Chunky Guacomole With Baked Pita Chips

I used to hate Guacomole when I first tasted it in a mexican restaurant and stayed away from avacado for quite some time. But then a few years back I was introduced to this chunky version of the dip by a dear friend S (back in Belgium) in her son's birthday party. After numerous assurances from her I gave this a try and absolutely fell in love with the dip and also with the wonder fruit - avacado ever since.

Thanks to S ,nowadays I make it atleast once a week  for snack as my son loves this 'green' dip (as named by him) a lot. The tastes of the Guacomale is at its best when the Avacado is ripe, moist and in season. Never use the blackened or over ripe ones as it tends to spoil the taste.

Serve with some baked pita bread for healthy version or with some store bought tortilla chips for quite an indulgence :)

Ingredients:

1 ripe and firm Avacado

1/4 cup chopped onion

1/4 cup chopped tomatoes(without pulp)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

1 small green chilli finely chopped.

salt ,coarse black pepper and fresh lemon juice to taste

Method

Cut and scoop the pulp of the avacado int a bowl.

Cut the tomato into half, and sqeeze the pulp out of it, discard the pulp and add the chopped tomato to the bowl.

Now add the onions, chilli, salt, coarse black pepper and chopped cilantro

Give it a mix with a fork, gently breaking down the avacado pieces..

To make the pita chips.

Cut open the pita bread into two discs. (I used it whole here)

Cut into triangles and bake in 400F preheated oven for about 10 -15 mins, or until it becomes crisp.

Notes:

If you like the smoother version, mash the avacado well with a fork to a smooth texture and then add all the other ingredients.

Always use freshly ground coarse black pepper as it gives much better flavour to the dish.

Potato Mushroom Croquettes

This post is after a very long break, say about 6 months. Well,  this past 6 months has kept us very busy with moving from one place to another. First we packed our things and  moved back to Chennai from Brussels and then after  couple of months moved to a new house in Chennai. When we were just getting settled comfortably in our new home my husband got an offer at work to move to United States. So here we are now, back in the US trying to adjust to the weather from very hot to cold. But I must say that the weather is pretty nice and warm for the past few weeks in the New England area except for the surprise early snowfall in the mid-October.
While my son is slowly getting settled with his school routine, I thought its high time I write a post in the blog before life gets busy again..you never know :)
When I was clearing out some not so good pictures from my blogged and non-blogged folders (Thanks to Cham for that neat idea, it really helps a lot), I came across this picture of the potato and mushroom croquettes that I made way back on one cold evening in Brussels.
Here goes the recipe...

Potato and Mushroom Croquettes
Ingredients:
2 large potatoes
1 medium onion , finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 inch piece of ginger, finely chopped
1 green chilli finely chopped
2 cups of finely chopped mushrooms.
1/2 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp chat masala powder
1/2 tsp jeera powder
1 tsp lemon juice
3 tblsp finely chopped coriander leaves
oil and salt as required
2 cups of bread crumbs for rolling


Method
Boil the Mash the potatoes
Wash the mushrooms in running water and wipe with a clean kitchen towel.
Finely chop the mushrooms, onion, garlic, ginger, and green chilles.
Add 2 tblsp of oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions, garlic, ginger and chilies, stir well till the onions are translucent. Now add the chopped mushrooms and saute on medium flame.
To this add chilli powder, cumin powder, chat masala powder, and the salt.
Stir well to combine for about 2 mins. Just when the mushrooms are wilted, add the mashed potatoes, coriander, lemon juice and stir well to combine.
Switch of the stove and allow it to cool completely.


Make small balls or roll it into logs .Take the bread crumbs in a plate.
Heat the oil in a deep pan. Roll the balls in the bread crumbs and fry them 4 at a time in the medium heat oil .
Slightly turn the balls using a slotted spoon for even browning on all sides.
Enjoy with a cup of tea :)

Notes: 

• Do not immerse the mushrooms in a pot of water for washing as it will soak up the water and release it while cooking.Always wash with minimum running water from the tap, or wipe with a damp kitchen towel
• If the potato mixture is mushy add about a 1/4 cup of bread crumbs to the mixture. Keeping it in the fridge  for 30 mins also helps tighten the potato mixture.
• If you are out of Chat masala, add about 1/4 tsp of garam masala and 1/2 tsp of amchoor powder.

Bread Rolls/Parcels

Though I have read about bread rolls several times in many cookbooks, magazines, blogs, and foodwebsites I have never tried it until recently for a potluck lunch. It didnt soak much oil as I initially thought and it retained its crispiness even after few hours.I have made it twice after that and it came out very well each time. Makes a great party starter.

The recipe for the filling is very versatile, and you can make it according to your tastebuds. This is how I made it.
This recipe make 10-12 bread rolls

For the Filling:
Ingredients:

4 medium potatoes 
1 tsp ginger garlic paste
1 medium onion chopped

1 tsp jeera
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
1 tsp chat masala powder.
1 tblsp lemon juice

Method.
Boil the potatoes, peel the skin and mash it .
Add 2 tblsp oil in a pan and add the cumin seeds.
When it crackles add the chopped onion and saute well.
To this add the ginger garlic paste, and all the dry powders and fry till the raw smell disappears. Sprinkle some water if necessary.
Now add the mashed potatoes, and mix well with the masala.
Finally add salt, chopped coriander leaves  and lemon juice, mix well to combine.

For the Rolls:

Ingredients.

12 slices white bread.

a bowl of water.

2 cups bread crumbs

oil for frying

Method:
Trim the edges of the bread and keep aside.
Take each slice , dip in the water, keep inbetween your hands and squeeze out the water.

Spread the sqeezed bread slice on a flat surface, place the filling towards one edge, roll it and seal the edges by slightly pressing them.
Roll it over the bread crumbs and fry in hot oil.

Note: The oil should be hot , not smoking hot. Coat the rolls well with bread crumbs and pat it your palms before dropping it in oil.This helps in shedding the excess crumbs, that might clog the oil.

Spanakopita - A Greek Starter

Couple of months back after making an yummy Greek dessert - Baklava , I was wondering about how to use up the little of the remaining phyllo sheets. I thought of going again for the same Baklava - the rolled up version, then something stopped me warning me about the calories. So after browsing through the numerous bookmarked recipes on starters and appetizers, I settled on Spanakopita that aptly needed the exact amount of sheets that I had in hand.




I adapted the recipe from Here by omitting the egg and baking instead of frying.


Ingredients:
2 cups of frozen spinach
1 small onion minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1 tsp red chilli flakes.
2 tblsp of chopped parsley or cilantro
salt and pepper
Butter or olive oil for brussing the phyllo pastry

Method
Thaw and sqeeze all the water from the Spinach/
Take a tblsp of olive oil in a pan and saute onion and garlic.
Stir in the spinach, salt , pepper and redchili flakes. Saute for 2 mins.
Allow it to cool and mix in the Feta cheese.

Place 3 phyllo pastry sheets on a flat surface.
Brush them with melted butter or olive oil on one side.
Cut the Pastry sheets into thin long rectangular shapes.
Place a tblsp of the stuffing and fold it like a triangle.
Keep folding the triangle continuosly left and right till you reach the end of the strip.
It will resemble a samosa wrapped in layers of trace paper.
Seal the edges with melted butter.

Bake in the  180C preheated oven for 20 mins or the pastry is well browned.
You can also substitute the Feta cheese with Ricotta or crumbled Paneer.





Sending these to the AWED event started by DK held this month  at  TastyCurryLeaf and also to Divya's  Healing food Spinach event.

Sending this also to this week's Bake-off event over at Bangalore Baker

Stuffed Mushroom for Global Kadai

I have been making this dish for more than 8 years now, and everytime its a big hit. But this is the first time I tried with different ingredients for the Global Kadai event started by Cilantro and being hosted right here for this month. I tried to Indianise this dish by adding grated paneer, and chat masala and also spiced it up a little bit by chopped green chillies.It turned out even more delicious than I expected. We can never go wrong with our own Indian ingredients right. So here's how I made it.

Ingredients:
1 Packet Button Mushrooms (preferable large ones)
1 medium onion chopped.
2 tblsp finely chopped garlic
2 tblsp butter
1/2 cup plain bread crumbs
1/2 cup grate paneer
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 tblsp chat Masala or (1tsp garam masala + 1tsp Amchoor powder)
1 tsp chopped green chillies
1 cup shredded mozorella cheese
few tblsp Olive oil
Salt and peper to taste.

Method:
Preheat the Oven to 350F/200C
Wipe the Mushrooms with a wet towel, to remove all the dirt.
Remove the stalk and the rims with a knife.Reserve the stalk.
Finely chop the stalk, onions and garlic.
In a pan add the butter and when its hot add the onion, garlic and chopped green chillies.
Fry till the onion shrinks and turns tranlucent.
Add the chopped mushroom stalks, and fry well.
To this add the grated paneer, chat masala and chopped coriander leaves and stir for a few seconds.
Now add the bread crumbs, salt and pepper.Mix well.
Switch off the stove and allow it to cool.
Apply little olive oil over the mushroom cap, arrange in a baking tray and bake for 10 mins.
Now tightly stuff the baked mushrooms with prepared stuffing.
Sprinkle the shredded mozerrella cheese over the top and bake for another 10- 12 mins or until the cheese melts and golden spots appear on the top

Click here for the clear pictorial and details about stuffing the Mushrooms.

Note:  You can also add some chopped spring onions instead of coriander leaves.

The last date for the "Global Kadai" event is the 28th of this month. Hope to see your version of this yummy dish  soon.

Tomato Olive Bruchetta with Mozerella

I regularly stock my pantry with the mini baguettes, that is ready after baking for just 12 mins.Very convenient to make garlic bread  as well as bruchetta's with various toppings.
To make it more rich, I top it with some left over mozerrella cheese (if any).Makes a delicous tea time snack.


Ingredients:

4 mini baguettes or a single loaf of French bread
1/2 cup tomato sauce / Pasta sauce
1/ 2 cup chopped tomatoes.
1/2 cup choped black olives
1/4 cup chopped jalapenos
2 tblsp chopped garlic
4 tblsp olive oil

few tblsp of shredded mozerella

2 tsp dried oregano  or dried basil as per taste.

Method.
Mix the chopped garlic with olive oil and leave it  to rest for about 10 mins
Bake the bread as per instructions
When the bread is cooled, cut into oblong slices
If its mini baquettes cut into half lengthwise.

Brush the bread with the garlic -olive oil mixture.
Spread a tsp of tomato sauce or pasta sauce, and sprinkle with oregano.

Spread the chopped olives , tomatoes, jalapenos as per taste.
Top with shredded mozorella and bake for 15 - 20 mins or until the cheese melts and brown spots appear.

Serve hot.

Some variations

Can avoid the cheese and just bake for 15 mins
Can also avoid the veggies and just bake it as garlic bread.
Can also use different combination of veggies as per taste
 (for ex ., onion + redpeppers+ jalapenos+ basil)

Sending these over to the WYF - Tea Time snack event over at Simple Indian Food an the Sunday Snacks - Cheese event at Mirch Masala

Baked Aloo Tikki and a Special Award.

Before going to the recipe I want to mention about this award that I have received from Viki ( EliteFoods) whose blog I love to visit and have also tried some of her amazing recipes.What makes it so special is that, she has created it herself  and am very happy to receive it first hand from her.To be very frank this is my second award from the Blogosphere.Thank you Viki.

I would like to pass this  lovely award to the following ladies
CoolLassie at  PanGravyKadaiCurry
Tina at Kaipunyam
HappyCook at MyKitchenTreasure.

Please pass on this award to as many blogers as you wish.

Now going to the recipe, I made this tikki's (or should I say cutlet) for a small get together.I had planed to make it as a regular tiki using the tawa and made the filling accordingly.I was interrupted by a very important work that day, so ran out of time and decided to take my chance and bake it.It turned out quite great and everyone loved it.

Ingredients:
4 large potatoes.
1 large onion chopped
3 green chillies chopped
1 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp chopped ginger
1/4 cup chopped coriander leaves.
2 tblsp lemon juice
1 tsp chat masala( optional)
1/4 cup bread crumbs + 1/4 cup for rollling
salt as required

Method

Preheat the oven to 220C
Boil the potaoes.Cool and peel the skin.Mash the potatoes well
Add the rest of the ingredients and mix well
Watch the amout of salt as the breadcrumbs and the chat masala will have salt in it.
Make small balls out of the mixture.
Take 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs in a plate.

Line the baking tray with foil.Grease slightly with oil.
Flatten the potato balls and roll the disc over the crumbs and place it in the prepared baking sheet
 Bake it for 15 - 20 mins approx, or until the crust turns golden

Moroccan Fried Eggplants - AWED

My love for mediteranean cuisine started when we went to a small authentic middle eastern restaurant in Denver few years back.It was for a friends birthday party and we were a huge gang.Since nobody had any idea about the food, the chef decided to bring out his favorites right from appetizers to desserts.We started off with a fried eggplant appetizer,which was so delicious that it disappeared from the plate as soon as it was brought to the table.The food was so memorable that whenever I think about mediteranean food this dish comes to my mind.

At last after all these years Sri's AWED event made me search for this recipe and try it out.

When I started my search I stumbled upon lots of 'Fried Eggplant' recipes like 'Salatat Bathinjan', 'Badhinjan Miqli' named according to the region with very little variations.But none of them suited the dish I had in mind. Finally I saw this 'Moroccon Fried eggplants' which was exactly what I was looking for.However I made slight variations in these too, instead of egg for dipping I used 'flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water' and instead of flour for dredging I used bread crumbs .

Here's how we do it.

Ingredients
1 large Eggplant

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/4 tsp roasted cumin powder

1 tsp lemon juice

1 tbls chopped garlic

1 table spoon flour

2 cups bread crumbs.

Method.
Remove the stem and slice the Eggplant into thick slices.

Sprinkle some salt over the slices and leave it for about 15 - 30 mins.

Pat the slices dry using a kitchen towelAdd the chilli powder, garlic and lemon juice to the slices and mix well to coat.Allow to rest for 30 mins.

Mix the flour in a bowl with 1/4 cup water to form a light batter.(You can also use one beaten egg instead of flour batter). Spread the Breadcrumbs in a plate.

I cooked them in two batches, one batch using the skillet and another batch using the oven. Both turned out great with a unique taste.

For the skillet:

Add enough Olive oil to a skillet to fully cover the bottom, and heat the oil over medium heat. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and the toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly and place it in the hot oil.Fry the eggplant in batches, turning several times, until deep golden brown. Remove the eggplant to paper towels or a rack to drain.

For the Oven:

Preheat the Oven to 200 Deg C. Dip the eggplant slice in the flour mixture and then toss it on the bread crumbs to coat evenly.Place the eggplant slices on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Sprinkle some olive oil over them and bake till crispy for about 20 mins.

Serve warm with any sauce of your choice.

Whether served as a vegetable side dish, or as part of the main course, these slices of breaded eggplant are a tasty addition to any meal.

Note:To make it even more richer you can add 1/2 cup of parmesan cheese to the bread crumbs.

Stuffed Mushrooms

This is a very interesting receipe as it does not require much effort as it looks.It was almost 5 years back, when I first had this appetizer dish in Olive gardens it was so creamy and bubbling with cheese that I absolutely fell in love with the mushrooms.As soon as I came home I started looking for the receipe in the internet and got so many versions of this receipe.I got very confused and decided to stick to the simplest version.Then as usual I mixed and matched the recipe and came up with my own version with a little bit of Indian touch.From that day onwards this is my special appetizer for any party or a potluck and it has always been well received and appreciated.

Ingredients:
1 Packet large white Button Mushrooms(about 12)
8 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 medium sized onions fineled minced
2tbl sp Butter
1 cup chopped coriander leaves
1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese

1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese(optional)
2 cups bread crumbs
Method:

Preheat the Oven to 350C.Wipe the Mushrooms with a damp towel and scoop out the center of the mushrooms, and make it like a hollow cup(like in the picture).Chop the scooped out mushroom stems.Add the butter in a heated pan, add the garlic and the onion saute well.Add the chopped musroom stems and saute well.Add some salt and pepper.Now add the bread crumbs and mix well for 2 mins and allow it to cool.

Stuff the hollow mushrooms with this mixture and arrange it on baking tray.

Sprinkle the cheeses over the stuffed mushrooms .I have used sliced mozerralla, but shredded mozeralla is the ideal one for this dish.It gives more better results.

Place it in the oven and bake it for 20 mins, or until the cheese is bubbling and turns golden.Serve it hot.

Note: I have gone easy on the cheese as you see in the pictures, but beleive me ,more the cheese more is the taste . So go ahead sprinkle more cheese, and have fun for a day.

Enjoy with hot cup of tea!!!

Click here for my latest post on Stuffed mushrooms

My Version of Fish Cutlets

Since my travel date to India has been confirmed, Iam trying to clear up my pantry by exhausting the supplies and limiting my shopping just to vegetables.The Starkist tuna cans has been sitting in my pantry for more than two months now.I thought of completing my long pending quest to make fish cutlets as we had some friends over last weekend.The last time I remember making this dish was for some potluck party 2 years back in seattle.I learned this receipe from one of my friend who was my roommate back then..
By now you would have known many versions of Cutlets however Iam posting my version of it which is much quicker to make.Do try it and let me know your feedback.

Ingredients:

2 small cans/packets of Tuna.
1 large potato or 2 medium size potatoes
1/2 medium size onion chopped very finely
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp garam masala
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
some curry leaves finly chopped (op)
2 tsp lemon juice

2 tsp maida dissoved in 1/2 cup of water
1 cup bread crumbs
Oil for frying.

Method:

• First boil the potatoes in microwave.Wash in water, poke it with a fork or knife in 2 -3 places and the cook in high for 5 mins or you can cook it in pressure cooker for 3 whistles.Remove the skin when cooled.
• Next open the tuna packets or can, discard the liquid transfer it to a microwavable dish and cook covered for 2 mins.(cover and cook , otherwise the fish will splatter)
• When the fish and potatoes are cooled mix them together and mash well without any lumps.
• To this add all the other ingredients except the maida and bread crumbs.
• Mix well and check for salt and spice level.Make small lemon sized balls out of it.
• Heat the oil in a kadai for deep frying.Spread the bread crumbs in a plate.
• Take one ball dip in the maida liquid,flatten the ball and then roll over the bread crumbs.The bread crumbs should coat all sides of the cutlet. Drop it in the hot oil and deep fry. Continue with other balls.
• Place them in paper towel to drain excess oil before transfering to a serving tray.

Note:
The maida liquid should be watery rather than like a paste.Most cutlet receipe call for egg white for binding, but maida water works well for me.If you are short of flour , you can also use besan flour to make this liquid, that too works just fine.Its just used for the bread crumbs to stick well. Do not add water to the fish-potato mixture at any point.Always use unsalted plain bread crumbs.

Onion Masala Pakoda

Here is an another receipe for a deadly appetizer.
There is no grinding or over work involved.All you need to do is cut up some Onions.
You cannot keep you hands of this pakoda while you are cooking it.
The smell of this wonderful snack will fill your house and also your neighbourhood.
I got this receipe from HemantsCookery corner. I love his receipes and have tried quite a few.But this one is a classic. You should definitely try it and you will not be disappointed.

Whenever I make the pakados I would always save some and make pakoda kulambhu the next day.Its nothing but the pakodas soaked in pulikulambhu, another delicacy learned from my mom.I will try to post the receipe for this one too later

Since the rules for the VCC event from 'My Dhaba' has been changed to "upto three receipes per participant" I have decided why not send this receipe to that as a second entry.My first entry for this event is stuffed mushroom.

Ingredients:

1 cup Besan flour (kadalai mavu)
1 cup rice flour
1 tsp chilli powder.
1/4 tsp cooking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp chopped garlic
2 tsp chopped ginger
2 tsp chopped green chillies
2 tsp chopped curry leaves
1 tsp ghee (optional)
2 medium sized onion sliced into thin strips

Method
First take all the dry Ingredients into a bowl and mix well with your hands.
now add the garlic, ginger, greenchillies, curry leaves, ghee (op), onions and mix well
heat the oil in a kadhai.Now divide the flour mixture into four portions.
Take one portion into a plate.Sprinkle some water and then mix it slightly with your hand.It should not become soggy.The consistency should be as in the picture.

Take some flour in ur fingers and press it slightly and drop it in the oil.You can add 4 - 5 pakodas at a time.It should not have any particular shape.Fry until golden brown, take it out and drain in the paper towel.
Continue the same with the other batches of the flour.


Note:
If you add/sprinkle water to the whole batch, the flour will soak up the water and the pakodas will not be crispy.So always do it in small batches.

Stuffed Mushrooms - VCC:VCC - Q1 2006

Iam Posting this Receipe for "Virtual Cooking Competition" conducted by VKN of My Dhaba

This is a very interesting receipe and it does not require as much effort as it looks.
It was almost 5 years backwhen I first ate this appetizer dish in Olive gardens.It was so creamy and bubbling with cheese I absolutely fell in love with the mushrooms.As soon as I came home I started looking for the receipe in the internet.But I got so many versions of this receipe I got very confused and decided to stick to the simplest version from a library book..From that day onwards this is my special appetizer for any party or a potluck and it has always been well receivedand appreciated.

Ingredients:
1 Packet large white Button Mushrooms(about 12)
8 cloves of garlic finely chopped
1 medium sized onions fineled minced
2tbl sp Butter
1 cup of shredded mozarella cheese
1 cup of shredded parmesan cheese.
2 cups bread crumbs.

Method:
Preheat the Oven to 350C
Wipe the Mushrooms with a damp towel and scoop out the center of the mushrooms, and make it like a hollow cup(like in the picture)
Chop the scooped out mushroom stems.
Add the butter in a heated pan, add the garlic and the onion saute well.
add the chopped musroom stems and saute well.Add some salt and pepper
Now add the bread crumbs and mix well for 2 mins and allow it to cool.




Stuff the hollow mushrooms with this mixture and arrange it on baking tray.
Sprinle the cheeses over the stuffed mushrooms.






Place it in the oven and bake it for 20 mins, or until the cheese is bubbling and turns golden.
Serve it hot.






Note: I have gone easy on the cheese as you see in the pictures, but beleive me ,more the cheese the more the taste . So go ahead add sprinkle more cheese, and have fun for a day.

Enjoy with hot cup of tea!!!



Updated with some recent pictures.