Stuffed Poha(beaten rice) Balls

Delicious snacks.Crunchy on the outside , with a spicy filling inside. You can make the stuffing without onions also. 

Ingredients:  gives 12  

Poha                     250 gms

Water                   160 ml.

Salt                       1 1/2 tsp

Ground Pepper       1 tsp

Oil.                        For frying

Stuffing:

Boiled potatoes       2 med.

Frozen peas            1 cup ( measure before thawing)

Onion.                    1/4 cup chopped finely

Oil                         2 tsp

Cumin                    1/2 tsp

Green chilly            1 tsp finely chopped

Ginger paste           1/ 2 tsp

Red chilly pd          1/2 tsp

Turmeric pd           1/2 tsp

Raw mango pd        1/2tsp

Garam masala         1/4 tsp

Salt.                      To taste

Chopped coriander 1 tbsp

Method :

1. Wash Poha couple of times and soak it in 160 ml water for one hour.
2. Finely chop boiled potatoes.
3. To prepare the stuffing heat oil in a pan. 
4. Add  cumin and green chilly.
5. When cumin turns brown, tip in onions.
6. Sauté till they turn soft and pink.
7. Meanwhile thaw frozen peas.
8. Tip them into the pan. Cook till they are done.
9. Add red chilly pd, turmeric pd, raw mango pd, garam masala, salt, ginger paste.
10. Mix well add potatoes. Mix well and cook for two minutes so that all the flavours blend well.
11. Remove from fire . Mix in chopped coriander . Taste and adjust seasoning.
12. Divide the filling into 12 equal portions.
13. Heat oil for frying.
14. Mash the poha nicely.
15. Add salt and pepper.
16. Divide into 12 equal portions.
17. Take one portion at a time.
18. Add 1 tsp of water to it.
19. Mix properly and flatten it in your palm.
20. Keep one portion of the filling on it.
21. Carefully pick up the sides and seal to form a ball.
22. Wet your hands and smoothen the ball.
23. You might find the covering breaking , don't worry , seal it using wet hands.
24. Repeat the process with the remaining portions.
25. Deep fry in a hot oil till lightly golden, on medium heat.
26. Remove on kitchen towel to drain off excess oil.
27. Fry two at a time .
28. When you add  the balls to the oil it must be really hot, after that turn the heat to medium.
29. Cut each into two using a serrated knife.
30. Use see- saw motion to cut them.
31. Serve with any sauce of your choice.

Tomato Rice

It's one of my convenient , simple dish normally made for Sunday dinner. Easy to make tasty to the palette.

Ingredients: Serves 4 

Rice                                       2 cups

Oil.                                        2 tbsp

Onions.                                   2 small ( Coarsely sliced)

Homemade Tomato  purée        2 cups*

Bay leaves.                             2 no.

Cloves.                                  4 no.

Cinnamon.                              1 piece

Mustard seeds.                        1 tsp

Cumin seeds.                          1 tsp

Green chilly.                          1 no. Finely chopped 

Curry leaves.                          12

Garlic crushed.                       1 tsp heaped

Ginger paste.                          1 tsp heaped

Red chilly pd.                         1. 1/2 tsp

Salt                                        To taste

Coconut milk powder.             1/2 cup

Water.                                   4 cups

Ghee / clarified butter            4 -6 tsp

Coriander leaves.                    For garnish

Method:

1. Wash and soak rice for 30 min.
2. Dissolve  coconut milk pd in 1 cup warm water
3. In a big non stick pan heat oil. Crackle mustard seeds, cumin seeds.
4. Now add bay leaf, cinnamon stick, cloves. Fry for half a minute .
5. Add curry leaves, green chilly and garlic .
6. Stir and tip in onions. Fry till soft and golden.
7. Add tomato purée , ginger paste and red chilly pd.
8. Cook till it becomes thick and oil separates.
9. Strain the rice and tip into the pan. Add coconut milk and 3 cups of water and salt.
10. Mix well and bring it to a boil.
11. Cover and cook on low heat till rice is done. By then all the water will also be absorbed.
12. Remove from fire. 
13. Garnish with chopped coriander .
14. Pour hot ghee / clarified  butter either on the whole rice or a tsp each on individual plates.
15. Serve hot with pappadam( fried papad) and curd.

Note:

1. Instead of coconut milk pd  you can also use coconut milk available in tetra packs. In that case use 2 tetra packs of 200 ml each, add  enough water to it to make  4 cups of liquid and use this instead of four cups of water mentioned in the recipe.
2. I have used extra virgin olive oil but you can use any vegetable oil.
3. * To make tomato purée , blanch tomatoes in boiling water. Remove skin and purée in a liquidizer.

My Mexican Rice

Spicy, a complete meal in it self. For accompaniment use my tangy  tomato chutney .

Ingredients: Serves 3 

Rice                                1 cup ( I used short grain )

Bell peppers                     1 cup diced ( all three - green, yellow and red)

Frozen corn                     1/4 cup

Frozen peas                     1/4 cup

Boiled kidney beans          1/2 cup

Onion                              1 small very finely sliced

Onion                              1/4 finely chopped

Extra Virgin Olive Oil        2 tbsp

Tomatoes                         1 1/2 cup chopped

Ginger paste                    1 tsp

Garlic paste                     2 tsp

Cloves                             4 crushed

Mexican seasoning            1 tbsp

Cumin pd                         1 tsp

Red chilly pd                    1/2 tsp

Peeper pd                        1/4 tsp

Cottage cheese                100 gms cubed

Marinade for  cottage cheese

Ginger paste.                   1/2 tsp

Garlic crushed.                 1/2 tsp

Oil                                   1/2 tsp

Salt                                 to taste

Red chilly pd                    1/2 tsp

Cumin pd                         1/2 tsp

Lemon juice                     1/2 tsp

Method:

1. Mix all mentioned under  marinade .
2. Rub the marinade over cottage cheese cubes.
3. Leave it for 5 minutes
4. Pan sear marinated cottage cheese cubes with 1/2 tsp oil till golden on both sides.
5. Remove and cut each cube into four pieces .
6. Wash and soak rice for 30 minutes.
7. Boil rice  in sufficient water till its just done . Strain it and keep it aside.
8. Heat oil in a wok. Fry onions, green chilly and garlic till onions are soft and pink.
9. Add bell peppers, corn and peas and boiled kidney beans.
10. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.
11. Tip in chopped tomatoes and ginger paste.
12. Cover and cook for 5 minutes.
13. Stir in crushed cloves, red chilly pd and pepper pd.
14. Continue to cook covered until tomatoes are mushy.
15. Mix in Mexican seasoning and cumin powder and salt.
16. Tip in rice. Mix lightly so that rice doesn't break.
17. Remove from fire.
18. Taste and adjust seasoning. Garnish with cottage cheesed pieces.
19. Serve hot.

Tomato Chutney

A tangy accompaniment for rice and  stuffed parathas.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes             2 cup finely chopped

Vegetable oil        2tbsp

Green chilly         1 chopped.

Tamarind paste     2 tbsp

Ginger paste        1 tsp

Sugar                   4 tsp

Salt                     1/2tsp or To taste

Roasted cumin pd 3/4 tsp

Red chilly pd        1/2tsp

Method: 

1. Heat oil in a pan.
2. Add green chilly and chopped tomatoes.
3. Stir , cook for a minute.
4. Add salt and ginger paste , cover and cook till tomatoes turn mushy.
5. Keep pressing the tomatoes with the back of a spoon.
6. Add tamarind paste, salt, sugar, red chilly pd and cumin pd .
7. Mix well , cook till slightly thick.
8. Taste and adjust salt and sugar.

Fennel Salad

Trying out fennel salad had been on my mind for a long time, but getting fennel bulbs in Bangalore was not that easy.  Once I did see  one lonely piece languishing in a high end  store, but it's state stopped me from buying it.

Yesterday I got really fresh fennel at a hyper mart and I wasted no time in picking it up.

Here is my first try at Fennel Salad.

Ingredients serves 4:

Fennel                      1 med. sized bulb

Apple                       1/2

Pear                         1/2

Onion                       1/2

Pomegranate.            3 tbsp for garnishing

Dressing :

Lemon juice.             1 tbsp

Salt.                         1/2 tsp or to taste

Extra virgin olive oil  2 tbsp

Ground pepper          1/2 tsp

Topping:

Toasted walnuts         2 tbsp

Pomegranate.            3 tbsp 

Chopped mint.          2 tbsp

Method:

1. Using a large grater blade , grate fennel, apple, pear and onion.
2. Add a tsp of lemon juice immediately to avoid oxidation. Mix lightly, cover with a cling film and refrigerate till serving time.
3. Mix  vigorously all ingredients mentioned under dressing.
4. Pour the dressing over salad. Mix lightly.
5. Top with toasted pine nuts/ walnuts, pomegranate seeds and mint.
6. Serve immediately.

Note: you can adjust the quantity of lemon juice depending on your taste.