Samosa

Good morning :) A holiday on a rainy day... Hot luscious samosas dipped in sauce and accompanied with hot coffee :) This is what I was relishing few days back :) It is indeed a marvelous weather. I'm typing this post and I can see the greenery outside my window with the mild rustling of leaves when the rain slowly pours. This is what I call an alluring scene :)

There are many ways of making a samosa. The stuffing that is prepared is of various types. Some use only potatoes. Some add potatoes and beetroots as a combination. Yet some make them with whatever vegetables they have :)

The stuffing is very easy, but I was thinking of "How to shape it up?" I wanted to make the properly shaped samosas. Thankfully I came across this video. I went through it I guess around 7-8 times and then got the trick of how shape up a samosa :) All credits to the lovely site ;Manjula's Kitchen. I prepared samosas for the first time and it turned out a success :)

So here goes the recipe

Ingredients (For 9-10 samosas)

For the stuffing
2 large potatoes
1 tomato
1 medium sized carrot
5 sticks of beans (chopped)
1/2 cup soaked peas
3 green chillies (chopped finely)
1 medium sized onion (chopped)
6-7 garlic pods (chopped)
4 tbsp chilly powder
1 and 1/2 tsp sugar
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tbsp cumin powder
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 tbsp garam masala
1 tbsp cumin seeds
2 tsp ginger garlic paste
2 tbsp cooking oil/ghee
1/2 cup coriander leaves
5-6 chopped curry leaves
1 full tsp Salt (To taste)

For the outer crusty covering
6-7 tbsp maida flour
3 tbsp cooking oil / ghee
1 tsp sesame seeds (black or white)
1 tsp salt
Hot water to knead the dough

Method

For the dough (To make the outer crust)

Take the maida, salt, oil and sesame seeds in a bowl.

Now mix it in your hands to make a dough. Add hot water about 1 tsp at a time and knead the dough until it becomes soft. It should look as follows. Remember it should be soft and not like a stone. Keep it aside for 20 minutes.

For the stuffing

Boil potaoes, tomato, carrots, beans, peas, onions (Chopped) along with chillies and garlic and keep them. Mash them a little bit.

Now heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, chopped curry leaves, ginger garlic paste.

Now add all the boiled ingredients that was kept aside. Stir fry for about 10 minutes and mash them slightly.

Add the spices i.e. cumin powder, coriander powder, chilly powder, sugar, turmeric powder and garam masala.

Mix well. Stir fry for about 10 minutes and then add salt. Mix well. Add chopped coriander. Keep it aside for cooling.

To make the Samosa

Take a lemon sized amount of dough and make round balls of it and keep aside.

Roll out the balls into a flat chapati using a rolling pin. DO NOT put any extra flour while rolling out the samosas

Now slit it into two halves using a knife.

Now take one half of the chapati and make a cone shape out of it. Smear a little water to the edges so that the cone stays firm and does not open up while deep frying the samosas.

Add the stuffing inside the cone.

Now close the cone as shown below.

Now close the edges and make the three pointed edges to the samosa.

This way you need to do for the remaining amount and keep it aside for atleast 10 minutes.

Now heat oil for deep frying the samosas.

Once the oil heats add the samosas one by one and deep fry them. Keep rolling the samosas while frying so that the color is even on all sides.

Hot samosas are ready to be served :) Serve it with anything you want. Chutneys or sauce :)

Please try this and let me know your feedback :) Any suggestions.. always welcome :)

So take care till I write.

Happy cooking :) :)

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A Combined Site

Hi :) I've combined my Personal blog and my Food blog into one so that people can refer to both sites using one. :)

The link of the site is http://pratiba.co.nr


Free website - By Wix.com

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Vermicelli Kheer

Good Morning :) Today's recipe to be learnt is the most famous and favorite of all I can say "Vermicelli Kheer" :) I made it long back and took pictures of it, but posting it now.I know it is a common recipe and everybody knows to make it. But still I want to post it as my enthusiasm level is high these days to post recipes here and articles on my personal blog too. :) :)

Taking you towards the making of Kheer:

Ingredients (Serves 7-8 glasses of kheer)

Around 2 cups of Vermicelli
7-8 tsp of sugar (you can add more or less based on what you require)
1 tsp of ghee
1/2 a liter of milk
2 tbsp sweetened milkmaid (optional)
Saffron (Kesar) strands (for coloring)
1 tsp Cardomom seeds
Cashewnuts and dried grapes for garnishing (You can add how much ever you like)

Note: You can add coconut milk and jaggery instead of milk and sugar. It becomes even more tasty.

Method

Take 1 tsp ghee in a vessel and roast the vermicelli for only 5 minutes on a medium flame.

It should be just about to turn brown. (Lightest brown color)

Then add the milk to the vermicelli.

Let it come to a boil. Keep it on a low flame.

After it starts boiling add sugar, milkmaid, cardomom seeds.

Keep stiring it so that the vermicelli doesn't stick underneath in the vessel.

When the vermicelli boils it will be soft.

In the mean time put 2 tsp of hot water to the saffron strands and keep it aside.

Now roast the roasted cashews, dried grapes with 1 tsp of ghee and add it to the kheer.

Add saffron water to the kheer and mix well.

The kheer needs to be served hot :)

So that is your kheer :)
Take care :) Till I write. :)

Happy cooking :)

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Beans palya / fry

Good morning. :) Today's recipe to be learnt is a palya / fry made from beans. Beans are much tastier made this way. This is probably one of the best possible ways to hide the tasteless taste of beans. :)

The recipe goes as follows:

Ingredients (For 6-7 servings)

Around 20 sticks of beans (Chopped)
3/4 cup grated coconut
Jaggery (Lemon sized)
1/2 tsp corinader powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp red chilly powder
1/4 tsp rice flour
A pinch of asafoetida
Water (About 2-3 cups)
Salt to taste

Note: You can add Sambar powder as the masala instead of cumin, coriander, red chilly,  rice powder and asafoetida. The ingredients are the same.

Seasoning

1 tbsp cooking oil / Ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
2 dry red chillies (Broken into half)
5-6 chopped curry leaves (I usually prefer chopping the curry leaves)
1/2 tsp urad dal

Method

Add oil into a vessel and let it heat. Then add the seasoning ingredients i.e. cumin seeds, mustard seeds, curry leaves and urad dal. Let the mustard seeds stop popping.

Then add the chopped beans and stir fry for about 5 minutes.

Now add water to the beans. The quantity should be such that the beans are fully submerged in the water as shown in the picture below.

Then add jaggery to the mixture. It is better to break the jaggery and add it.

Mix it gently and keep covered with a lid until all the water is drained off. Keep it on a medium flame. Keep checking every now and then whether it is done. Also keep mixing it so that the mixture doesn't get charred.

After water is drained it will look as follows.

Now add salt and mix well. Then you need to add coconut and mix it properly.

The palya is ready to be served. :) Serve it hot with Tomato saaru

Prepare this and quickly send me your suggestions and feedback. Even if you don't prepare it, send me your feedback :) :)

Take care till I write :)

Happy cooking :)

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Coconut Burfi

Hi :) Long time since I've come here and written something for you to read and relish :) I realized this place looked like a stranded island for me without any posts. :)

So today you'll learn how to prepare Coconut Burfi. It was my first time preparation. And it turn out to be just fine. :) This burfi is kind of special to me ;)

So taking you straight to the recipe without much of essays. :)

Ingredients (For 40 pieces of size 1 inch by 3/4 inch)

1 and 1/2 cups of coconut (Grated) [one half of the coconut]
2 tbsp of Ghee / Butter
5-6 tbsp of Milkmaid (condensed milk)
4-5 tbsp of sugar
1/2 cup of milk
1 tsp cardomom
5-6 Chopped Almonds (Badam)

Method

Fry the coconut for about 5-6 minutes in a vessel with 2 tbsp of Ghee / Butter.

Add the milkmaid little by little and bind it with the coconut well.

Now add the milk and mix the mixture well for about 10 minutes on a high flame.

Then add the sugar and mix it well for about 10-15 minutes on a medium flame.

The mixture is ready. Now wait for the mixture to cool down.

When it is just warm transfer this mixture to a greased plate. (Grease with Ghee or Butter)

Add almonds on top of it. See to it that the almonds stick to the mixture.

Keep it in the refrigerator for 6 hours so that the mixture sets in and we can cut it into pieces. You can keep it for a longer time too.

After 6 hours. Cut it into any shape (Diamond or square or rectangle)

Coconut burfis are ready to be served :) You can store it for about 1-2 weeks in the refrigerator.

Do try this out :)

Take care of yourself :) Be positive always :)

Till I write :) Happy cooking :)

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