Onion Pakoda

Mmm... its raining outside. Whatelse can i think for an evening snacks... ya Onion pakoda it is... One of my all time quick snack and easy to make.

Ingredients :

• Besan( Gram flour)     - 1 cup
• Rice flour                    - 1/4 cup
• Onion                         - 2
• Green Chilli                 - 2
• Ginger                         - 1/2 "
• Curry leaves                - 2 arc
• Chilli powder               - 1 ts. sp
• Hing powder                - 14 ts. sp
• Baking soda                 - 1/4 ts. sp
• Ghee                            - 1 ta. sp
• Salt to taste
• Oil to fry

Method :

1. Chop onions vertically, finely chop green chilli and ginger.
2. In a bowl mix ghee and baking soda and make like a paste. Add the besan and rice flour,chilli powder , hing powder, salt to the paste and mix them well.
3. In another bowl mix together onions, green chilli, ginger, curry leaves and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle little  water on them and mix them well and  leave them for 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle the gram flour mixture to the onion mixture and mix them well.
5. Heat oil in a kadai and just sprinkle the onion besan mixture in the oil and fry them till golden brown.
6. Serve hot.

Dates - Walnut Cake

When i think of Walnut- Dates , this is the recipes which comes first in my mind. This is one of the simplest, healthiest and yummiest cake i have ever tasted and made. It came out very well. You should really try it out.

Ingredients :

• Dates                      - 200 gm
• Walnuts                   - 100 gm (i used 50gms of cashews + 50 gms of walnuts ) chopped
• Castor sugar            - 100 gm
• All purpose flour      - 100 gm
• Butter                      - 100 gm
• Baking Powder        - 1 ts. sp
• Nutmeg powder       - 1/2 ts. sp
• Cinnamon powder    - 1/2 ts. sp
• Egg                          - 2
• Honey                      - 2 ts. sp

Method :

1. Preheat the oven to 180 c.
2. Soak the chopped dates in hot water for 10 minutes. Grind them in mixer to coarse paste.
3. Mix butter and sugar and beat them well. Add one egg and beat them well, then add the second egg and mix them well .
4. Sieve flour, baking powder together 2 times and add them to the butter mixture.
5. Add Nutmeg powder, Cinnamon powder to the mixture. Mix them well.
6. Add honey and mix . Add walnuts and date paste to them and mix.
7. Pour the mixture to a greased baking tray. 
8. Bake them for 50 minutes. For the first 15 minutes bake them at 180 c and 160 c for the next 35 minutes.
9. Take out the tray and remove the cake from the tray and cool them on a cooling rack.

Mooli Kabab (Raddish Kabab)

When i wanted to make some snack items for kids , i always make sure that the dish we make should be healthy.So, here is one of the healthy snack...

Ingredients :

• Mooli ( White Raddish)      - 1/4 kg
• Besan (Dal flour)                - 3/4 cup
• Curd                                  - 2 ta. sp
• Coriander Leaves              - 3 ta. sp
• Bread crums                      - 1 cup or required amount
• Maida                               - 1/2 cup
• Oil   to fry

Grind to paste :

• Grated coconut               - 2 ta. sp
• Cardomom                     - 2
• Cloves                            - 2
• Cinnamon sticks              - 1
• Green chilli                      - 4
• Garlic                              - 4
• Onion                              - 1
• Oil                                   - 2 ta. sp

Method :

1. Grind together the ingedients given under Grind to paste to fine paste.
2. Peel of the skin of raddish and grate them in a grater. Squeeze the grated radish and take all the juice out from them.(discard the juice)
3. To the raddish add besan, curd, coriander leaves,salt and the paste. Mix them well .
4. In a  bowl take maida and add water to it to make a batter.(like dosa batter)
5. From the besan mixture take small balls and roll them to oval shape and deep them in the maida batter and roll them in the bread crumsand lastly deep fry them in hot oil.
6. Repeat this procedure for rest of the dough.
7. Serve them with tomato sauce.

Mushroom Biryani

One of my all time favourite dish.

Ingredients :

• Basmati Rice                - 2 cup
• Onions                         - 1 1/2 (sliced)
• Tomatoes                     - 2 (sliced)
• Mushroom                   - 1 1/2 cups(diced)
• Bay leaf                       - 1
• Coriander leaves          - 12 cup (chopped)
• Mint leaves                  - 1/4 cup (chopped)
• Curd                           - 1/2 cup (optional)
• Ghee                           - 2 ts. sp
• Oil                               - 3 ta. sp
• Water                          - 3 cups
• Salt as required

Grind to paste :

• Onions                     - 1/2
• Ginger                      - 1/2 inch
• Garlic                       - 4 nos.
• Green chilli               - 2
• Cumin powder         - 1 ts. sp
• Chilli powder           - 1 ts. sp
• Cloves                     - 3 nos.
• Cinnamon sticks       - 1 ( 1/2 inch)
• Cardomom               - 3 nos

Method :

1. Grind together all the ingredients given under Grind to paste. Keep it aside.
2. Wash and soak the rice for 15 minutes. Drain all the water before cooking.
3. Heat oil and ghee in a skillet or cooker ,add bay leaf followed by onions and saute them for 1 minute. Add the chopped mushrooms, saute them for 1 minute.
4. Add the paste , chopped tomatoes and mix them well, saute them till the raw smell goes off and tomatoes are well cooked. Add the beaten curd.
5. Add coriander leaves and mint leaves. Mix them well.
6. Pour 3 cups of water and salt to taste. Leave them to boil.
7. When it starts boiling add the soaked rice and mix them well.
8. When it is half cooked ,close them with a lid and cook them for 3 whistles and turn off the flame.
9. When the pressure goes off , open the lid and serve them hot with cucumber raita.