few times and will still continue to do for a few more trials until insha’Allah I come up with a perfect recipe for you all soon.

Luv,
Mona

Its been drizzling here since the last few days, bringing everything that was in sleep back to life.

Frozen Moment #6 – April Showers

I was craving for some deep fried pakodas. During a recent visit to the grocery market, I had bought a beautiful green cabbage which was lying the refrigerator waiting to be cooked up into something delicious. It was so large that after making some gobi gosht for the meal, there was enough left to make a few pakodas.

cabbage batter

We enjoyed them along with tea in the evening today.

Bund Gobi kay Pakoday ~ Cabbage Fritters
(Note: Cabbage is called as Bund Gobi or Patta Gobi in Urdu language)

Ingredients:

Thinly Sliced Cabbage – 4 cups
Ajwain – 2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 2 tsp
Salt – to taste
Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
Besan – 1 cup
Corn fluor/Rice flour – 1/4 cup
Water – 1/2 cup

band gobi kay pakoday ~ cabbage fritters

Method:

In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients and mix well using hands. Heat oil to deep fry in a kadai. Once the oil is hot, gently drop small amounts of mixture using your fingers into the hot oil. Deep fry them on both sides until golden brown in color. Using a slotted spoon remove into a paper towel lined platter or into a wire mesh strainer for the the excess oil to drip away. Enjoy the pakoday along with chutney.

Luv,
Mona

Delightfully sweet, and subtly sour, is how I describe the taste of this curry. Memories of my childhood are closely yet again associated with this traditional dish that my Ammi used to prepare with so much love for us all.

Tamarind – Imli
AntiClockwise from top – Tamarind pod; inside the pod without shell; tamarind seeds; tamarind pulp shaped into ball; leftover fibre from the pod to be discarded

Tamarind, an essential ingredient in Indian cuisine, is used in this recipe for a sweet-sour flavor. The prepared curry is then subtly thickened with finely powdered rice and allowed to cook for a little while to impart a silky texture to the curry.

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Pre-prererations for the curry: (you can prepare these a day before you plan to make the curry)
1. Tamarind pulp:

Remove the shell of the tamarind pod, and gently pull away the fibres meshed with the inner pulp and remove the seeds embeded inside. Discard the shell, fibre and seeds. Shape the pulp into a ball to use. (See the picture above for an idea)

2. Rice powder:

Soak rice for 2-3 hours in cool water. Drain the rice and spread on a cloth to air dry for a few hours. Once completely dry, powder the rice very very finely in a spice grinder to use. The texture of the rice powder should be similar to that of flour, or else coarsely ground rice results in an unpleasing gritty texture in the curry. This ground rice flour is used as the thickener in this curry.

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Tamatar ki Kadi – Okra and Meat in tangy Tomato Sauce

Ingredients:

Canola Oil – 2 tsp
Ginger paste – 1/2 tsp
Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Fresh Curry leaves – 2 sprigs
Veal/Lamb/Goat/Sheep meat with bones – 600 gms (boneless meat is not recommended)
Tomatoes – 5, large, roughly chopped
Roasted Coriander seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin seed powder – 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder – 1 tbsp
Turmeric – 1/4 tsp
Salt – to taste
Okra – young and tender pods, 100 gms, tailed and topped
Tamarind pulp – lime sized ball of tamarind pulp, or as per taste (see above)
Very Finely powdered Rice – 4 tbsp (see above)

Tamatar ki Kadi

Method:

1. In a pressure cooker at medium high heat, pour oil, and as soon as it warms up, add the ginger and garlic pastes. Fry it for a few seconds. Add the curry leaves and as they splutter, add the meat and the tomatoes, salt, red chilli powder, turmeric,, cumin and coriander seed powders and mix well. Pour in 3 cups of water and pressure cook until the meat is tender.
2. Open the lid of the cooker, and add the okra. Half cover the lid and let cook for 8-10 minutes or until the okra is tender. Add the tamarind pulp and mix well.
3. In a small bowl, add 1/2 cup warm water and add the rice powder to it. Mix well so that it doesnt get clumpy, and gently pour this mixture into the pressure cooker stirring continously. Let it cook uncovered for 10-12 minutes until the sauce leaves oil and thickens gradually because of the rice powder. Remove from heat and serve warm.

Once the curry is no longer warm, it begins to thicken due to the thickener added. If the left over is refrigerated it turns into a slighty pasty consistency, but do not worry, as soon as it is reheated with the addition of a little water, its consistency will thin up again.

Luv,
Mona