MEDHU PAKODA

Crisp onion pakodas with nutty pieces of cashews can be really addictive. A great anytime snack which is also easy to make with ingredients always available at home.

It tastes almost like 'medhu pakoda' - a mouth-watering snack available in Tamilnadu. Actually as kids when we were in Pondicherry, we used to be addicted to this snack. No it wasn't made at home. Our Man Friday would at regular intervals be sent to get four packets for us at tea time - my father wouldn't come anywhere near it - he wouldn't eat anything with a trace of onion - he wouldn't take a second bite of the potato fry if the potatoes had been sitting in the same basket as the onions! We didn't know where they were bought from but never bothered to find out as we were ardent fans of the item and didn't want to give up on them for any reason. They were soft-n-crisp and would melt in our mouth. They had cashew pieces too in them. We had tried to get the recipe but in vain. We knew there was a hint of 'pottukkadalai' powder. During one of my Chennai visits, I could get big 'medhu pakoda' from one of the famous eateries. I tried to analyze its taste to decipher the recipe. And here is the recipe for the same. And it tastes pretty much the same. Yay!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1. Besan - 1 cup
2. Rice flour - 1/2 cup
3. Futana dal (chutney dal) powder - 1 tbsp
4. Onion - 1 medium sized - chopped
5. Green chilli - 2 -chopped
6. Ginger - 3/4 " - chopped fine
7. Coriander leaves - finely chopped - 2 tbsp
8. Mint leaves (optional)- 10 - finely chopped
9. Curry leaves - 10 - finely chopped
10. Ajwain - 1/2 tsp
11. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
12. Asafetida - a pinch
13. Salt to taste
14. Cashewnut pieces - 2 tbsps
15. Melted ghee - 1 tbsp
16. Oil for frying

Method 

1. Mix all the ingredients from 1 to 14.
2. Add melted ghee and mix well.
3. Sprinkle water little by little and mix to get a thick dough.
4. Heat oil in a kadhai.
5. Take a ball of dough in your hand and drop pieces (the size of big marbles) in the hot oil.
6. Fry on medium flame till both sides are light brown and crisp.
7. Serve hot with tomato ketchup / your favorite chutney. 

NENDRAKKAI CHIPS

Nendrakkai chips are freely available in stores all over the world - branded as well as local. In fact the best ones are the ones that are made fresh in reliable stores and sold like hot chips. Nobody makes them at home now. Tell me who has the time, energy and patience?

And no they are not that economical either! Once upon a time I used it fry them at home as my boys loved the home-made ones - thin and crunchy. In Pune in the 80s, one could never be sure about the freshness of the chips from the market except during Vishu and Onam! (Kerala items like nendrakkai, chips, nendrapazham etc were not freely available in Pune then). So I'd buy half a dozen raw Kerala plantains when available and make a big steel 'dabba' full of nendrakkai chips which would be gone in 3 days!

Now let's get back to the recipe - this time I made chips with just three nendrakkais and it lasted for a week it - was just this old couple munching them for evening snacks!

Ingredients

1. Nendrakkai (raw Kerala plantain) 
2. Salt to taste
3. Oil for frying

Method

1. Wash the nendrakkai and make long lengthwise lines all around each of them with a knife.
2. Remove the thick peels from all the plantains. 
3. Pat one raw plantain dry and make thin slices using a grater, taking care not to pile them over but spread apart on a piece of paper so that they don’t stick together.
4. Repeat with the others, on to different pieces of paper.
5. Heat oil in frying pan.
6. When it is hot, drop the slices spreading them all over in the oil.
7. After 2 minutes, turn them over and continue to fry on medium heat, separating the ones sticking together.
8. Remove them onto a tissue when they are a golden and the bubbles in the oil have subsided.
9. Sprinkle salt over the hot chips and mix well and leave on a tissue paper.
10. Repeat with the other rest of the plantains.
11. After cooling, store in a clean dry air-tight bottle.

Tips

1. Sprinkle salt soon after draining off the chips from the oil.
2. Earlier I used to add 1 tsp of concentrated salt water just before the removing the chips from the oil; fry for 1/2 minute and drain off on to a tissue paper. This enabled uniform spread of salt but caused the oil to splatter and cleaning was an issue.
3. I use minimum oil (say 1/3^rd not ½ the kadhai) and have the patience to fry the chips in small batches – you see I don’t reuse the oil and I don’t want to waste too much oil!

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

COCTAIL SAMOSAS / MINI SAMOSAS

This is my 100th post to this blog of mine. I am happy to share the recipe for 'cocktail / mini samosas' - one of my all-time favorites. 

Samosas have been the hot favorites of North Indians. I still remember gorging on the 'garama garam' samosas  my aunt and uncle would get us, along with garam jalebis while growing up in Delhi. 

'Samosas' enjoy universal appeal today. Samosas enjoy such a great popularity that they have earned a place in all restaurants' menu cards not only all over India but also abroad. 

Most of us love to grab a bunch of samosas from our favorite restaurant along with sweet chutney / green chutney and fried green chillies. That is the easiest - buy them, relish them. But when we make them at home, we can have a pot full of samosas and enjoy the satisfaction of making and eating a restaurant-item-made-at-home. It may sound a little bit laborious but good planning and some time and inclination at hand will help you enjoy the process. Not to forget the compliments you'll be able to pocket at the end of the day!

                                        

Makes 18-20 samosas



Ingredients


For the covering

1. Maida – 2 cups
2. Rava – 2 tbsp
3. Melted ghee – 8 - 9 tsp
4. Salt to taste
5. Ajwain – 1 tsp
6. A little warm water
7. Oil for frying

For the stuffing

1. Potatoes - 4 medium sized ones
2. Carrot - 1 (cut in small pieces)
3. Peas - 1/2 cup
4. Onion - 1 small (chopped)
5. Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
6. Asafetida - a pinch
7. Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
8. Coriander powder - 1 1/2 - 2 tsp
9. Garam masala - 1 tsp
10. Amchur ( dry mango powder) - 1 tsp
11. Salt to taste
12. Oil - 2 tsp

Method


For the covering

1. Mix maida, rava, and salt. Crush ajwain between your palms and add it.
2. Mix well.
3. Add 4 tsps of melted ghee and mix together.
4. Add the remaining ghee and mix well.
5. Add warm water little by little and knead into firm dough and keep covered for at least 20 minutes.

Stuffing

1. Boil the potatoes with turmeric powder and salt. Cool and peel and mash them.
2. Boil the carrots and peas with salt.
3. Heat 2 tsps of oil in a pan and add cumin seeds. When they crackle add asafetida and chopped onion and fry till light brown.
4. Add coriander powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and amchur powder and stir for a few seconds.
5. Add the mashed potatoes and carrots and peas.
6. Add chopped coriander and mix well.
7. Cool and divide into 18-20 balls.

To prepare samosas

1. Divide the dough into lemon-sized balls (9 - 10)
2. Dip each ball in a little oil and roll into a big thin puri.
3. Cut in two halves.
4. Place a ball of potato stuffing in the center and place the left part (radius) over the right part and seal them well. 
5. Next seal the circular part all along, placing one part over another and pressing them to form a mini samosa. 
6. Repeat with the other half. 
7. Keep them covered with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying.
8. Repeat with all the balls. 

To make samosas

1. Heat oil in frying pan.
2. When the oil is hot, drop 4 - 5 mini samosas carefully in the oil.
3. After half a minute, lower the flame.
4. After another minute, gently flip each of the samosas.
5. After a couple of minutes, turn the samosas again.
6. When they are uniformly browned, drain off the oil well and set them on a tissue.
7. Fry the rest of the batches of samosas.
8. Serve hot with ketchup / green chutney .

Tips

1. Make sure that the edges are sealed well - you may use a drop of water to seal them if needed.
2. Patiently fry the samosas on low heat so that they are light brown as well as crisp.
3. The stuffing can be prepared without onions too.
4. If you have excess dough, roll them into small matris and fry them till crisp and store in airtight containers.
5. If you have excess stuffing, use it to make a sandwich later.

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

BAJJIS & PAKODAS

A hot favorite of Indians is the easy-to-make and tasty snack – known as ‘bajji’ in South India and ‘pakode’ in the rest of India. 

The main ingredient in the batter is gram flour and bajjis are made with a variety of veggies as well as bread, paneer and Kerala plantain. Nothing to beat a plateful of sizzling hot bajjis for tea time with hot cuppa tea - that too on a rainy evening! In fact most families would coax the lady of the house, saying, “It’s the apt time for pakode” on a typical monsoon weekend as the clouds from the heavens water the earth…..

All Indians enjoy this dish, most of you know the recipe but you will find a few tips and suggestions and tempting pics in this post!

Pakodas are a popular evening snack / tasty starters in every part of India. Assorted platefuls of yummy pakodas vanish in no time at get-togethers! Some use the term ‘bajji’ when a thin slice of vegetable is dipped in gram flour batter and fried – potato bajji / ‘vazhakka’ (raw banana) bajji, ‘kathirikka’ (brinjal) bajji, ‘vengaaya’ (onion) bajji and ‘molaga’ (green chilli) bajji are popular in South India. Usually 'pakodas' refer to the crisp ones and 'bajjis' to the softer variety.

In Kerala, ‘pazham pori’ (actually what I would choose to call ‘nendrapazha bajji’) made with long and ripe Kerala plantain is very popular and are available in most hotels and tea-stalls. They also make crisp ‘vengaaya’ (onion) pakoda – which is different from vengaaya bajji. 

North Indians choose to use the term ‘pakode’ for all varieties – including their special ‘palak’ (spinach) pakode.

My secret ingredient is 'dosa' batter. Yes, I use 1 tbsp of dosa batter instead of a tsp of rice flour and a pinch of baking soda to prepare the besan batter. The bajjis / pakodas turn out soft and fluffy and less oily; but less crisp as well. But if you are die-hard fans of crisp and oily pakodas, go in for rice flour and baking soda. So take your pick according to your preference. Oh yes, you have a choice only if there is dosa batter at home!

The batter for all pakodas is the same. The recipe for the batter is given at the beginning – it is sufficient to make pakodas to serve 2. Make pakodas of your choice.

Assorted bajjis

Use different veggies as mentioned in each variety of bajji. If you plan to make several varieties remember to prepare enough batter for all varieties. Or you can make more batter as per your requirement when the first lot gets over.

Bajji batter

Ingredients

1. Gram flour (besan) – 1 cup
2. Rice flour – 1 tbsp
3. Baking soda – a pinch
4. Red chilli powder – 1 tsp
5. Coriander powder (optional) – 1 tsp
6. Asafetida – ¼ tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Hot oil – 1 - 1 ½ tsp

Method

1. In a bowl, mix gram flour, rice flour, baking soda, red chilli powder, asafetida, coriander powder and salt.
2.  Add ½ - ¾ cup of water and whisk well for at least 5 minutes to make a fairly thick batter and set aside for 5 minutes. (No big deal about the consistency of the batter - if the batter is thick, then you can enjoy a thickly coated bajji. If the batter is runny, the bajjis will have a thinner covering!)
3.  Just before making pakodas, add 1 ½ tsp of hot oil and mix well – this will add to its crispness.

Tips

1. You can make the batter without the rice flour and baking soda too.
2. As I said earlier, I prefer to use dosa batter in place of rice flour and baking soda. I mix 1 cup of gram flour, 1 tbsp of dosa batter, red chilli powder, asafetida and salt. Then I add ½ - ¾ cup of water and make a thick batter, blending it well with my hand and set it aside for 10 minutes. There is no need of adding hot oil. My bajjis are fluffy and soft and almost oil-free!

Special Molaga (large green chilli) bajji

This is made with the special variety of green chillies – big, and somewhat spicy. The recipe is slightly different but the batter is the same.

Ingredients

1. Large chillies – 8
2. Coriander powder - 1 ½ tsp
3. Amchur (dry mango powder) - ¾ tsp
4. Black salt. – ½ tsp.

Method

1. Wash, dry and slit each green chilli all along its length leaving both the ends intact (including the stem).
2. Mix all the powders well.
3. Take ¼ tsp of the powder mix and spread all along the inside of each green chilli and close the edges together.
4. Repeat with all the chillies.
5. Make a few slight cuts on the green chillies so that the soft exterior will become a bit rough and the batter will coat the chillies and not slip away.
6. Heat oil in a pan.
7. Hold each green chilli at the stem tip and dip it in the thick gram flour batter, taking care to coat the entire chilli with batter and quickly drop it in hot oil. If you find some part of the chilli without batter-coating, add a drop of batter at that spot.
8. Repeat with 2 more chillies and fry on medium heat till they are golden brown on all sides and drain off.
9. Repeat with the other batch of chillies.
10. Hot, spicy and tangy ‘molaga bajjis’ are ready to sizzle your tongues!

Nendrapazha bajji 

Use 1 big ripe Kerala plantain. Peel and cut the banana in 2 parts. Make thin slices of each. Dip each slice till fully coated with batter and fry in oil till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Potato bajji

Ingredients

1. Potato (medium-sized) - 1
2. Oil for frying

Method

1. Meanwhile peel and slice a potato in thin circles and sprinkle a little salt on them.
2. Heat oil in fry pan.
3. When the oil is hot, dip each potato slice in the batter so that it is fully coated with batter and put it gently in the hot oil. 
4. Repeat with 4-5 potato slices and lower the heat.
5. Gently separate them if they touch one another and flip after a minute.
6. When they turn light brown on both sides, remove from oil and drain on to a tissue paper to remove excess oil.
7. Repeat with the rest of the potato slices.
8. Serve hot with tomato ketchup / chutney.

Kathirikka (Brinjal) bajji

 Use 2 medium sized brijals.

Wash and make thin slices of each, spread them on a plate and sprinkle a little salt over them.

Dip each slice till fully coated with batter and fry in oil till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Vaazhakka (raw banana) bajji

Use 1 raw banana

Wash, peel and cut the banana in 3 parts.

Make thin slices of each, spread them on a plate and sprinkle a little salt over them. Dip each slice till fully coated with batter and fry in oil till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Palak (spinach) pakoda 

                                     

Use 12-14 spinach leaves.

Wash and dry the spinach leaves. Dip each leaf till fully coated with batter and fry in oil till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Onion bajji 

Use 2 medium sized onions.

Wash and peel the onions.

Make thin slices of each, spread them on a plate and sprinkle a little salt over them. Dip each slice till fully coated with batter and fry in oil till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Onion rings

When you are making onion bajjis, remove rings from a couple of onion slices, dip them in the batter and fry them. Remember, they’ll be ready in a minute or two.

Kids will love them.

Bread pakoda

Use 4 slices of bread.

Cut each bread slice into 4 triangles.

Dip each piece in the batter and fry till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Tips – For this variety, you can add chopped coriander leaves and green chillies to the batter to enhance the taste.

Onion pakoda 

Make this at the end – to finish up the remaining batter!

Use 1 big onion.

Wash, peel and chop the onion finely.

Also finely chop fresh coriander leaves (2-3 tbsp) and 3 green chillies, and 1” piece ginger and add them to the thick gram flour batter.

Add a tsp of hot oil (optional). Mix well.

Heat oil in a pan.

Drop one tsp of the batter in the hot oil.

Repeat to drop 5-7 batter-balls in the oil.

Lower the heat if required and fry till both sides are golden brown and drain off.

Tips

If you have some left-over onion pakodas, keep them in the fridge and use them to make Punjabi Kadhi for lunch the next day!

So you see how popular a bottomless colander of bajjis / pakodas are!

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.

MATRI

‘Matri’ or ‘Matti’ is a very tasty snack from North India – crisp and melt-in-your-mouth! The main ingredients are maida (all purpose flour), ghee and salt.

It has been a family favorite – my sons still love to take a plateful of matris, lovingly spread mango pickle all over it and relish them at tea time. I still carry home-made matris to the US – in a big pearl pet bottle so that they don’t crack and break into pieces. Of course I also make them there as all ingredients are easily available there.

Preparation time – 10 minutes

Making time – 50 minutes

Makes 40 matris

                                  

Ingredients

1. Maida – 2 cups
2. Rava – 2 tbsp
3. Melted ghee – 10 tsp
4. Salt to taste ( about 1/2 tsp)
5. Ajwain – 1 tsp
6. Warm water - about 1/2 cup
7. Oil for frying

Method

1. Mix maida, rava, and salt. Crush ajwain between your palms and add it.
2. Mix well.
3. Add 4 tsps of melted ghee and mix together.
4. Add the remaining ghee and mix well.
5. Add warm water little by little and knead into firm dough and keep covered for at least 20 minutes.
6. Make big marble-sized balls with one third of the dough.
7. Dip each ball in a little oil and roll into a small puri.
8. Make a few little lines with a knife in each puri (to prevent it from puffing up).
9. Repeat with all the balls.
10. Heat oil in frying pan.
11. When the oil is hot, add 5-6 matris carefully in the oil.
12. After a minute, lower the flame.
13. After another minute, gently flip each of the matris.
14. After a couple of minutes, turn the matris again.
15. Mmake sure they turn light brown on both sides.
16. When the bubbles in the oil subside, it is time to remove the matris from oil.
17. Drain off the oil well and set the light brown matris on a tissue.
18. Fry the rest of the batches of matris.
19. When they have cooled, store them in airtight containers.

Tips

1. If you want to optimize your time, keep the frying pan on the stove after rolling 10 matris. As one batch is getting fried, roll out a set of 5-6 matris – you can manage this if you are used to rolling puris!
2. Patiently fry the matris on low heat so that they are light brown as well as crisp.
3. During your first attempt, roll 5-6 matris and fry them. Allow them to cool and taste them. If they are crisp, go ahead with the rest of the dough.
4. If less ghee is used, matris will be a bit hard. You can overcome this by kneading the remaining dough with your palm smeared with melted ghee.
5. If excess ghee is used, they will tend to crumble in the oil. In that case, add 1-2 tsp of maida to the dough and knead well before making the rest of the matris.
6. You can even roll out a large puri with the dough and cut it in diamond (rhombus) / rectangular shapes and fry them.

© Copyright 2011. Brinda Balasubramonian.