Red Beaten Rice & Potato Cutlets | Vegan | Gluten Free | Dairy Free

Hi All!!

A lot of thought process goes into creating a recipe and then a lot of creativity is involved in clicking the pictures. If you notice in all food magazines, food channels, food blogs or any food related websites, a lot of attention is give to food styling and food presentation. As it’s said, that you eat first with your eyes and then with the mouth, so it’s important that the food  looks appealing and attracts you to try it. This is especially important when the food is presented in the virtual world where you can not really taste the food!!

One recipe rather one picture which was on the cover page of Good Food Magazine made me drool over it and I was so tempted to create a recipe similar to that and style it in a similar way,  And finally after many months of postponing I’ve created a similar recipe in my style and  made it more healthier. The original recipe was of a poha cutlet with a rasam dip. I’ve also made a poha cutlet only but instead of using the white version of poha (beaten rice) I opted for red, the more healthier one. Similarly, instead of the rasam dip, I made a tangy Mint chutney.

It was a recipe created for the kid’s lunch box. I need to make healthy and tasty food for the kid which would guarantee that he would finish it without making a fuss. It might sound funny but being a food blogger’s Mom brings in a lot of challenges too especially on deciding what goes into the lunch box, the food going into it can’t be compromised. To my delight, the kid’s lunch box is quite popular amongst his friends and they would demand to eat his lunch box most of the times, leaving him hungry. He would come home famished with a headache. Finally the kid acted smart and gave his classmates my blog id so that their Moms could cook recipes for them from my blog and they could also carry that in their lunch box. This has helped him to a certain extent.

Anyways, I had shaped the cutlets and refrigerated them so that in the morning I didn’t have to rush since I wanted to send them in kid’s lunch box. The kid happily carried this in his lunch box and he came back complaining again that he got only two pieces to eat and he wanted to eat more. He also said that it is one of the best cutlets that I have made and I should make them more regularly. I was more than happy to hear that, as my purpose was solved..

Red Beaten Rice & Potato Cutlets

Preparation Time: 1hr | Cooking Time: 8mins/batch | Makes: 16 | Serves: 4 | Difficulty Level: Easy

Ingredients

1-1/2cups soaked thick red beaten rice

3 large potatoes

4-5 green chilies

4-5 garlic cloves

1inch piece ginger

salt to taste

handful of chopped coriander leaves

oil for shallow frying

Method

Wash the beaten rice several times with water and drain the water completely. Soak it for an hour.

Boil, peel and grate the potatoes.

Finely chop green chilies and coriander and grind ginger and garlic.

Crush the beaten rice with the fingers and add salt to taste. Also add the chili, ginger, garlic and coriander.

Mix together properly. Divide the mix into 16-18 portions. If you feel that the mix is too wet, you can add bread crumbs too.

Shape them into a ball and then flatten. Smoothen the edges.

Take a non stick pan and sprinkle a tea spoon of oil and heat it. Place 5-6 cutlets at a time and cook on a medium flame on both the sides till crisp and golden in color.

Serve with ketch up or Mint chutney.

Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Food For Pregnancy, hosted here.

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Tandoori Bhein Kebab (Lotus Stem Kebab) | Gluten Free | Vegan | Pregnancy Recipes | Step Wise |

Hi All!!

Ever since I’ve announced the current event in my blog, I’m nostalgic about my pregnancy days, so many memories but what I remember the most is my stay at Mom’s place..As a custom I had gone to stay with my parents by the end of 7th month. And friends custom or no custom, I personally feel that there can be no other place more comforting than parents home. Living your entire life with them, the ease and comfort one experiences that can’t be replaced by any other person or place especially when one is going through so many internal changes, one needs emotional support. The love, the attention parents shower on their daughter and the baby is unimaginable.

My parents were so excited to have me and tried all means to keep me happy. My happiness did manifold, when my Grandmother and my youngest first cousin R came down to stay with us. My Grandmother wanted to be there to enjoy my pregnancy and be there to guide me. Every day after my dad came back from office he would ask me what I would like to eat, and if I had any food cravings (which I normally never had) were fulfilled immediately. I was a pampered daughter for those two months of pregnancy..

One day I told my mom that I felt like eating Chirote. My Mom was a bit surprised with my demand, as I had avoided eating that dish for so many years and now in my pregnancy I was craving to eat it. Now, making Chirote was not an easy task but she made them for me. Then another day, I felt like eating dhirade (kind of pancakes) and my grandmother pampered me by making them for me. It was a delight to watch my Grandmother cook as she hardly cooked in those days.

But pregnancy was not only eating and hogging… I was quite particular about myself in those days. My day would start with a boiled egg and a glass of milk. Then I would eat a fruit around 10am (no papaya). Have proper lunch of rice, dal, sabzi , roti with salad & curds. Eat an apple and a glass of milk around 5pm and then have roti, curry and salad for dinner.

Till the end of my sixth month of pregnancy I would do sweeping and mopping regularly at home. All household chores were done by me. It was at the onset of my seventh month of pregnancy that I stopped mopping but sweeping continued. And from my eighth month I would walk 3kms everyday and even after moving with my Mum, my cousin R would accompany me for my walks. She was a friend to me that time though she is younger than me by 9yrs, but we hold a special bond. We would play cards, chat and watch TV together.

       R is the youngest of all the siblings and had written her X boards and was awaiting her result. She had come to spend the summer vacation with me and in her was a caring sweet little sister. After the kid was born she would help me so much with the kid. She would love playing with him. I still can’t believe that  she is married now and is on a family way. I promised her that I would post healthy and yet tasty dishes and that’s when I thought that I should help many more pregnant women by reaching out to them with my preparations and my experiences. So, I came up with this theme of ‘Only’ Food For Pregnancy..

I got hold of lotus stem recently during my Veggie shopping. I love the lotus stem and have posted a few recipes with it earlier too but for those who are not aware of it’s Health Benefits, they are:
· They are very rich in iron, which is required for RBC formation in blood.
· There is good amount of calcium also present, required for maintenance and repair of bones and teeth.
· Lotus stem is high in dietary fiber. It is highly recommended for pregnant women and people with chronic complain of constipation.
· The chlorophyll present in the stack acts as active anti oxidant to fight against cancer producing free radicals.

I thought of making a kebab with it. Ground lotus stem has a meaty texture, makes it perfect for making kebab. I used my tandoor to make the kebab but one can make them on a pan or oven too.

 

 

Tandoori Bhein (Lotus Stem) Kebab

Preparation Time: 1hour | Cooking Time: 5mins per batch | Makes: 16-18 | Serves: 4-5 | Difficulty Level: Moderate

Ingredients
3-4 lotus stems, peeled, sliced and boiled
1green chili
4-5garlic flakes
an inch piece ginger
1/2cup chutney dal/ puttani dal
3-4tbsp chopped mint
3/4cup fried onion
salt to taste
1/2tsp garam masala
3-4tbsp oil
2tsp lemon juice or amchoor (dry mango pwd) or any sour taste of your choice
Dry Spices:
1tbsp coriander pwd
1tsp cumin pwd
1tsp red chili pwd
Method

Pressure cook the lotus stem along with few slices of lemon for up to 5-6 whistles or after the pressure has set, cook on slow flame for 20mins. Adding lemon prevents discoloration of the stem.

Cool the stem, drain and grind it smooth.

Finely chop ginger, garlic and green chili (I used my hand mixer).

Heat 2tsp oil and sauté the ginger-garlic-chili mix. Add the dry spices,chutney dal and roast the mix lightly.

Grind the dal-spice mix along with fried onions and add it to the lotus stem.

Add garam masala, lemon juice, salt to taste, a tablespoon oil and chopped mint. Mix thoroughly.
Take large marble size portion, make a ball, flatten and shape the kebab.

Preheat the tandoor or griddle. Brush oil on both the sides of the kebab and place it in the tandoor or roast on the griddle on both the sides, till you see dark spots. This kebab looks darker as the color of the stem itself after boiling is brownish plus the fried onions add the dark color.
Sprinkle chaat masala. Serve hot with salad and green chutney.


Sending this to my event ‘Only’ Food For Pregnancy, hosted here.
Tips
If you find that the kebab mix is very moist then add more of ground chutney dal or add some bread. But moist mix give succulent kebabs.
While frying onions be careful that you don’t burn them else it will spoil the taste with the bitterness.

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Sweet Potato Patty/Cutlet, For Fasting Days/ Ratalyache Cutlet..Navaratri Special

Hi all!

It is just another week to go for the festive days of Navaratri to begin. Navaratri literally means ‘nine days’; it starts immediately after the full moon of Mahalaya i.e. the 17th October. The idea behind Navratri is the time for cleansing our own evil characteristics like hatred, jealousy, ignorance, anger, greed, violence, etc. inside and outside of us. In the West India, the divine feminine is referred to as Goddess, but in the East, she is referred to as Shakti, or Power and hence celebrated as Durga Puja. She is your own consciousness as well as the Supreme Consciousness.The Nine Nights/Moon Phases of the Goddess is an important time period wherein the energy of 3 primary Shaktis of the Divine Feminine, the Supreme Goddess, is invoked.

In North India, Maharashtra and Gujarat, people observe a seven day fast during Navratri and break their fast on Ashtami (the eighth day of the festival) by worshiping young girls. However, some people observe fast until the Ashtami and break their fast only on Navami (the ninth day).The devotees, who have observed fast, would get up early in the morning, take bath and offer prayers to the deity. People follow a specific diet for Navratri, if they haven't observed a nirahar (waterless) fast. Most people nowadays perform partial fasting. They would abstain from non-vegetarian food, alcohol and those dishes that are made of common salt or any kind of spice. Singhare ka atta (kuttu ka atta) is used to prepare rotis or puris, for the fast. (ref festivals.iloveindia.com)
One may drink beverages like tea, coffee and milk, on Navratri. Dishes made of sago and potato is generally consumed by the people, when they observe fast on Navratri. Sendha namak (rock salt) is used instead of common salt, for cooking on the festival. All fruits and foodstuff made of fruits are eaten during the seven days.

I have posted most of the recipes that are  commonly made during the fasting days like the Batatyache Kees, Sabudana Vada, earlier.To increase the variety of food that can be eaten during fasting, recently I posted a very new kind of thalipeeth/Indian Pancake using watermelon rind. Today I’m posting yet another different recipe for fasting using an ingredient which is normally used for making sweet dishes.

I was skeptical during the preparatory stage but once the mix was ready and tasted, all tensions were thrown outside the window. I knew instantly it is going to be a hit dish.. There was no sweetness from the sweet potatoes, the flavors were perfectly balanced!!

Preparation Time :30mins

Cooking Time: 3-4mins per batch

Makes:14-15

Serves:3-4

Ingredients

5medium sized sweet potatoes
2-3green chilies (check on the spice level, mine were spicy)
3tbsp chopped coriander
1/2cup soaked mini sago/mini sabudana
1tsp grated ginger
1tsp cumin seeds
sendha namak to taste(salt for fasting days)
1to1-1/2tsp lemon juice
3-4tbsp roasted and ground peanuts
sago flour/ sabudana peeth, for dusting
oil/ghee for pan roasting

Method

Boil the sweet potatoes in water. Once cooked peel off the skin and grate.

To the sweet potatoes add all the remaining ingredients and mix properly.

Make small balls and then pat them to make patty.

Coat the patty on all sides with sago flour.

Pan roast the patty on medium flame using a little ghee or vegetable oil on both the side till nicely golden in color. I used ghee for roasting.

Serve with green chutney.

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Soya Shami Kebab… For Vegetarians Who Want To Indulge In Non Veg Delicacies, Step Wise

Hello!

Today I’m back with my favorite, the kebab. My regular readers would know my love for the kebabs. There was a time when I used to post kebab recipes very regularly and I did realize that I have not posted any, in the last few months. So like getting back to active blogging I tried to get back to making some kebabs too..

Since, the theme of ‘Only’ event for this month is Soya hosted by Preeti, I wanted to indulge in a soya kebab. Texturally, soya has  quite a close resemblance to meat and that comes to the advantage of the vegetarians who want to indulge into non-veg delicacies, in a vegetarian way. I’m amongst them and hence I do use soya to replace meat.

Today I have indulged into a very popular kebab,  the Shami Kebab. Shami kebab literally means Syrian kebab (Sham) in Arabic. This kabab almost appears like a patty or cutlet which is pan fried and served with mint or coriander chutney, sliced onions and lemon juice. It is a nutritious and healthy kebab. This kebab is extremely popular in India, Pakistan and Afghanistan.

A typical shami kebab  is made of minced mutton, ground Bengal gram (chana dal) and spices. It can be made with any meat either the beef, chicken or mutton but a traditional Shami Kabab made from mince meat are round patties filled with spicy surprises and the tangy `kairi’ or raw green mango. The uniqueness of this kebab is the masala which is a zealously guarded family secret and prepared by women in the royal family. Shami kebabs are royally prepared during the Iftar parties during the Ramzan season or on Eid days along with sheer kurma.

There are various theories regarding it’s origin.  i) Some are of the opinion that these kebabs were introduced to South Asia during the Mughal Era by Muslim emigrants from the Middle East. They had employed cooks from all over the Muslim world to serve in the royal kitchens. Some of the cooks were from Syria as well. ii) The second theory states that the word Sham is evening in Hindi and Urdu and Sham-e-Awadh means an evening in Lucknow of yore since the time of Nawab regime. iii) The third theory says that  Shami Kababs had originated from the famous village of Sham Churasi in the Hoshiarpur district of Punjab. ( Reference Wikipedia and VahReVahChef)

Since it is authentically made using meat, this is my take on making a veg and vegan version. I’ve avoided the use of clarified butter in cooking the kebabs but those who do not mind indulging in more calories, do not hesitate to use the ghee. The veg kebab might not be as succulent  as the non veg version as soya does not have any fatty tissues to it plus it can not be ground as fine as the meat, but flavor wise this kebab rocks. It is almost as good as a meat kebab.

Soya Shami Kebab

Soaking Time: 1hour

Preparation Time:20mins

                    Cooking Time:2-3mins per Kebab

Makes: about24

Serves:6

Ingredients

20oz Soya Granules
1 medium onion roughly chopped
1/2cup soaked Bengal Gram/ Chana dal
2tbsp coriander powder
juice of half lemon
a large pinch garam masala
2tsp red chili powder
2tbsp oil
oil for shallow frying
cornstarch
1-2 bread slices/bread crumbs

Whole Spices

2red chilies
5-6 green cardamom
1black cardamom
2 small pieces cinnamon
8-10 black peppercorns

 

 

Method

Soak the soya granules for 15-20mins and Bengal Gram for an hour, in water. Drain the water from the lentils. Take a muslin cloth and transfer the soya granules to it. Press and squeeze out all water.

Heat oil in a pan and add all the whole spices. Keep the flame low, so that all flavors infuse into the oil.

Add the chopped onion and sauté.

Add the soaked and drained Bengal gram, mix.

Add the soaked and drained soya granules and mix on high flame to remove all the remaining water.

Add the garam masala, chili powder, coriander powder and salt. Mix and cook for two more minutes.

Cool and add bread slice and lemon juice.

Remove all whole spices and put them in the mixer and grind. Add the soya mix and grind to a smooth paste. While grinding add one or two slices of bread. This helps in binding. Add 2tbsp oil to the mix, this helps to avoid the dryness of the soya and makes the kebab more succulent.

Add the cornstarch to small portions of the mix at a time. Add enough cornstarch so that the kebabs do not disintegrate while frying. The quantity of cornstarch will completely depend on the moisture content in your mix, hence have not specified the quantity.

Take small lemon size portion of the mix and with oiled hand make patty with smooth edges. Shallow fry in medium hot oil. While shallow frying ensure that the pan has enough oil to submerge half the height of the patty. Fry on both sides and remove on a kitchen towel.
Serve hot with green chutney, onion slices, lemon wedges and some chaat masala, sprinkled on top. Else roll it inside a roti with some chutney and onion for a filling kathi roll.

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