Spinach and Onion Bonda / Fritters

 During the rainy days we tend to crave for something nice, hot and crispy snack along with a hot cuppa. Here is a healthy version of the snack with onion and spinach. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Besan / Chickpea flour - 1 cup
Young Spinach Leaves - 1 cup ( finely chopped )
Onion - 1 ( finely chopped )
Green Chillies - 2 ( finely chopped )
Curry leaves - 10 ( finely chopped )
Ginger - 1 cm ( grated )
Red chilli powder - 1/2 Teaspoon
Sodium Bicarbonate -1/2 Teaspoon
Salt - as required
Water - as required
Oil - for deep frying

Method
1. Mix all the ingredients other than the oil as shown in the picture below. Add little water at a time.

2. Heat the oil for deep frying in a thick bottomed wide pan. Maintain the heat or flame in medium high.
3. Drop the mix as little balls in the hot oil in a spoon or by hand. 
4. Once they are cooked take them out and drain the excess oil using kitchen towels.
5. Serve with tomato sauce or red chilli chutney.

Note
* The oil should not be very hot as the mix will be burnt outside and uncooked inside.
* You can also add potatoes into the mix for additional texture and flavour.

Urad Dahl Vada / Medhu Vada (fritters)

We celebrated Tamil year in Newbury, UK with all the Tamil friends over here. Each one of us decided to prepare a dish for dinner and I was asked to prepare urad dahl vada. I tried doing it with a hole in the centre of the vada like a doughnut but found it difficult to prepare for 50 people. So just prepared them like small balls and it tasted good. It was served along with venn pongal, sambar and coconut chutney. Enjoy!

Ingredients
Oil - for deep frying
To Grind
Urad dahl - 1 cup
Ginger - 1/2 inch
Green Chilli - 4
Black Pepper Corns - 5
Cumin Seeds - 1 Teaspoon
Salt - to taste
To Mix
Onion (medium) - 1 (finely chopped)
Curry Leaves - 10 (finely chopped)

Method
1. Wash urad dahl and soak in water for not more than 45 mins - 1 hour.
2. Grind the dahl along with all the ingredients mentioned under the to grind header into a fine paste by adding very little water.
3. Mix the chopped onion and curry leaves to the dough.
4. Heat the oil in a pan for deep frying. When the oil is hot enough drop the dough carefully as little balls and deep fry until they become golden brown.
5. Drain the excess oil in a tissue paper and serve hot with coconut chutney.

Note
* Do not add too much water while grinding the dough else it will consume more oil.
* The oil should not be too hot else the fritters will brown outside and not cooked inside.
* If the oil is not hot enough it will consume more oil. Make sure the heat is in medium high.

Onion Bajii / Fritters

I normally crave for something hot and spicy when I come back home from a hard day's work at office and onion bajji's serve the purpose without fail. Onion bajji coupled with a cup of hot chocolate milk completes my evening. Here goes the recipe, Enjoy!

Ingredients

Onion (big) - 1 (sliced lengthwise)

Curry Leaves - 10 (finely chopped)

Fresh Coriander Leaves - 2 Tablespoon (finely chopped)

Green Chilli - 2 (finely chopped)

Turmeric powder - 1/4 Teaspoon

Coriander powder - 1/2 Teaspoon

Ginger & Garlic - 1 Teaspoon (finely chopped)

Gram flour - 3 Tablespoon

Salt - for taste

Oil - for deep frying

Method

1. Heat oil in a wide pan for deep frying.

2. Meanwhile mix the onion, curry leaves, coriander leaves, green chilli, turmeric powder, coriander powder,  ginger & garlic, salt with gram flour by sprinkling little water. Set this aside for 10 minutes.

3. Now drop the onion in small quantities in the oil and deep fry them.

4. Strain the excess oil in a tissue paper and serve the the bajji with lettuce and chaat masala sprinkled on top.

Note

* Oil should not be very hot or less hot.

* The onion mix should not be runny.

Cauliflower/Gobi Manchurian

Gobi manchurian reminds me of my college days. I was staying in a hostel and there used to be a roadside cart-wala nearby,  selling hot gobi manchurian. Myself and my friends enjoyed it a lot, almost every day. A plate cost was just Rs.10 and we also had take aways. There was a house construction going on opposite to the shop and we used to sit on the sand used for the construction with our hot plates of manchurian. Those were the unforgettable golden days of my life! Hope they come back :-)

Ingredients
Cauliflower florets (medium) - 1cup
All purpose flour (maida) - 4 Tablespoon
Corn flour/rice flour - 2 Tablespoon
Ginger & garlic  - 1 Tablespoon (finely chopped)
Oil - for deep frying
Onion (big) - 1 (chopped into big chunks)
Green chilli - 2 (chopped)
Spring onions - 2 (chopped)
Sauces
Tomato sauce - 3 Tablespoon
Red/Green chilli sauce - 1 1/2 Tablespoon
Soya sauce - 2 Tablespoon
Plum Sauce - 1 Tablespoon (optional)
For Marination
Ginger garlic paste - 1 Tablespoon
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tablespoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 Tablespoon
Salt - to taste
Pepper - 1/4 Tablespoon


Method
1. Marinate the cauliflower florets with the ingredients mentioned under the marination header for 30 minutes.
2. Mix all purpose flour and corn flour into a thin paste with water.
3. Heat the oil for deep frying in a thick bottomed pan. When the oil is super hot, dip the florets into the flour paste and drop them immediately into the oil. Fry them for 4-5 mins until they are crispy. You will get a nice golden brown colour. Repeat the process for all the batch of florets and drain the excess oil with kitchen towel.
4. Once all the florets are fried, heat oil in a pan and add the chopped onion and green chilli. Do not overcook  the onion. It should be crunchy and there should be no raw smell of the onion.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of finely chopped garlic and ginger and cook until the raw smell goes off.
6. Now add the sauces one by one and turn off the heat.
7. Add the fried florets to the sauce and toss well. Make sure each floret is coated well with the sauce.
           Serve the manchurian with the spring onions garnished on top.


Note
* Leave 2 minutes gap between the frying of each batch of cauliflower florets so that the oil is hot enough, else the florets will consume lot of oil.
* You can also add a 1/4 tablespoon of sodium bicarbonate (baking soda) to the flour mixture. This will keep the florets soft inside and crispy outside.
* You can also add capsicum along with the onion when you prepare the manchurian.

Spanish bread 'n' cheese baked sandwich

Europe is famous for its cheese and chocolates. Living in Spain for 2 years, cheese has slowly entered into my kitchen too. I just love cheese, either it be goat cheese or cow cheese. This snack is one of my favorite dishes, which I sometimes take it for dinner. My spanish flatmate prepared this once in a party and I really pestered her a lot to learn this. This is a very simple snack which takes very few minutes to prepare and I bet, kids will definitely love it.

Ingredients:

Bread - 5 slices

Cheese - 5 slices

Onion - 1

Oregano- a little

Mayonnaise

Method

1. Take breads and cut them into round slices using a glass. 

2. Cut cheese slices also into round shape.

3. Spread Mayonnaise on the bread, and keep a thin piece of onion cut into round shape.

4. Place the round cheese on the top of the onion and sprinkle little oregano above the cheese.

5. Preheat the oven for to 250c for 5 mins. Spread a butter paper on to the baking tray and place these bread-cheese sandwiches on the plate. Bake for 5-8 mins and remove the plate when the cheese melts a little. 

6. This can be served hot. 

Note

1. You can add vegetables, apples, salmon or thin pieces of bacon with the onions.

2. Healthy and a heavy snack.

Hmmmmmm... Can't wait anymore... Enjoy your snack.