Potato bonda / Urulaikizhangu Bonda

INGREDIENTS

For batter:

Bengal-gram dal flour – 3 cupfuls

Rice flour – ½ cup

Red chilly powder – ½ teaspoon

Salt – ¾ teaspoon

For filling:

Potatoes – ½ kg, boiled till soft

Turmeric powder – ¾ teaspoon

Red chilly powder – 1/2 teaspoon

Coriander powder – ½ teaspoon

Cummin powder – ¼ teaspoon

Fenugreek powder – ¼ teaspoon

Salt – ¾ teaspoon

Coriander leaves – handful

Oil – 2 teaspoons + oil for deep frying

Mustard seeds – ½ teaspoon

Black-gram dal – ½ teaspoon

Onions – 2, medium size, finely chopped

Green chillies – 3, small, medium hot, finely chopped

Lime juice – 1 tablespoon, fresh

METHOD

Mix,bengal-gram dal flour, rice flour, chilly powder and salt by adding enough water to make it a thick batter.

Peel off the skins of boiled potatoes and mash it to a lumpy dough.

Mix in the spice powders, salt, and coriander leaves to the potato dough.

Make 2 teaspoons of oil very hot.

add the mustard seeds to splutter, black-gram dal to brown lightly, then chopped onions and green chillies.

When the onions turn limp, add the mashed potatoes.

Fry, turning over repeatedly, till there is a nice smell.

Remove from the heat, and when cool add the lime juice.

Make the potato dough into small firm balls.

Keep the batter handy next to them.

Heat a deep fry pan over high steady heat with oil.

When the oil becomes smoking hot, dip a potato ball into the batter & drop gently into the hot oil.

Turn over the balls constantly while frying.

Fry it till it turns golden brown.

Serve hot with any of your favorite chutneys.

Boiled Corn on the cob

It is quiet easy to boil the corn than to steam. To Boil the corn, husk it, remove the silks, place the corn in the pan with water and cover with a lid.Add salt if you prefer.

METHOD

People like their corn done to different degrees. Some like it lightly warmed . Some like it mushy. Boil until you know it is done. If you would remove your corn from steamer after four minutes, I suggest you leave it in the boiler for just 2 minutes.

Now remove the corn from the boiler .Cut a lemon into half and rub it on the corn and sprinkle some chilly powder if you want it to be spicy.

Serve hot !!!

Tuna Fish Cutlet

INGREDIENTS

Tuna Fish – 1/2 kg

Crushed ginger & garlic – 1 tablespoon each

Green chilli – 2,3

Onion – 1 medium

Garam masala – 1/2 teaspoon

Boiled potato –

1 medium

Egg white – 1 egg

Bread crumbs – 1 cup

Salt – to taste

Oil

Curry leaves

corriander leaves

Mint leaves

METHOD

Wash & clean the fish. Boil fish with crushed ginger & garlic, green chillies & curry leaves. Remove the bones from the fish & mince the fish. Heat oil in a pan & and saute onion. Add minced fish & stir. Add salt & pepper. Stir well. Add garam masala. Cook for 5 more minutes. Mash the boiled potatoes. When the fish mix becomes cool add mashed potatoes,corriander leaves & Mint leaves, mix well & make small balls. Beat the egg white. Dip the fish balls in egg white & roll with bread crumbs, press it with hands to form patties. Deep fry in oil.

Fish cutlet serves as a good starter.

Paruppu Vadai / Mixed dal patties

INGREDIENTS

1 cup of channa daal

1/2 cup of toor daal

1/4 cup of urad daal

5-6 dried red chillies, depending on how hot you want

1/2 tsp asafoetida

curry leaves 4-5

corriander Leaves chopped

Mint leaves chopped

salt to taste

METHOD

1. Soak the lentils for 2 hour with water to cover. Once soaked the lentils should break easily if you pinch them. Wash them in water, and drain.

2. Add the dried red chillies, asafoetida, salt, and chopped curry, corriander & mint leaves.

3. Grind this in a blender adding very little water so it is roughly blended.

4. The thick batter should be formed into silver dollar sized patties, rounded on top and bottom, and should hold their shape in your palm.

5. Deep fry in hot oil on both sides until browned and Serve hot .

Bitter Gourd Chips / Paavakai vatral

INGREDIENTS

Pavakkai (Karela) (sliced) - 2 cups

Chilli powder - 2 tsp (can be changed according to taste)

Salt - as needed

Turmeric - 1 tsp

Oil - for frying

METHOD

Discard the seeds and slice the pavakkai into thin rounds. Wash and let dry. Sprinkle all the powders on top. Add as less water as needed to coat the pavakkai slices with the powder. Let it marinate for 1 hour and then deep fry in oil, till it turns crispy. Remove and strain on a tissue paper. You can store this in an air tight container for up to 2 weeks. Serve with rice and sambar.

Chicken 65

INGREDIENTS

Chicken – ½ kg (wash and cut into cubes)

Green Chilly – 3

Corn Flour – 1 ½ tsp

Pepper Powder – ½ tsp

Chilly Powder – ½ tsp

Ajinomoto – ½ tsp (optional)

Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 tsp

Ginger (finely chopped) – ½ tsp

Garlic (finely chopped) – ½ tsp

Curry Leaves – few

Coriander Leaves – to garnish

Salt – to taste

Cooking Oil

METHOD

Mix chicken, salt, ginger garlic paste, ajinomoto (optional), ¼ tsp pepper powder,and corn flour in a bowl and let it to sit for 15 minutes. Heat oil in a pan and fry the marinated chicken pieces in batches till it is light golden brown in color.

Heat 3 tbsp of oil in a pan and saute it with chopped ginger and garlic, chopped chillies and curry leaves. Now add remaining pepper powder, chilly powder, a pinch of salt, red color and and a little of water and fry for few seconds. Now add cooked chicken pieces to it and keep frying it until the gravy coats on the dish well and the gravy becomes dry. Garnish with chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.

If you prefer, you can add 1 egg and a pinch of red/orange food color while mixing.

It`s a really good finger food and starter.

Snake Guard Fries / Pudalankai Varuval

INGREDIENTS

Snake Guard 1 (medium size)

3/4 cup Flour (Maida)

1 tbsp Corn Flour

Salt to taste

1 tbsp green chili paste

11/2 tbsp Garlic Paste

11/2 tbsp Ginger Paste

1/4th tsp Ajinomoto

2 tbsp Soya Sauce

2-3 tbsp Tomato Ketchup

2 tbsp Oil

METHOD

Cut the Snake guard lengthwise (like how you cut for potato fries)

Make a paste of maida, corn flour and salt using water.

Take a tsp. of ginger and garlic paste, add it to the paste.

Dip the Snake gurad slits in the paste and deep fry till golden brown.

It goes well with curd rice.