Spot Idli - Hyderabad Street Food

This a very popular street food in Hyderabad, this special spot idlis is different from regular ones, they are not steamed but cooked in a delicious masala mixture in a frying pan and crispy on the outside and soft inside. 

I have served them with fresh thick whisked yogurt, your can serve this with any chutney of the your choice, but, let me tell you that these taste divine with yogurt and spicy masaledar soft idli this combo is fantastic. 

I have used store bought Idli batter or you can make this recipe of Idli batter.
Makes around 7 -8 Idli's
Ingredients
2 Cups Idli Batter
For the Karam Podi Masala
1 Tablespoon Heaped Chana Dal
1 Tablespoon Level Coriander seeds
8 Grains Methi seeds/Fenugreek seeds
½ Tablespoon Urad Dal
½ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
1 Teaspoon Cumin Seeds
½ Teaspoon Desi Ghee
2 Cloves Garlic - roughly chopped
5 Curry Leaves
3 Pieces Tamarind
2 Teaspoons Kashmiri Red Chilly powder
1 Teaspoon Salt 
For the Spot Idli Tadka 
1 Small Onion - finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
1 Small Tomato - finely chopped
1 Green Chili - de seeded & finely chopped
1 Tablespoon Karam Podi Masala
2 Tablespoons Salted Butter
Extra Karam Podi Masala - as required to sprinkle on top

 
Method 
For making Karam Podi

In a pan, add chana dal, coriander seeds, methi, urad dal, sarso, jeera and few drops of ghee. Cook everything over low flame for 2 minutes or until its light golden. 
Then add garlic, curry leaves and tamarind. Continue to cook everything until it’s golden. Transfer the mixture in a plate, add Kashmiri red chili and salt, and allow it to cool completely.

Once cooled, blend the mixture to powder consistency, not too coarse and not too fine. 

Karam podi is ready, set aside.

For making the Spot Idli 
Once the batter has risen, using a spoon give it a good mix. Add water if required and stir in one motion only, clockwise or anti clockwise. Idli batter is ready.  

In a pan, add the onions, coriander, tomatoes, green chilies, podi powder and butter. This quantity is for 3 idlis.

Cook all the ingredients over low flame for 2 minutes; divide the mixture into three portions.

Take a spoon full of the idli batter and pour each spoon of the batter on each divided masala mixture.

Sprinkle the karam podi on each idli portion

Cover and continue to cook for 5 minutes over low flame.

After 5 minute check the idli, if the batter is still runny then continue to cook for further 2-3 minutes.

Flip the idlis add a little butter, continue to cook for few minutes. 

Spot idlis are ready.

Serve the hot Spot idlis with some homemade coconut chutney, we enjoyed this with fresh whisked yogurt.

These are super delicious, a must try recipe.

Labels: Idli, South Indian, Hyderabad, Street food, Main course, Breakfast, Gluten free, Vegetarian, Eggless, Homemade

Indian Style Pink Sauce Pasta#Improv

This is a street style pasta which is saucy/gravy type of pasta and can be spiced according to our taste. This is delicious and uses blended tomatoes. Use grated cheese generously- no cutting/kanjusi in adding cheese. A must try this recipe which is quick and easy.

1 Cup Measurement = 250Ml 

Serves: 2 - as a meal
Ingredients
For Boiling Pasta
2 Cups Penne Pasta 
1½ Tablespoons Salt
2 Tablespoons Oil
6 - 8 Cups Water
For Pink Sauce
2 Tablespoons Oil +1 Tablespoon Butter
4 Cloves Garlic - finely chopped
2 Medium Onions, finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Heaped Red Chilly powder or to your spicy level
5 Medium Red Ripe Tomatoes - pureed
Salt to taste
4 Tablespoons Heaped Tomato Ketchup
½ Cup Sweet Corn - boiled
1 Tablespoon Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon Level Red Chilly Flakes
2 Tablespoons Butter
¼ Cup Fresh Cream or Malai
Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves
Lots Of Grated Processed Cheese

Method

In a heavy bottom pan, heat water, add salt and oil, bring to a boil, add pasta  and cook for about 80% done. Strain the pasta in a bowl, add some more oil to avoid from sticking. Reserve one cup pasta water, keep aside for further use.

Heat oil and butter another large pan/kadai, add garlic and cook till it releases an aroma. Add onions and cook till translucent. Add tomato puree , mix well, Cover and cook for 10 minutes or till oil surfaces . Add red chilly powder, ketchup, sweet corn, oregano and chilly flakes, mix well. Add pasta and mix well, cover and let it cook till just done/al dente ( it should not be mushy). 

Add butter, 2 tablespoon heaped cheese and fresh cream, mix well, taste for salt then add ( I did not add salt, since butter and cheese already has salt) switch off the flame. 

Garnish with coriander leaves and lot's of processed cheese.

My Notes

Boil the paste only 80%; rest will cook in a sauce
Don’t overcook the pasta in the sauce.
After adding cream, immediately remove from the flame or else it will curdle.

Lables: Pasta & Noodles, Street food, Indian Style, Tomato, Cheese, Spicy, Main course, Vegetarian, Improv Cooking Challenge

Improv Cooking Challenge:February 2021

Tomatoes & Pasta 

• Cameroon Chicken & Tomato Stew with CousCous from Pandemonium Noshery
• Cajun Chicken Fettuccine from Making Miracles
• Southwest Pasta Salad from Palatable Pastime
• Baked Feta Tomato Fettuccine from Cookaholic Wife
• Pasta with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Pepper Sauce by Magical Ingredients
• TicTok Feta Cheese and Tomato Pasta from Our Good Life
• Mediterranean Chicken and Orzo from A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Indian Style Pink Sauce Pasta from Sneha's Recipe

Chicken Lapeta#SundayFunday

Lapeta means a covering or coating around the chicken, the masala coats the chicken so the name is Chicken Lapeta.

This is a delicious dhaba style dish found mostly in Mumbai Goa highway dhabas. Adding roasted and ground masalas gives it a rich flavour. The exotic aroma of masalas coating the chicken makes it an irresistible dish and best enjoyed with tandoori roti,naan or pulao. You can adjust the spice level according to your taste.

Ingredients
For the Chicken Marination
750 Grams Chicken - cut into curry pieces
½ Teaspoon Turmeric powder
½ Teaspoon Ginger paste
½ Teaspoon Garlic paste
1 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
To Fry Then Grind to fine paste
1" Chopped Ginger
8 Cloves Garlic
2 Medium Onions - sliced
3 Green Chilies
4 Dried Bedgi Red Chillies
1/3 Cup Packed Grated Dry coconut
1 Bay Leaf
1½ Teaspoon Fennel seeds
1 Small Stick Cinnamon
5 Grains Fenugreek seeds
5 Black Peppercorns
1 Tablespoon Poppy seeds  
1 Tablespoon Sesame seeds
1 Star Anise
3 Green Cardamoms
4 Cloves
Other Ingredients
2 Teaspoons Chicken Masala Or Malvani Masala  
1 Teaspoons Red Chilly powder
2 Tablespoon Yogurt  
1 Medium Onion - Finely Chopped
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon Kasuri Methi
Oil as required
A Sprig Curry Leaves
Coriander Leaves for garnishing

Method 

Marinate chicken with lemon juice, turmeric powder, salt and ginger garlic paste and keep it in the refrigerator for an hour.
First we cook the chicken
In a pan heat 4 tablespoons oil , then add the marinated chicken and sauté till it changes color on high flame for 3 -4 minutes. Now add the ½ cup water and let it cook on medium high flame, till chicken is ¾th done. Separate the chicken pieces from the stock and keep aside.
In the meantime let's prepare the masala
Heat a pan with 2 tablespoons oil the sliced onions till it turn light golden and remove it on to a plate. 

In the same pan now add a another tablespoon oil, fry bay leaf, fennel, fenugreek seeds, poppy seeds , sesame seeds, peppercorns, star anise , green cardamoms, cloves for just 2 minutes remove this along with the onions. Next add the bedgi chillies, fry till the chillies release an aroma remove this on to the same plate. Then add the dry coconut, fry till it start to change color. Cool, then place all the ingredient in a blender jar along with yogurt, green chillies, ginger and garlic,  grind to a fine paste, if required add a little water. Keep this aside.
To Make the Gravy- Chicken Lapeta
In another pan heat 1/3 cup oil and then fry the finely chopped onions till light golden then add a sprig curry leaves , add the ground paste and fry till oil surfaces. Then add a ½ teaspoon salt, Malvani Masala , red chilly powder, then add the chicken and fry till it coats the chicken. Then add all the stock and cook till full done. This gravy should be thick consistency coating the chicken. Then add kasuri methi, chopped coriander leaves.

 Enjoy this with Jeera Rice or East Indian Hand Breads (Apas)

Labels : Spicy, Main course ,Chicken ,Dhaba Style, Maharashtra, Street food, Sunday Funday

In our today's event for Sunday Funday, wherein we share recipes our families will love to enjoy on a Sunday. I thank our host for this week's event
Rebekah Rose Hills of http://rebekahrose.blogspot.com/the theme is "Holiday Side Dishes".

• Charred Green Beans with Cranberries and Crisped Onions by Culinary Adventures with Camilla
• Chicken Lapeta by Sneha's Recipe
• Creamed Spinach Gratin by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Golden Marquis Potatoes by Food Lust People Love
• Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Cinnamon Butternut Squash by Making Miracles
• Sicilian Salad by A Day in the Life on the Farm

Ghugni/White Peas Curry- Pressure Cooker

Ghugni/ Dried White Vatana/ White Peas Curry is an evening snack/ street food, which is popular in Eastern India, North India wherein dried white peas are cooked with gravy in the traditional Indian style. We had this for our lunch with Dhuska which is a classic combo.

Serves: 3 - 4
Ingredients
1 Cup Dried White Vatana/Peas
3 Baby Potatoes -  diced
1 Large Onion -  finely chopped
2 Medium Tomatoes - finely chopped
1/4 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
2 Teaspoons Cumin powder
2 Teaspoons Level Red Chilly powder
½  Teaspoon Garam masala
3 Cloves Garlic - minced

½" Piece Ginger - minced
3 Tablespoons Oil
Salt to taste

2 Tablespoons chopped Coriander leaves

2 Green Chillies - slit & de seeded
Lemon Slices for garnish
Method 

Wash and soak the dried vatana/peas overnight. Next morning, drain the soaking water and wash it in fresh water. Pour this into a pressure pan add ½ teaspoon Himalayan salt, water above an inch of the vatana. Cover and cook on high flame for one whistle, reduce the flame to low and keep it for 10 -12 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the cooker cool. Open this and check if the vatana is cooked or else keep it for a minute or two more. I cooked it for exactly 12 minutes and they were perfectly done. Remove this into a bowl.

Heat the oil in  the same pressure pan. Add the minced ginger-garlic , fry till it starts to turn brown

add the onions and cook till they turn translucent. Add the diced tomatoes

 cook till they are mushy and oil separates.

Now, add the turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chilly powder, garam masala, mix well.

Add the  potatoes and  fry till the masala coats the potatoes.

 Now add the cooked peas along with the stock, mix lightly. Add little of the coriander leaves and about a quarter to half  cup of water (or  according to the consistency required). Bring this to a rolling boil, cover with the lid  and  take one whistle on high flame, reduce the  flame  and let it cook for 2 -3 minutes. Switch off the flame and let the cooker steam settle down.  

Open the cooker  and check the gravy consistency, if it is too watery then let it simmer open till it   thicken and  oil starts to surface.  Now add the slit green chillies and let is simmer for a minute.  The consistency of the ghugni is neither too thin nor too thick.  Switch off the flame, squeeze  half an lemon juice and mix well.

Garnish with sliced tomatoes, coriander leaves  and lemon  slices.

Enjoy with Dhuska, this is a classic combo.

Ghugni  can be enjoyed as a chaat or as a curry with any  Indian bread too.

Labels :  Chaat, Dried, Gluten free, Main course, North Indian, Peas, Snack, Vatana, Vegan,  Street food, Gluten free, Multicooker Monday  
Multicooker Monday July 2020: Recipes using Small Kitchen Appliances

• Instant Pot Chicken and Rice from Making Miracles
• Crockpot Stuffed Peppers from Veggies First Then Dessert
• Instant Pot Saffron Risotto from Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Ghugni/White Peas Curry- Pressure Cooker from Sneha's Recipe
• Slow Cooker Cottage Ham with Green Beans and Potatoes from Palatable Pastime
• Crockpot Cheesy Potatoes from A Day in the Life on the Farm 

Sabudana Vada - Vrat

Sabudana Vada is a vrat ka khana.  In major towns like Mumbai, Pune, Indore, Bhopal and Nagpur, it is available as street food and is widely eaten throughout the year. 

It is the dish of choice when an individual observes a "fast" during Shivratri, Navratri, or a similar Hindu religious occasion.  These crunchy vadas simply melt in the mouth… leaving the stomach full while the tongue craves for more.
Makes: 6  Vadas
Ingredients 
1 Cup Sabudana
2 Large Potatoes
3 Tablespoon Roasted Peanut - coarsely powdered
2 Tablespoon Lemon juice
1 Tablespoon Cumin seeds
1 Tablespoon Roasted Cumin powder
2 Tablespoon Coriander leaves - finely chopped
2 Green Chilies - finely chopped
1/2 Tablespoon Sugar powder
1 Teaspoon Salt /Sendhav Namak or as per taste
Ghee or Oil for frying
For the Green Coconut Chutney
A handful Each Coriander and Mint leaves
2-3 Green chillies (or as required)
1 ½ Teaspoon Lemon juice

Salt to taste/Sendhav Namak
1/2 Cup Packed Fresh Coconut - grated
1/2 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1/2 Teaspoon Sugar
Salt to taste
Method 
For The Green Coconut Chutney

Grind the coconut, coriander leaves, the mint leaves, green chilies, lemon juice and a little salt, sugar to a fine paste.  Remove in a bowl and refrigerate till needed.
For the VadasWash sabudana 3-4 times and soaked overnight in the water or for 4 -5 hours . Keep water level same as level of sabudana.

Boil and mash the potatoes. Add sabudana and rest of the ingredients. 

Combine everything with your hand.

Divide the mixture into equal portions. Shape each portion into a round and flatten slightly.

Deep-fry the vadas in hot oil until they are golden brown in colour and drain on absorbent paper.

Serve hot with green chutney or any sauce. Have these hot, when cold they are chewy.  

My Notes

Quantity of potatoes should be just sufficient to hold sabudana. 
Do not soak sabudana in too much of water. If its there, drain out excess water from sabudana before mixing with potatoes.

You can even add 2 teaspoons of rice flour while mixing for more crispiness.

Labels : Sabudana, Millets, Vrat, Snacks, Peanuts, Deep Fried, Mashed Potatoes, Vegan, Gluten free,  Street food

Falafel Layered Salad & A Bhatura Sandwich -A Combo Post#Improv

This an exotic meatless , a complete and delicious meal which is healthy too. Have vegetarian guests then make this super meal which will make them ask for more for sure. Falafel is a Middle Eastern starter but,  is also a favorite street food here in Mumbai.

For the Falafel

Ingredients
1 Cups Dried Chickpeas 
½ Cup Chopped  Coriander Leaves
1 Tablespoon  Chopped Parsley
3 Cloves Garlic - minced
1  Medium Onion - finely chopped
Salt & Black pepper powder to taste
¼ Teaspoon Cayenne pepper
½ Teaspoon  Chopped Green Chilly 
½ Teaspoon Cumin powder
½ Tablespoon Coriander powder
2 Tablespoons Fresh Breadcrumbs
A Pinch Baking soda
Oil for deep frying

Method 
Wash and soak the chickpeas in water and let soak for at least 6 hours. 
 Drain the water and wash them once again.

Transfer the chickpeas to a food processor and chop until you get a fine crumbly texture. Add the coriander, parsley, garlic cloves, onion and green chili and pulse the food processor till well mixed.  Add in salt, peppers, coriander and cumin powder,  breadcrumbs and mix well. Take this out into a big bowl and mix it with you hand well. Keep aside
In the meantime heat the oil for deep frying and set the heat to medium.

Now add in the baking soda to the chickpea mixture and mix it well.  Shape into round balls or ovals using two spoons or a falafel maker.  I made oval and round shape Falafels.
Fry the falafels in it until browned and crispy from outside. Take out on a kitchen paper to drain the excess oil.

For The Tahini Yogurt Sauce
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Fresh Yogurt - beaten
2 Tablespoons  Tahini paste - Homemade
Salt & Black pepper to taste
Chopped Parsely  for  garnishing

1/2 Teaspoon Lemon juice

Method

Mix all the ingredients and make a paste. Your dip/sauce is ready! Chill it in the refrigerator till we get all other ingredients ready.

For the Salad

1 Small Onion - finely chopped 
½ Cup  Finley Shredded Purple Cabbage
½ Cup  Finely Shredded Lettuce Leaves
½ Cup   Grated Carrots
1 Medium Tomato - de seeded & cut into strips
Salt to taste
A drizzle of Lemon Juice
 Method 
For Assembling / Serving  Into Glass Verrines 

Layer the vegetables on top of each other in a clear glass. Season with salt and  black pepper powder. Just a drizzle of lemon juice. Pour a tablespoon of Tahini  Yogurt Sauce on top. 

In a wooden skewer pierce two oval falafels and place it on the glass. 

Serve the cold salad with crispy warm falafels.

For the Yeasted Bhatura Sandwich

Slice the Yeasted Bhatura (but not till the end). Fill it with the salad. Season with salt and  black pepper powder. Just a drizzle of lemon juice.  Add two or three round falafels. Pour a tablespoon of Tahini  Yogurt Sauce on top.

Enjoy!!  These Falafels are a great sensation to the taste buds!!!

You can even serve these with toothpicks and at the side Tahini  Yogurt Sauce as a starter.

Labels : Yeasted, Bhatura, Sandwiches, Falafel, Middle Eastern, Chickpeas, Street food, Starters, Chutneys & Dips, Yogurt, Healthy, Improv Cooking Challenge, Vegan

Lemon and Lettuce

Improv Cooking Challenge

• • Greek Meatball Salad by Cookaholic Wife
  • Strawberry Cucumber Salad by Pandemonium Noshery
  • Grilled Lemon Herb Mediterranean Chicken Salad by Making Miracles
  • Falafel Layered Salad & A Bhatura Sandwich - A Combo by Sneha's Recipe
  • Mixed Greens with Roasted Golden Beets and Lemon Vinaigrette by A Day in the Life on the Farm
  • Wilted Spinach Salad with Bacon and Avocado by Palatable Pastime
  • Bitter Greens Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette by Culinary Adventures with Camilla