Batata Vada / Potato Dumplings

Potato means 'batata' in Marathi. Batata Vada is one of the most popular Maharashtrian snacks.  When Batata Vada is sandwiched between butter fried and green chutney smeared pav, it becomes a Vada Pav, another one of Mumbai’s famous street food snack. Mumbaikar’s relish these yummy vada pav on almost daily basis. I’m a total vada pav lover myself and they are always on my first to eat list whenever I visit Mumbai. You can have them for breakfast, lunch, evening snacks or tea time too. I highly recommend these addictive vada’s to those who haven’t tried them.Do try them and I bet you will always crave for more.

Ingredients:-

• 4 potatoes (boiled)
• 2-3 green chillies (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• salt to taste
• oil for deep frying 

For tempering :-

• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp mustard seeds
• 3-4 curry leaves
• pinch of turmeric pdr

For batter:-

• 1 cup gram flour
• 1 tsp red chillie pdr
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Mash potatoes well and add green chillies, coriander leaves and salt to it. Mix well.
• Heat oil in a saucepan. 
• Add mustard seeds, curry leaves and turmeric powder. Saute till mustard seeds start popping.
• Pour this tempering over the potatoes and mix well.
• Make small balls and keep aside.
• Make a thick batter with gram flour, red chillie pdr, salt and water.
• Dip the potato balls in this batter and deep fry in hot oil till golden brown.
• Serve with green chutney 

Notes:-

• You can butter pav and roast them slightly, apply green chutney and sandwich the batata vadas in them. 
• You can also sprinkle some garlic chutney on the vada pav.

Happy Cooking!!

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Dahi Phulki / Lentil Dumplings In Yoghurt Sauce

I simply love dahi phulki and it is also a favorite recipe in my family. It is a simple yet delicious snack usually made during summer-time. It can be served as an appetizer or side dish to any meal. This is a traditional recipe passed on from my grandmother to my mother and now to me.

Ingredients for phulki:-

• 1 cup white urad dal (skinned black gram dal)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 inch piece of ginger
• pinch of cooking soda
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

Method:-

• Soak urad dal for 4-5 hours in enough water.
• Drain all the water from the dal and grind it along with black pepper and ginger.
• Grind it to a smooth paste using as little water as required.
• Add red chilli powder and cooking soda to the batter and mix well.
• Leave overnight for fermentation. 
• Add salt to the batter and whip it well.
• Heat oil in a wok.
• Drop dollops of the dal batter to the hot oil and fry the phulkis till light golden.
• Remove and keep aside.

For the yogurt Sauce:-

• 2 cups yogurt
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• salt to taste

Method:-

• Whisk yogurt along with cumin powder, garlic paste, red chilli powder,salt and ½ cup water.
• Add the phulki's to this sauce.

Ingredients for tempering:-

• 2 tbsp oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 - 4 cloves of garlic (finely chopped)

Method:-

• Heat oil in a small saucepan.
• Add garlic and cumin seeds.
• Saute till light brown.
• Pour over dahi phulki's and serve.

Notes:-

• If you like the phulki's very soft, you may soak them in salted water for a few seconds and squeeze out the excess water before adding to the yogurt sauce.
• You can add chickpea flour (besan) instead of urad dal for instant phulki's. Make a batter of chickpea flour, salt, little red chilli powder and a pinch of cooking soda. 

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- CWS–Urad Dal & Priya's CWS Page and My Bowl of Snack and Dish it Out – Lentils/Legumes and Vegetables and Mission Explore Food: Lentils & CookCookandCook & Thoushaltcook and Spotlight: Beans & Lentil

Maggi Masala Noodles

My brother is getting married on June 10th. Hence, I will be travelling to Mumbai in the coming week. I'm so much excited and nervous at the same time. 'Excitement' because I'm visiting Mumbai, meeting my family, my darling sisters, my cute nieces, get to spend time with each one of them which I really miss and have lotts of fun. 'Nervous' because my son's school starts on June 10th too. As we have shifted only 3 months back to Coimbatore, it would be a new school,  new friends and maybe a new beginning for him. (He is in Class 3 now). After lots of 'ifs' and 'buts,  I decided not to think anymore. But my mind keeps wandering, and I keep saying to myself, "It's O.K. He will pick up.. It's just a matter of some days." These days with packing, shopping and arranging, I have less time, energy and some times less patience for cooking. I try to keep it as quick and simple as possible.

I love maggi noodles very much. Infact who doesn't? Be it kids or adults, everybody loves noodles. It is the most easiest and quickest to make and addition of just a few vegetables makes it all the more nutritious.Today, I made this delicious Maggi Masala for breakfast.

Ingredients:-

• 1 large packet Maggi Masala Noodles
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 carrot (diced)
• 1 capsicum (sliced)
• ½ cup green peas
• 1 green chilli (broken in 2 pieces)
• 2 tomatoes (chopped finely)
• ½ tsp red chilli powder 
• ½ tsp coriander powder
• few coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• 2 tbsp oil
•  1tsp ginger-garlic paste

Method:-

• Heat oil in a wok.
• Add onions and fry till transparent.
• Add carrot, green peas and capsicum. Saute till almost tender.
• Add tomatoes, ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli powder, coriander powder, maggi masala powder (sachet in maggi), coriander leaves and green chilli.
• Saute till oil seperates.
• Break the maggi noodles. And mix well. 
• Add 4 cups water and cook till noodles are done.
• Serve hot.

Notes:-

• You may add vegetables of your choice.
• You may sprinkle grated cheese over maggi.
• You may subsyitute maggi noodles with any noodles you like.

Happy Cooking!!

Sending this entry to :- My Bowl of Snack 

Paneer Bhurji Sandwich (Scrambled Cottage Cheese Sandwich)

I love sandwiches. It is surely a quick life-saver. Be it an early morning breakfast, kids tiffin box, tea time snacks, lunch boxes picnics or even party platters. I mean, who can say a no to sandwiches? I can't. And the best part about making a sandwich is that there are no limitations.You may create your own fillings, use leftover vegetables or add your favorite toppings. You can also grill, bake, toast or even eat it raw. I made these delicious paneer bhurji sandwiches for breakfast today. These sandwiches are quite simple to make and healthy too.

Ingredients for paneer bhurji:-

• 100 grams paneer / cottage cheese (crumbled)
• 1 onion (finely chopped)
• 1 capsicum (finely chopped)
• 2 green chillies(finely chopped)
• 1 tbsp oil
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• ¼ tsp cumin powder 
• ¼ tsp pepper powder
• a pinch of all spice powder
• few coriander leaves (finely chopped)
• salt to taste 

Method:-

• Add red chilli powder, cumin powder, pepper powder, all spice powder and salt to paneer.
• Heat oil in a pan.
• Add onions and saute till it is transparent.
• Add capsicum and green chillies. Saute well for a minute.
• Add crumbled paneer and mix continuously till the mixture has dried.
• Keep aside. 

Ingredients for chutney:-

• ½ cup coriander leaves
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ½ lemon juice  
• ¼ tsp aniseed powder 
• 5 mint leaves
• 4 green chillies

Method:-

• Grind all the ingredients together to a smooth paste.

Ingredients for assembling sandwich:-

• 12 slices of bread
• butter as per required

Method:-

• Grease the grill lightly.
• Spread butter on one side of each bread.
• Spread chutney on top.
• Place paneer bhurji between two bread slices.
• Grill and serve hot.

Notes:-

• You may use leftover bhurji to make this sandwich.
• You may add 1 small chopped tomato in bhurji for a slight tangy taste.
• You may use green peas too in the bhurji.

Happy  Cooking!!