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

East Indian Lunch Menu - Vegan & Gluten Free

East Indian Masala Dal Without Coconut, Stir Fry Bhendi & Sweet & Tangy Radish Tomato Salad

My today's simple lunch, brought fresh memories of my father and mother. By the way yesterday was my mother's birthday. Missed them even so much today, that as my hubby and me were having lunch, shared some memories of my dad and mom. My dad making fresh salad and chopping fruits for us almost every day. 

My mom making different dishes for us for breakfast, lunch, dinner and more so ever, even made, evening snacks for us to have with tea. I now, learned to appreciate how hard she worked for us, cause I don't even have half the energy that she had , who cooked for so many of us. Love you Dad and Ma, May your souls rest in peace. 

Let's go to our today's Lunch Menu Serves 3 -4

East Indian Masala Dal Without Coconut
Ingredients
½ Cup Masoor Dal / Red Lentil
3 Big Cloves Garlic - smashed lightly
4 -5 Curry Leaves
1 Medium Onion - sliced
1 Tablespoon East Indian Bottle Masala or to your spice level
4 Slices Amboshi + 1 Dried seed - Homemade
3 Tablespoons Oil
Salt to taste
250 ML Hot Water 

Method

Wash and soak the dal for 30 to 45 minutes. Drain it and keep aside.
In a kadai, heat oil, when the oil is hot the add the smashed garlic and let it sizzle till starts curl, do not brown it or else the flavor of the dal will be different. Add the curry leaves and sliced onion, fry till the onion is translucent , add the dal and bottle masala. Fry this for at least 3 -4 minutes on low medium flame. Add hot water and bring this to a rolling boil. Cover with a lid and let it cook on low flame till the dal is cooked and oil surfaces. Now add salt and the amboshi, cover with a lid, let it simmer for another 5 minutes. Do not make the curry too thin/ watery or else it will not be tasty.  

East Indian Masala Dal Without Coconut is ready. We enjoyed this with rice.

Stir Fry Bhendi / Lady Fingers
Ingredients
700 Grams Bhendi / Lady Fingers
2 Long Green Chilly - Slit
½ Teaspoon Heaped Cumin Seeds
½ Teaspoon Mustard Seeds
A Pinch of Asafoetida
¼ Teaspoon Turmeric Powder
5 -6 Curry Leaves
Salt to taste
3 Tablespoons Oil
12 Thin French Fries - pan fried
Method

Cut the top and tail of the bhendi and cut them into diagonal pieces.
Heat oil in a broad frying pan , add cumin and mustard seeds, when they splutter add the asafoetida and turmeric, add the curry leaves and slit green chilly saute for a minute add the bhendi and saute on medium low till they are cooked, stirring in between. When nearly done add salt and plate a lid on the pan and let it cook till done. Add the french fries and toss it.

Stir fry bhendi is ready.

Sweet & Tangy Radish Tomato Salad

Ingredients 
1 Radish - grated
1 Large Tomato - thinly sliced
Salt to taste
½ Teaspoon Sugar
1 Tablespoon Water
1 - 1½ Teaspoon Vinegar
Method

In a small pan add water and sugar place it on medium flame, heat it till the sugar melts. Switch of the flame add the vinegar and salt. Taste for sourness and add more vinegar accordingly. Let this cool.
When you are just ready to serve, pour the vinegar dressing over the salad and toss it well. Salad is ready to serve.

Homemade Amboshi / Sun Dried Raw Mango Slices
Amboshi as is sun dried Raw mango slices. 

Ingredients 
4 -5 Firm Raw Mangoes
1 Tablespoon Heaped Sea Salt
Method

Peel the mangoes and cut into into slices. Add salt on the slices, the seeds and rub the salt well ( do not add more salt or else when dried they will turn black). Keep this in the colander and let is sit overnight so that the excess salt and water drains off. Next morning spread it in a broad plate or a soopra ( a woven basket).  Place this in the sun till fully dried for 4 -5 days depending on the sunlight . Every evening take it into the house. Again next morning place it in the sun. When dried this can be powdered and you will get Amchur Powder. Of this amboshi we make pickle that is sweet and delicious will post the recipe soon.

My Notes:
If you don't have amboshi then add tamarind juice or one medium tomato chopped.  Add the tomato when you add the dal.
Labels: Masoor dal, Bottle Masala, East Indian, Vegan, Gluten free, Main course, Bhendi, Stir Fry, Salads, Radish, Homemade, Amboshi, Sun Dried, Raw  Mango

Pathare Prabhu Masala - Homemade

Seen this recipe on a Marathi food show and I love trying different recipes so, decided to make it. Adjusted the spice level to my taste. 

This is masala that Pathare Prabhu community mainly settlers in Mumbai,  make for the whole  year and store it. They use this masala for their traditional preparations.

Makes  1 Cup 
Ingredients
10 Dried Kashmiri Red Chilies
10 Dried Bedgi Chillies
8 Tablespoons Level Coriander seeds
2 Tablespoons Level Wheat Grains
2 Tablespoons Level Chana dal
1½ Teaspoons Mustard Seeds
1½ Teaspoons Cumin Seeds
½ Teaspoon Methi Seeds
¼ Teaspoon Asafoetida
1 Teaspoon Black Peppercorns
1 Teaspoon Turmeric Powder

Method

Dry roast all the ingredients  except the  asafoetida one at a time till it starts to change color and releases a aroma.

Grind to a find powder add the turmeric and asafoetida and mix it well. Cool and store in airtight container or a zip lock bag in the refrigerator. Why! I, say refrigerator since we do not use this masala often and  refrigeration retains the aroma and color.

This is a very flavorful masala, you will love it.  Check  my blog to see in which recipes I used this masala.

Labels : Pathare Prabhu, Homemade, Masala, Preservatives free

Temprado Masala- Homemade - Goan Masala

Temprado Masala is a green Goan masala and a very spicy masala paste. This can be used to make just anything you wish, be it fish or meat. It is a multipurpose masala paste.

Ingredients

10 Green chilies
1/2 Teaspoon Turmeric powder
8 Cloves Garlic
1 Big Piece  Ginger 

1 Teaspoon Cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon Heaped Black Pepper Corns
1 Teaspoon Granulated White sugar
1 Teaspoon Vinegar or as required to grind 

Method

Keep all ingredients ready and put them in a mixer grinder  Grind the masala into a slightly coarse paste using vinegar.

Temprado Masala is now ready. 

My Notes

To grind the paste I used only a teaspoon of vinegar, you can add more if you wish.

Can reduce the peppercorns or green chillies according to your taste.

If you are making this in large quantity then label and store the remaining paste in the deep freezer, stays well for many months.

I use this to marinate meat and  chicken too.

You would like to check on other Goan Recipes
Goan Prawns On Sticks
Recheado Masala - Homemade 

Pan Fried Seer Fish in Recheado Masala

Labels:  Masala, Homemade, Goa, Green Chilly, Black Peppercorns, Vinegar, Multipurpose Masala, Preservatives free

Homemade Curry Powder

This can be easily made at home since it requires all ingredients that are available in your pantry.  All the spices are used by us in our daily cooking
Ingredients
4 Tablespoons Red Chilly Powder
1 Tablespoon Level Turmeric Powder
5 Tablespoons Coriander Powder
3 Tablespoons Roasted Cumin Powder
2 Tablespoons Garam Masala Powder
2 Tablespoons Salt
1 Tablespoons Ginger Powder
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder

Method

Place all the ingredients in the blender and blend it for a minutes. It's ready

Lables :  Homemade, Masala, Curry powder, Preservatives free