Bengali Veg Chops

Veg Chops is a famous snack from West Bengal. These chops are made with Beetroot, potatoes, carrots, peanuts. These vegetables are cooked and coated with breadcrumbs to give a crunchy outer layer with a soft inside.

Since beetroot and carrot are in these chops, the spice mix needs to be on the spicer side to balance the flavours. Got this recipe from a friend who hails from Kolkatta.

Made these Veg Chops as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon. Today is last day of the marathon and I thoroughly enjoyed the series. Thanks Valli for Inspiring me to get back to blogging.

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time : 20 minutes

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Beetroot : 1 medium peeled

Carrot : 1 medium

Potatoes : 1 large peeled

Peanuts : 1 tablespoon

Sooji : 1/4 cup

Breadcrumbs: 1 cup

Corn flour : 1/2 cup

Salt to taste

Spice Mix:

Fennel Seeds/Saunf : 1/2 teaspoon

Cumin/jeera : 1/2 teaspoon

Dry red chillies : 4

Cardamom : 2

Cinnamon stick : 1 inch

Peppercorns: 4

Method:

Take carrot, beetroot and potato, peel them and cut into large cubes. Put them in a pressure cooker and cook for 1 whistle.

Let the vegetables cool and grate them.

Take all the ingredients listed under spice mix and dry roast for 2 minutes.

Heat 2 tablespoons on oil in a pan and add the grated vegetables, spice mix, salt and peanuts. Cook for 5-6 minutes or until all the moisture is evaporated.

Add sooji to the vegetable mixture and make desired shape chops.

Take cornflour in a bowl and add 3/4 cup of water as we don’t want to coat the chops with cornflour instead wet them a little.

Heat oil for deep frying, dip the chops in the cornflour water and roll them in the breadcrumbs. Drop 2-3 chops in the oil, keep the flame on medium. Fry the chops until they turn golden brown on both sides (it took me 3 minutes per batch).

Place the chops in a paper towel lined plate.

Serve hot with some mustard sauce or any sauce of choice, some onions and cucumber.

 

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Dahi Gujiya (Uttar Pradesh)

Dahi Gujiya is a famous chat item from Uttar Pradesh. It’s similar to the dahi vada but is made in Gujiya shape and filled with goodies to give that extra flavour. I was initially a little skeptical about adding cashews, raisins, ginger and pepper as the filling because of so many different flavours blending together. But once we tried them, loved the flavours.

Made Dahi Gujiya as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon week 4 with mandatory list of foods. Today is day 7 of the mandatory list.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Soak Time : 5-6 hours

Cook Time : 3-4 minutes per batch

Serves : 4

Ingredients:

Urad dal : 1 cup

Hing : A pinch

Salt: 1 teaspoon

Green Chutney : as per taste

Sweet Chutney : as per taste

Curd/Yogurt : 2 cups beaten

Red chilli powder : as per taste

Fine Sev: as needed

For Filling:

Cashew pieces : 10-12 broken into small pieces

Raisins : 10-12

Ground Black pepper: 1 teaspoon

Grated ginger : 2 teaspoons

Method:

Wash and soak urad dal for 5-6 hours. Drain the water and grind the dal to a slightly coarse batter by adding 1-2 teaspoons of water.

Take the batter and knead it really well for 5 minutes so you get a smooth dough.

Take a bowl with water, add hing and salt. Keep it aside.

Heat oil for deep frying.

Take a plastic sheet, oil it a little, take a lemon sized dough ball, with your hands flatten it to a 1/4 inch thick circle.

Add 2 raisins, few pieces of cashews, a little grated ginger and little bit of pepper in the middle of the batter. slowly lift one side of the plastic sheet to help lift the batter and fold it in half like gujiya. Gently press and close the edges.

Slowly drop the 2-3 gujiyas in the oil at a time and cook on both sides till they turn golden brown.

Immediately drop the gujiyas in the salt and hing water.

Wait for 1 hour, squeeze the water. take a bowl, add 2 -3 gujiyas, add beaten curd, green chutney, sweet chutney, little bit of chilli powder and sev.

Serve immediately.

 

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Ooty Varkey

Ooty Varkey, as it’s in the name it’s a famous biscuit from Ooty. Unlike other bakery items, Varkey doesn’t rely on the eye appealing looks. But, in terms of popularity, Varkey is a kind of biscuit. Baked to golden brown, it looks like a lump of dough but dip it and eat it with tea or coffee, it’s addictive.

I first tasted Ooty Varkey on my visit to Ooty several years back. But, completely forgot about it and years passed by. As this week is a list of mandatory dishes all bloggers are to present, I was a little tensed as there is not much to research on the recipe. Thanks a bunch to our fellow blogger and friend Gayathri Kumar who did the research and gave us the recipe with step by step instructions. Couldn’t have done this recipe without her help.

She said that the bakeries use one day old dough while making a fresh batch. The old dough is diluted in water and incorporated while kneading the fresh batch. I rested the dough overnight in the fridge and it worked well.

Preparation Time:  20 minutes

Resting Time: 4 hours at room temperature and then overnight in the fridge

Makes : 34 Varkis

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour : 1 cup

Sugar : 1/3 cup

Oil : 3 tablespoons

Salt : 1/4 teaspoon

Water: 1/4 cup

For Layering:

Oil

All purpose Flour

Method:

In a bowl, add all the ingredients except water and make a crumbly mixture. Add water and make a soft dough.

Cover and set aside for 3-4 hours and rest it overnight in the fridge.

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Centigrade.

Take the dough on a greased counter, roll it into a transparent rectangle layer. Add couple tablespoons of oil and flour and make a paste. Gently spread the paste on to the dough.

Fold 1/3rd of the rectangle inside and fold the opposite side also inside to form a letter fold. Love make a little more paste with oil and flour, use the paste and close the surface entirely.

Fold twice to make a letter fold and let it rest for 10 minutes.

Now roll into a thin rectangle, cut into strips. Take each strip, pull some dough from it and roughly make a round shaped ball pinching the top.

Arrange them on a tray and bake for 40-45 minutes or until the varkis are golden brown.

Let them cool and serve with hot tea or coffee.

 

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Rajasthani Kalmi Vada

Kalmi Vada is a popular tea time snack from Rajasthan. These Vedas are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. What sets apart Kalmi vada from other Vadas is these Vadas are double fried. They taste delicious with green chutney or sweet chutney.

Made these Kalmi Vadas as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon, week 4, day 5 (Day 23) please do check variations of Kalmi Vada made by my fellow bloggers. Link is at the end of this page.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Soak Time : 5-6 hours

Cook Time : 45 minutes

Serves : 6

Ingredients:

Chana dal : 1 cup

Moong dal : 1/3 cup

Urad dal : 1/3 cup

Toor dal: 1/3 cup

Chili powder: 1 teaspoon

Baking soda: 1/2 teaspoon

Carrom seeds/Ajwain: 2 teaspoons

Hing : 1/2 teaspoon

Salt as per taste

Method:

Wash and soak the dals for 5-6 hours.

Drain the water and take the dals into a mixer jar, add 2 tablespoons of water and grind into a coarse dough.

Take the dough in a container and add in the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

Heat oil for deep frying, make 6 inch diameter circles of the vada dough, gently drop one at a time into the oil. Keep heat on low. Fry the vadas for 20 seconds each side, take them out and drain on a paper towel.

Let the vadas cool off, and cut each vada into 3 long pieces as shown in the picture and deep fry them on medium flame until they turn golden brown on both sides.

Serve hot vadas with green chutney or sweet chutney.

 

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Maharashtrian Kothimbir Vadi

Kothimbir Vadi is a famous snack from Maharashtra. It’s made with Cilantro/Corriander leaves, besan and spices. There is pan fried and deep fried versions of this Vadi. I chose to steam and pan fry the vadi. They turned out really tasty.

Kothimbir Vadi can be served as a tea time snack with any chutney. Made this Vadi as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon, week 4, day 4. Please do check other variations of Kothimbir Vadi done by my fellow bloggers by clicking the link at end of this post.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time : 15 minutes

Serves : 2

Ingredients:

Cilantro/Coriander leaves : 1 cup finely chopped

Besan : 1/2 cup

Turmeric : 1/8 teaspoon

Red chilli powder : 1/4 teaspoon

Coriander powder : 1/8 teaspoon

Cumin powder : 1/4 teaspoon

Sesame seeds : 2 teaspoons

Peanuts : 1/4 cup dry roasted and powdered

Salt as per taste

water: 1/4 cup

To make paste:

Ginger: 1/2 teaspoon

Garlic : 1/2 teaspoon

Green Chilies : 2

Method:

Take Ginger, garlic, green chilies and 1 tablespoon water in a mixer jar and make a paste.

Take all the ingredients and make a soft dough. Pour the batter into a pan

Take 1 liter of water in a little bigger pan and bring it to a boil.

Place the pan with batter in the water pan, close lid and steam until a toothpick comes out clean.

Take the pan and let it cool. Cut into pieces.

Heat oil in a pan for shallow fry and place the pieces on the pan and fry until both sides are golden brown.

Drain on a paper towel and serve hot with some chutney and tea.

 

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Ratlami Sev

Ratlami Sev is made with Besan and spices, which keeps it apart from the regular or Kara sev. This classic Indian snack is native to the city of Ratlam in the Malwa region of Madhya Pradesh.

Made this snack as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon, week 4, day 3.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time : 3 minutes per batch

Serves : 3-4

Ingredients:

Besan/gram flour : 1 1/4 cups

Water : 1/4 cup

For Spice mix :

Ajwain/Carom seeds : 1/8 teaspoon

Cloves : 1/2 teaspoon

Fennel/Saunf : 1/4 teaspoon

Cumin : 1/2 teaspoon

Cardamom: 1 pod

Cinnamon: 1/4 inch

Ground Pepper : 1/2 teaspoon

Turmeric: 1/8 teaspoon

Red chili powder: 1/4 teaspoon

Hing/asafoetida : A pinch

Ground ginger : 1/4 teaspoon

Baking soda: A pinch

Salt : 1/2 teaspoon or as per taste

Oil : 1 tablespoon

Lemon juice: 1/2 teaspoon

Method:

Heat a pan and dry roast cloves, ajwain, saunf, cumin, cardamom and cinnamon. Let them cool a little and make a fine powder.

Take this Masala into a bowl and add ground pepper, turmeric, chili powder, Hing, ground ginger, baking soda, salt, oil and lemon juice and make a paste.

Take Besan in a mixing bowl, add the spice mix, water and knead well to make sev dough.

Heat oil in a pan, take the sev mould, grease it, add enough amount of dough and press circle shapes in the oil.

Once the bottom is golden brown, flip and fry until the other side is golden brown. Frying each batch should take 2-3 minutes.

Remove from hot oil and drain on a paper towel. Repeat the same process with rest of the dough.

Crush the sev gently to break them into small pieces.

Serve with some tea and store the rest in a airtight container for 10 days.

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Handvo (Gujarat)

Handvo is a delicious dish from Gujarat that’s made of rice, lentils and veggies. I made the recipe from scratch but you can use the Handvo flour and save some time.

This savory cake is crispy on the outside, light and soft on the inside. Handvo can be made in a Handvo cooker, you can bake or make on the stove top using a pan. Handvo can be served as snack or even as a meal. It’s very filling.

Made this dish as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon, week 4, day 2.

Preparation Time: 4 hours + 10 minutes

Fermentation Time : 10-12 hours

Makes : 6

Ingredients:

Rice : 1 cup

Chana dal : 1/2 cup

Toor dal : 1/4 cup

Urad dal : 2 tablespoons

Curd/yogurt : 1/2 cup

Turmeric: 1/4 teaspoon

Baking soda : 1/2 teaspoon

Bottle gourd : 1/2 cup peeled and grated

Carrot : 1 medium grated

Green peas : 1/2 cup

Green chili: 1 chopped finely

Ginger garlic paste: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste.

For Tempering:

Mustard seeds: 1 teaspoon

Cumin : 1 teaspoon

Sesame seeds: 1 teaspoon

Curry leaves: 1 sprig

Method:

Wash and soak rice, Chana dal, toor dal and urad dal together for 4 hours.

(If you are using Handvo flour, use 2 cups of it. No need to soak the rice and dals)

Drain the water from the rice and dals, take them into a mixer jar, add yogurt and salt.

Blend until the batter is smooth in consistency. Don’t add more than 2 tablespoons of water. Yogurt is good enough.

Take the batter into a container, cover it and let it ferment for 10-12 hours.

Add grated bottle gourd, carrot, peas, green chili, ginger garlic paste, turmeric, baking soda, lemon juice and mix well.

Heat oil in a small pan over medium heat, add mustard seeds and cumin. Once they splatter, add sesame seeds and curry leaves.

Pour about 3/4 cup of batter into the pan and spread the batter evenly. Close lid and cook for 5-6 minutes, flip over and cook for another 4-5 minutes. Both sides of the Handvo should be golden brown.

Repeat the same process with rest of the batter.

Serve hot with some green chutney or tea.

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Waffles

If you want waffles that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, you have to try this recipe out.

This is the simpler version of making Waffles. No yeast needed, no need to beat the egg whites separately. You can make the batter in one bowl and it takes less than 10 minutes.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time : varies depending on the waffle maker. (5-7 minutes)

Makes : 6 waffles

Ingredients:

All purpose flour: 2 cups

Baking powder: 4 teaspoons

Sugar : 1/2 cup

Salt : 1/2 teaspoon

Eggs : 2 large

Vegetable oil: 1/2 cup

Milk : 2 cups

Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon

Method:

Add sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat it well with a whisk. Add milk, oil, vanilla extract and mix well.

Add all purpose flour and baking powder and blend well.

Grease the waffle maker, pour the batter to cover the inside and close the lid.

Cook on medium high heat for 5-7 minutes or as per the manufacturer guidelines.

Serve hot with some maple syrup or honey. You can add fresh fruits and whip cream too.

Pappu Chekkalu (Andhra)

Chekkalu is a savory snack from Andhra. The basic Andhra Chekkalu has butter and just soaked Chana dal added apart from the spices. I already posted that recipe so please check that out.

Pappu Chekkalu is nuts added to Chekkalu. It’s very similar to nippattu from Rayalaseema in AP and Karnataka.

Made these pappu chekkalu as part of our sweets and snacks mega marathon week 4, day 1. This week, all participating bloggers are to make the same 8 dishes that are mandatory and these dishes are from different parts of India. Our recipes can be different.

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time : 3-4 minutes per batch

Makes : 12 chekkalu

Ingredients:

Rice flour : 1 cup (I used homemade, store bought can be used)

Chana dal : 2 tablespoons

Peanuts : 1 tablespoon (halved)

Sesame seeds: 1 tablespoon

Green chili: 1 chopped

Curry leaves: 1 sprig chopped finely

Ginger paste : 1 teaspoon

Red chili powder: 1/2 teaspoon

Salt to taste

Hot ghee : 1 tablespoon

Oil : for frying

Method :

Wash and soak Chana dal for 45 minutes.

Take a bowl and add all ingredients except oil.

Be careful handling hot ghee. Mix well and add water little bit at a time and make a dough. The dough should be hard in consistency.

Heat oil for frying, make small balls out of the dough.

Take a plastic sheet, grease it with oil. Take one ball at a time and press it into a a very thin round shaped chekka.

Gently drop them into the oil and fry them till chekkalu are golden brown on both sides.

Take them out and put them on a paper towel.

Serve once they are cold as they will turn crispy. Store the rest in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.

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Chocolate chip Muffins

Tags

Baked Foods, muffins

These Chocolate Chip Muffins are made with a simple basic Muffin recipe. You can add nuts or berries to the batter instead of chocolate chips.

Crunchy muffin top with a soft muffin inside will instantly become a kid favorite.

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Bake Time : 25 minutes

Makes : 12 muffins

Ingredients:

All purpose flour : 2 cups

Baking powder: 2 teaspoons

Butter : 1 stick or 1/2 cup at room temperature

Granulated Sugar : 1 cup

Eggs : 2 large (room temperature)

Milk : 1/2 cup

Vanilla extract: 1 teaspoon

Salt : 1/4 teaspoon

Chocolate chips : 1 cup

Method:

Pre heat the oven at 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take butter and sugar in a bowl and cream it with a hand mixer.

Add eggs and blend it well.

Add milk, vanilla extract and blend again.

Add all purpose flour, baking powder and salt and blend it.

Add the chocolate chips and fold them into the batter.

Take the muffin pan, place the paper cups and add batter into the cups.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 7 minutes. Now, turn the heat down to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and bake for another 18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted in the middle of a muffin.

Take the pan from the oven and let it rest for 5 minutes before serving. Store the remaining ones in an airtight container once they are at room temperature.