Queen Cutlets From My Initial Days Of Learning To Cook

Hi!

I feel elated today as I post the first recipe of 2011. I wanted to post something special, something close to my heart and which had fond memories associated with it, so I chose these ‘Queen Cutlets’. I am not sure why these cutlets are named so but I can surely assure you that they have a very fine taste which no one can ignore.

This is a recipe which I had learnt from a Parsi lady who used to run cookery classes called Breakfast Needs. She had an expertise in baking, so during my college days initially I joined her classes to learn baking. Apart from the baking, she used to teach recipes too. One could choose the recipes from her list and request her to teach them. She used to provide a printed copy of the recipe and charge us per recipe. I did learn a few recipes but realized that they were going heavy on my pocket  so I got a few recipes photo copied from another friend and then tried them later at home, this cutlet was also amongst those recipes and when I tried them the first time I was amazed with the resultant product, my family loved it and it was an instant hit.

I was going through my old diary today, while reading I got connected with this recipe again and wanted to make them. I thought it was just too apt for my first recipe post of this year as it brought back so many memories from down the memory lane.

The cutlets are amazingly soft and extremely healthy too. A perfect blend of proteins and vitamins, these are just right for everyone. It has a very subtle taste which I just love.

Ingredients

a cup of cabbage grated

200gms grated cottage cheese

a cup of cooked bengal gram/chana dal

3-4 green chilies

a handful of coriander chopped

1 finely chopped onion

2 tsp lemon juice

salt to taste

1/2 tsp white pepper pwd

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp cornstarch

For the slurry

1/2 cup corn starch

1/2 cup water

salt to taste

1/2 tsp white pepper pwd

To roll

Bread crumbs

Method

Sprinkle a large pinch of salt on the cabbage and squeeze out water.

Strain out the water completely from the cooked lentil and then blend it.

Mix cabbage, cottage cheese, blended lentil, coriander, green chilies and all the other ingredients thoroughly.

Shape them into a shape of your choice, then dip in the corn starch slurry and roll in bread crumbs.

Shallow fry the cutlets.

Serve them with chips and tomato sauce.

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I Am Back With The Winner Of CSN Giveaway For ‘Only’- Greens

Hi Friends!

Thanks for all the lovely wishes you left for me here, I had a great time attending weddings and playing with my 11 month old nephew. I also take this opportunity to wish you all a very happy new year.

I am sure all my US/ UK friends must be waiting for the winner of CSN giveaway for the month of December. There were a total of 52 comments and the links were left after the 11th comment so used random.org to pick up the winner. The 49th comment is the winner and that was of Sanyukta Gaur’s Mexican Green Rice. Congrats Sanyukta, enjoy shopping with CSN and contact me through email. Hopefully Saraswathy will post the round up of ‘Only’ Greens in the coming week.

Will try to post a recipe soon, till then see you all in your spaces.

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Forêt Patrimoine(cliquez ici)

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Bonne Année 2011

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Giveaways and Host for January’s ‘Only’ Series

Hi!

Winter is the most enjoyable period for vegetarians. This season offers so many vegetables and greens and surely is the perfect time to indulge into salads. Yes, my friends the theme of the ‘Only’ Series for January is Salads. Participants entering this event can grab one of the giveaways offered by CSN Stores and Tarla Dalal. The CSN Stores offers a $60/£60 giveaway to participants entering from US/UK/ Germany and Canada. CSN is an  online store and have a huge range of products but there are flat panel tv stands that we are going to check out this month.

 

From this year as there’s is a change in the policy of  the CSN stores we will have giveaways from them every alternate month. So the next giveaway with CSN will be for March month’s ‘Only’ series event.

The second giveaway is from http://www.tarladalal.com/. Tarla Dalal is a very known figure in the culinary world and her cook books are surely a privilege to have. For this month they have offered a book called Healthy Soups and Salads.

The host for this month is Prathibha Garre of The Chef and Her Kitchen. Prathy is a very dear friend of mine and is an experienced blogger. She is a great cook and tries various cuisines but one should not miss out checking the collection of her South Indian recipes.

To enter in the CSN giveaway please leave the link of your entry in the comment box of this giveaway page after you have sent the entry to the host.

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Elephant Foot Yam Kabab – Veg Shami Kabab

About 2-3 days back I got a call from Sangeeta from Banaras Ka Khana. We chit chatted for some time and then she asked me what are you cooking? I told her I am making Yam Kababs  and then we discussed about Yams. Yam is a term used generally to describe underground tuberous roots  of genus Dioscorea, many of which are edible. They are available in various shape, colour and size. Sangeeta mentioned that she has seen Yam as big as 2-3 feet long when she lived in Jharkhand. I have never seen those but surely would like to see them.

This particular Yam, that is the Elephant Foot yam,  whitespot giant arum or Stink lily, Amorphophallus paeoniifolius. In India it is grown mostly in Kerala, Orissa, Maharashtra and A.P. In India it is popularly known as Jimmikand or Suran or Chenna.

This picture I have taken is from Google Images. For more info on yam check here.

I tried making Kababs with them, and was happily surprised with the result. I used minimal oil for shallow frying. The Kababs had a nice crispy crust and  were very soft inside.

I had made them for dinner and had served them with oil toasted whole wheat bread, pudina dip and onions. Made a light but filling dinner for all of us.

Ingredients
500gms yam cut into cubes
5-6 garlic cloves
3-4 green chilies
an inch of ginger
a very small bunch of cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2-3 tsp lemon juice
2-3 tsp cumin pwd
4 tsp coriander pwd
1/2 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red chili pwd
salt to taste
bread crumbs

Method

Oil  the hands and then peel and cut the yams (they can cause itching). Boil them in water added with turmeric till soft. Drain the water completely.

In a food processor put the cooked and cooled yam, ginger, garlic, coriander leaves, lemon juice, all spices and grind to a fine paste. Remove in a plate, adjust the salt and then gradually add bread crumbs till you get a binding texture.

Make 2inch flat Kababs and shallow fry in low oil on a medium flame till the outer crust is nicely crisp and golden brown in colour on either side. These are very delicate and need to be handled gently, especially while flipping.

A perfect veg version of  Shami Kabab.

Serve with pudina dip, raw onions and tava toasted bread. I already have a  demand from my younger one to make them again.

For the Pudina dip

3-4 tsp mint laves

an equal quantity cilantro leaves

1/4 tsp cumin seeds

2-3 green chilies

4-5 tbsp yogurt

salt to taste

Grind all the ingredients together. Adjust the consistency later with water.

Sending this to WYF : Light Meal hosted by EC at Simple Indian Food
and to
 Kids Delight hosted by Srivalli.

Tips-

Add a sour agent like tamarind/ curds/ lime juice while cooking the yam, this helps remove the itching caused by the yam.

The Kababs can be used to make Burgers for kids. Just place in some lettuce and mayo in the burger buns along with the Kababs.

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Khatti Arbi / Arvi Ka Salan…Taro cooked in tangy Curry

 
What is Arbi?

Arbi or Taro Root is a is a starchy tuber of a widely cultivated tropical Asian plant (Colocasia esculenta) having broad leaves. It’s a vegetable  that looks like, and can be used similar to a potato. It does, however, have a hairy outer coating on its surface that is similar to the coating on a coconut. Because of this, when preparing to use a taro root, the root's outer skin must first be removed. This procedure is easy to do. However, some individual's can acquire a skin irritation towards the juices that are secreted by the taro root as its skin is being removed. Therefore, to be on the safe side, when peeling a taro root's skin, use protective rubber gloves or apply oil  to the hands.

Nutritional facts about Arbi

Taro roots or Arbi as it is known in India are extremely nutritious as they provide a good source of fiber, contain a high amount of protein, calcium, and phosphorus, and supply approximately 95 calories per adult serving. Another reason that the taro root has gained in popularity for cooking purposes is because its starch is easily digestible.

How to Use them in cooking

Taro roots can be used as an alternative to potatoes. They do, however, have somewhat of a nut-like flavor when cooked. Common uses for taro roots include frying, baking, roasting, boiling, or steaming them. They are also often used in soups or stews. Additionally, the vegetarians have found the cooked taro root to be a delicious addition to meals such as antipasto salads  that include endives, peppers, tomatoes, chicory, and fresh herbs. 

I have largely used them in making curries for the main course. In this post I am sharing another delectable curry made in Hyderabadi style. I had read this preparation in Chef Sanjeev Kapoor’s book and have modified it here and there to make it suitable for my kitchen. The resultant curry was wonderful and I personally liked it very much. If you like spicy and tangy curry, this is a good choice to make. This goes well with rice but I would like to eat this with Kerala Paratha. How much I miss those ..….

Ingredients For Salan

250-300gms colocasia/arvi/taro peeled and sliced

2 onions chopped finely

3 tomatoes chopped finely

1 green chili sliced

3 garlic pods crushed

a small piece ginger crushed

tsp red chili pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1 tbsp tamarind pulp

salt to taste

oil for cooking

Method

Heat oil and add onions and saute till brown in color.

Add in ginger-garlic and saute further.

Now add the tomatoes, sliced chilies, salt and all the powders. Mix thoroughly and cook till the tomatoes are done.

Add the Arbi/Taro and mix properly. Adjust the consistency by adding water. Let the curry boil  covered on low flame till the Taro is completely cooked. Add tamarind pulp and mix just before it is removed from fire. I avoided adding the curry leaves to the Salan as I wanted just the basic  and minimum spices to it.

Serve hot with rice/ paratha.

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