PEANUT CHUTNEY

       PEANUT CHUTNEY is always my favourite chutney. But in my house peanut chutney is not a regularly made thing. I tasted this chutney from my school friend once and it became my favourite instantly. I always wanted to make the best peanut chutney. I tried from many websites and blogs. But i didn't get the taste i was having in my mind. Then last week i combined all the things i learned from the blogs and created my own recipe out of it. Surprisingly that was the taste i was searching for. Here is the recipe.

Ingredients:

Peanut- 1 cup

Grated coconut- 1 cup

dhalia- 1 tbsp

Onion- 1(medium)

Green chillies- 2-3

Red chilly- 2

Tamarind paste- 1 tsp

Oil- 1 tbsp

Salt

Preparation:

1. Pour some oil in a pan. Add the peanuts in the oil and saute till it becomes golden color.
2. Add the dhalia and fry for two seconds. Add the red and green chillies and saute well
3. Add the onion and saute until the raw smell of onion goes away.
4. Add the grated coconut and salt and saute for a minute.
5. Switch off the flame and add the tamarind paste to it.
6. Put the mixture in a grinder or blender and grind it into a fine paste.
7. Tempering is optional

CHILLI IDLY

Ingredients:

Idly- 4(cubed)

Ginger garlic paste- 1/2 tsp

Chilli powder- 1/2 tsp

Greenchilli sauce- 1 tsp

Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

salt to taste

a little water

Red color (optional)

For tempering:

Onion

Green chillies

Curry leaves

Mustard seeds

Oil

Preparation:

1. Mix all the ingredients from ginger garlic paste to red color nicely.
2. Toss the cubed idly in it and mix gently without breaking the idlis.Keep this for atleast 1/2 an hour
3. Heat the oil. The oil should be in highest temperature. There should be smokes coming. Thats when the idly will come out crispy. Otherwise the fried idly will be chewy.
4. Put the idlis in hot oil and fry until it becomes crispy.
5. Heat a little oil in a pan and add a little mustard seeds and then add the finely sliced onion, curry leaves and green chillies and saute well 
6. Put it on top of the idlis and serve

Serve this idly with peanut chutney.

PANI PURI (For ICC)

This is the post for Indian Cooking Challenge

This recipe is for Indian cooking challenge. I wanted to make pani puri for a long time. But I thought it is very hard to attempt. But the INDIAN COOKING CHALLENGE made me do it. I am happy with the way it came out.
I tried very hard for the puris. I only got it right the fourth time "PRACTISE MAKES PERFECT".
I prepared pani, tamarind chutney and the masala one by one. But the tamarind chutney was my personal favourite.

When i was making each and everything seperately, i tasted it and it was not so good. but when i put it all together and ate it, it was the best
Thanks to ICC for starting this challenge


For making Puri:

Fine Sooji – 1/2 cup
Salt – 1/4 tsp
Baking Powder – 1/8 tsp
Warm Water – 1/4 cup
All-Purpose Flour (Maida) – 1 Tbsp
Oil – 1 tsp
Oil – for deep frying

Method:

1. In a shallow mixing bowl, add Sooji, Salt and Baking Powder. Mix well.
2. Add warm water and soak the sooji.
3. Sprinkle All-Purpose Flour and knead the sooji for 3-4 minutes until smooth and firm.
4. Drizzle 1 tsp Oil and knead again for 3-4 minutes.
5. Wrap dough in a plastic wrap and let it rest for 20 minutes. With 5 minutes left, start to heat oil for deep frying.
6. Divide dough in small bits and roll out each puri or roll a big round and use a cookie cutter or other cutting device to cut round puris. Oiling rolling surface will make rolling easier.
7. Deep fry puris until light golden brown and crisp and remove them onto a paper towel lined baking sheet.
8. Once all puris are fried, remove the paper towel and place baking tray into a preheated (200 degrees F) oven for 25-30 minutes or until all the moisture from the puris is gone.
9. Bring to room temp before storing in an airtight container

I got the puri recipe from showmethecurry.com

For Spicy Water:
Chopped Mint Leaves- 1 1/2 cups
Chopped Coriander Leaves- 1 tbsp.
Tamarind- 1/3 cup
Ginger- 1" piece
Green Chillies- 4 to 5
Roasted cumin powder- 1 tsp.
Chat masala - 1/2 tspSalt to taste

Method:

1. Extract pulp from the tamarind 
2. Add mint leaves, coriander, ginger, chillies and dry roasted cumin seed to the tamarind pulp. Add little water and blend to a smooth paste.
3. Add salt and black rock salt to taste.
4. Put it in the fridge to cool down.
5. Add water as required.

For Filling

Potato Filling:

1.Boil the potato and cube it into small pieces.

Lentil Filling:

Cooked Channa or Peas - 1 cup
Salt to taste
Chili powder- 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder 
Garam masala powder- 1/4 tsp 

Cook the chana  till tenderand drain it. Add some oil in a pan and add turmeric powder in it and add the boiled chana and mix well. Add the chilli powder, salt and garam masala powder and mix well until all the masalas get cooked well.
Switch off the flame and mix the potatoes gently with the chana and keep it aside.


For Red Tamarind Chutney:
Tamarind- 1 cup
Jaggery- 1/2 cup
Sugar- 2 tbsp.
Red chilli powder- 1/2 tsp
Black pepper powder- 1/4 tsp.
Cloves- 2
Warm water- 2 cups
Oil- 1 tsp.
Salt to taste

Method:
Extract the pulp from tamarind. 

In a pan dry roast the cumin seeds and the cloves. Pound them into coarse powder.

To the tamarind pulp add jaggery, sugar, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder& cloves and salt.

Put the mixture in a pan and heat for 5 minutes on medium heat.

Remove from heat and let it cool down.

This will tend to thicken up, so add a little warm water if it becomes too thick. 






Assembling the Pani puri:
 
Poke a small hole in the center of the puri
Add a tsp of potato and chana mixture in the middle of the puri.  Add a little of the red tamarind Chutney. Dip it in the spicy water / pour some spicy water in it and enjoy!!!


















There were some puri which were not puffed up. Icrushed all those puris in a bowl and added some potato chana filling and mixed it. then i added some tamarind chutney and a lot of spicywater and mixed it well in hands. Then added some onions and chat masala on top. It was so good and it was better than the one i had in shops.



http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.com/2009/06/announcing-indian-cooking-challenge.html

EGG&VEG NOODLES

Ingredients:
Noodles- 1packet
carrot- 1(shredded)
Capsicum- 1
Cabbage- 1cup
Onion- 1(big)
Egg- 3or4
Soy sauce- 2tsp
Chilli garlic sauce- 1tsp
Tomato ketchup- 1tsp
Ajinomotto
Salt
Pepper
Lemon juice

Preparation:

1. Boil the noodles in water along with some salt and oil. When it is cooked for 85% drain it in a colander and pour chill water over it and keep it aside
2.  Cut all the vegetables and onion into thin strips and use any vegetables of choice
3. . Add oil in a pan and heat it. When it is really hot put all the vegetables and onion together in the oil. Stir fry the vegetables in a high heat.
4. Add salt, ajinomotto, pepper and mix well
5. Add all the sauces and mix well.
6. Break all the eggs into a bowl and add little soya sayce and beat well
7. Scramble the beaten eggs in a pan and mix it with the vegetables.Add the boilednoodles and mix well
8. Garnish with spring onions or coriander leaves

CHILLI CHICKEN (INDO-CHINESE)

Ingredients:
Chicken(boneless)- 1kg
Salt
Pepper
One egg
Soy sauce
Corn flour - 2tbsp
Mix all the ingredients along with the chicken well and deep fry it in the oil and drain it and keep aside.

For the sauce:
Onion- 1(diced)
Capsicum- 1(diced)
Ginger and garlic(finely chopped)- 2tbsp
Soy sauce
Chilli sauce
Salt
Pepper
Ajinomotto
Sugar
Corn flour+water mixture

Preparation:

1. Add a little oil in a pan and heat it
2. Add broken red chillies and add ginger and garlic and saute well
3. Add onion and capsicum to it and cook it for a few min
4. Then add salt, pepper, ajinomotto, a pinch of sugar, chilli sauce and soy sauce and mix well
5. Then add a cup of water and allow it to a boil
6. Add the fried chicken and mix well until the chicken gets coated well
7. Add 2-3tsp of cornflour+water mixture and boil it until the sauce thickens and switch off
Add some spring onions on top and serve it with fried rice