Crispy Vegetarian Samosa

 

Ingredients(Serves 6)

For cover

• 1 1/4 cup refined flour
• salt to taste
• 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter

For Filling

• 2 large potatoes boiled(slightly mashed with a spoon)
• 1 tsp crushed dried cumin seeds( to dry put on a low heated frying pan for a while.Crush with rolling pin)
• 1/2 tsp crushed dried pomegranate seeds(to dry put on a low heated frying pan for a while.Crush with rolling pin)
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 tbsp tamarind paste
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter(for stir frying)
• 3 green chilies chopped finely

How to go about it(Cover)

• Knead the flour, clarified butter and salt with a little water to make a firm dough. Cover this with a wet  cloth and set aside while we prepare our filling.

How to go about it( Filling)

• Set a frying pan on medium heat. Add the clarified butter. Add the potatoes and the rest of the ingredients in this pan. Stir for a while. Then dish out the filling.

A Step by step on how to put together the samosa

Here’s the filling

Divide your dough in lemon sized balls(just a bit larger than that).Then roll out each ball

Cut in two  halves

Fold into cones

Stuff the cones with filling

Make a back-bone of the samosa.This helps it stand.

Now overlap the side with backbone to the front side. Press to close the samosa

You have a samosa that stands

Deep fry all samosas .Initially fry on medium heat for 5 minutes. This will cook the dough inside out.

Then raise heat levels, and on high flame, cook until brown and crispy.

Crispy Vegetarian Samosa http://t.co/YeHQ2tmEbf

— Ayesha Jamal (@CWAtweeter) February 28, 2014

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Spicy Potato Cutlets (Aalo kebabs)

 I’m not very fond of  vegetarian dishes but these potato cutlets( or ‘aalo  kebabs’) are the best thing ever ,being vegetarian as well. They do very well inside a vegetarian burger, or with tortillas, parathas ,naan, with bread or on their own. Taste best when served with spicy mint-coriander chutney or with ketchup.This recipe makes an anticipated weekly appearance on our table despite my family comprising majorly of meat lovers……so yes, both non-vegetarians and vegetarians love these! 

What You Need(serves 6)

• 1/2 kg potatoes (boiled)
• 2 Green chilies chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh coriander leaves chopped
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 1 onion sliced
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp ginger garlic paste
• 1/2 tsp ground chili 
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1-2 eggs beaten
• (vegetable )oil to fry
• Gram flour(Or All-purpose flour)

How To Go About It

• Heat the vegetable oil on medium heat in a wok/frying pan.
• In a bowl mix the potatoes and all the ingredients(Except gram flour and eggs).  Take a spoon and mix thoroughly to make a mash. It is essential that no food processor/kitchenaid etc be used since it may over process the ingredients so cutlets won’t be able to hold their shape up.
• Then use your hands to shape the potato mix into kebabs/cutlets.
• Before frying each kabob, dip each one first in beaten egg(s) then coat in gram flour.
• Put each cutlet into the hot oil.
• Deep fry till crispy and golden-brown.
• Serve with mint coriander chutney or ketchup.
  

  This is how the mash should look like
  

  

   

Sweet Pea and Feta Cheese Pasta Salad

Salad Sunday #1               

Healthier. Eating healthy. Healthy Living……. A huge list of these ‘healthy’ titles have taken over the internet. This healthy living is like a disease that people are catching. Even myself. Yes, Ayesha who basically runs away from most H words, except Hershey’s. But to be honest, these past few days I’ve been wondering if I should lead a healthier life style. That means REDUCING high calorie foods from my everyday life. Notice that I said reducing and not ERADICATING? Yep, I’m going to have high calorie stuff, but not  too much. Just now and then. This is not about weight(okay, so maybe it’s about that one pound I’ve gained in the last week), it’s about health. It’s about…errr……feeling good. It’s about feeling happy. (Let’s be serious, I can’t be all those until I get chocolate). Anyway weight is important to me. I don’t want to look like a pear or a football in near future(Those who feel good looking like that please don’t feel offended.By all means eat what you like. It’s just me I’m talking about.Personal opinions, you see?) So this is a Betty Crocker recipe I’ve modified to suit my own taste. All I can say is that when it comes to salads, It’s one of the tastiest.

Prep Time:25 min

Servings:6

•  3 cups Farfalle (bow-tie) pasta(8 oz)
• 2 cups frozen sweet peas(12 oz bag)
• 2 tbsp chopped parsley
• 1 egg boiled cut into cubes( Yolk discarded)
• 3/4 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 cup feta cheese grated (4 oz)
• 1 clove garlic finely chopped
• 1/4 cup olive oil

• Cook and drain pasta as directed on the package, adding frozen peas during the last 4 minutes of cooking time. Rinse with cool water and drain.
• In a salad bowl toss all ingredients together except olive oil. Drizzle olive oil after the salad is made.

Per serving: 310 calories  

I will be posting one salad recipe every Sunday. I’ll have these salads in place of lunch, so they have to taste good. So yeah, will need to think  a bit for that. Hopefully,I ‘ll remember to  post Salad Sunday #2 next week. 

Falafel- Middle Eastern Food

       Falafel is one of my very first memories of Saudi Arabia. And even now whenever I go there, I still have Falafel every other day. Sometimes on its on and on the other times in a Falafel Sandwich. The best part about it is the crunchy exterior and the comparatively soft interior( errr…….I’m not sounding like a foodie here. Rather like some interior designer describing a house). I’m fascinated by middle eastern recipes. And have learnt how to make hummus, falafel,babousa,mutabbaq etc, just by observing their kitchen counter action over many years. Anyway, just writing about is it bringing about nostalgia. I wish I could fly over there right now, in the middle of a very busy year.

Ingredients(For 15 falafel)

• 1 1/2  cup chickpeas(After having soaked overnight)
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic 
• 1 1/2 tbsp flour
• 1  tsp salt
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1/2 tsp red pepper
• Vegetable oil for frying

How to go about it

• Put all the ingredients in a food processor and process them. However, do not over process.
• Make balls (size as per desire) of the processed meal.
• Deep fry in a wok/pan till golden brown.(On Medium heat).
• Serve with  whipped yogurt or mint-coriander chutney. Or in a Falafel Sandwich.