Peas/ Matar kachori

My daughter is a big poori and paratha fan, who always want either one of these in her lunch box. I used to search different varieties of parathas and one day when I visited a friend, she gave us aloo/ potato kachori, which was flaky, crispy and tasty. We all ended up eating more than two kachoris, which was impossible. Remembering that, as I didn’t have potatoes at home, I tried kachori using peas filling which were so yummy and delicious. These peas kachoris have become a hit among our guests. They are so easy to make and so delicious that everyone will like these.

Peas/ mater kachori is a crisp, flaky texture with flavorful peas filling. Adding amchur/ dry mango powder gives a nice tanginess which can be replaced with lemon juice. This can be had as a snack or as a breakfast.

In this, the green peas filling is made along with the spices and stuffed in maida which is rolled to a flatbread and deep fried.  

Ingredients:

1. All Purpose Flour- 1 Cup
2. Whole Wheat Flour- ¼ Cup
3. Salt- as required
4. Ghee- 1 tbsp
5. Water- required to knead

For the filling:

1. Green Peas- 1 Cup
2. Green chili - ginger Paste- 2 tbsp
3. Red Chilli powder- 1 tbsp
4. Turmeric powder- 1 tsp
5. Dry mango powder- 1 tsp
6. Chaat masala powder- 1 tsp
7. Salt- as required
8. Oil- 1 tbsp
9. Cumin seeds- 1 tbsp
10. Fennel powder- 1 tsp
11. Gram flour/ Besan- 2 tbsp
12. Oil- for deep frying

Method:

1. Take the flours, ghee, salt and required the amount of water in a mixing bowl and knead to a smooth dough. Keep this aside covered with a damp cloth.
2. For the filling:
3. Boil the green peas till done, drain, mash them coarsely and keep this aside.
4. Heat oil, splutter cumin seeds. Add the ginger- green chili paste and stir well.
5. Add the red chili powder, turmeric powder, dry mango powder, chaat masala powder, fennel powder, and salt. Stir.
6. Add the gram flour along with the boiled and mashed peas and saute for 5 minutes. Switch off the flame.

For the Kachoris:

1. Make an equal number of balls from the dough. Roll and spread the dough ball using a rolling pin.
2. Add 2 tbsp of the stuffing in the middle and bring the edges to the center and pinch them. Roll and shape them into circular discs and repeat with the remaining.
3. Heat the oil in a big pan for frying. Drop the kachoris and fry till they become golden brown and crisp.
4. Serve them along with tamarind chutney or green chutney or along with your favorite pickle.

Paneer( cottage cheese) Puffs

Puffs are the most popular snacks in India. We can see these crispy, flaky savory pastries in almost all the bakeries in India and which is liked by many along with their evening tea. When we were in India, we used to buy a lot of different varieties of filling in puff pastries.

Today I have made puffs with paneer filling. These are super simple to made and they are amazingly delicious. All you need to have is puff pastry sheets and paneer. You can also make the filling and shape them in triangles and store in the freezer. Whenever required remove the puffs from the freezer, thaw them till soft and bake till it gets cooked well. An appetizing snack which will be loved by all.

You can make puff pastry filling using chicken, mutton, vegetables of your choice or eggs. Egg Puffs are the most popular ones in India. I have posted about egg puffs long bake in my blog. In the US, we will get the veg puffs only in Indian store but not very frequently and to fulfill our desire of eating hot puffs, I will be making this regularly with different fillings which I mentioned above and this time it is with paneer. Hope you all will like this. Please try this out and let me know

Ingredients:

1. Cottage Cheese/ Paneer- 1 Cup
2. Green chilies- 3 nos
3. Onions- 1 no
4. Cumin Seeds- 1 tsp
5. Grated Ginger- 1 tbsp
6. Coriander Powder- 1 tsp
7. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
8. Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
9. Cumin Powder- 1 tsp
10. Garam Masala- 1 tsp
11. Lemon Juice- ½ tbsp
12. Oil- 1 tbsp
13. Fresh Cilantro( chopped)- 1 tbsp  

Method:

1. Thaw the puff pastry until it comes to room temperature and becomes soft.
2. Meanwhile, chop the onions and green chilies. Heat oil and splutter cumin seeds, add the onions and green chilies.
3. Saute until translucent, add the grated ginger when the raw smells disappear add the spice powders and stir till everything gets blended.
4. At last, add the grated paneer and required amount of salt with a dash of lemon juice and chopped cilantro. Mix and keep this aside.
5. Cut the thawed puff pastry sheets into squares and in each square place a tbsp of the paneer mixture in the middle and fold the sheets in the form of a triangle. Press the sides of the sheets so that the filling won’t come out while baking.
6. Arrange the prepared triangle puffs on a parchment paper and bake them for about 15- 20 minutes or till top gets browned. When done, cool them and serve along with tomato ketchup or just enjoy with hot tea.

Minced Chicken Burgers

Nothing can beat a simple homemade burger on a lovely cold evening in the comforts of your home. Rather than store bought burgers, the burgers which you make at home with much fewer calories can be enjoyed without any guilt.

All you need is to blend the minced chicken along with spices, dipped in egg and shallow fried, which will make a delicious burger pattie. This will make a perfect school lunch or for parties. This can be prepared within no time if you have all the ingredients with you. This can be ate just like that without sandwiching in the bun. Kids will enjoy them.

You can top the patties with mayonnaise/ ranch dressing/ guacamole or anything of your choice. You can also add a slice of cheese or even sour cream. Hope you all will like this. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Burger Buns- 6 nos
2. Minced Chicken- 2 Cups
3. Onions- 1 no
4. Garlic- 3 cloves
5. Green Chillies- 3 nos
6. Coriander Leaves- few
7. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tbsp
8. Garam Masala Powder- 1 tsp
9. Pepper Powder- 1 tsp
10. Salt- as required
11. Oil- for shallow frying
12. Egg- 1 no
13. Cucumber slices- 2 nos
14. Lettuce Leaves- 1 bunch
15. Onions( sliced)- 1 no

Method:

1. Wash and drain the kheema in a colander.
2. Take the drained chicken mince, coriander leaves, onions, garlic, green chilies, red chili powder, garam masala powder, pepper powder and salt in a food processor and process for about 2- 3 minutes, till all gets blended well.
3. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a bowl. Shape the above-blended chicken mixture into round balls and flatten it out in the shape of pattie and dip them in the beaten egg.
4. Repeat with the remaining chicken mixture. Heat a griddle with oil and shallow fry the patties till crisp and golden.
5. Slice the burger buns from the middle and place them on the griddle till they become soft.
6. Place one-half of a bun, over that place the lettuce leaf, sliced onion, and cucumber. On top place the chicken pattie and on top of that a spoon full of ranch dressing or anything of your choice. Sandwich with the other half of the bun and dig into the heavenly burger.

Spinach and Cottage Cheese Samosa/ Palak paneer Samosa

I have not been active in this space for some time now. I missed my blog space a lot. I had a lovely short trip to my brother’s place in Ohio and so I couldn’t blog from there, (which I planned to) as I was enjoying with my lovely niece and naughty nephew. This whole time, I didn’t cook anything, as I was enjoying my Sister- in law's amazing dishes. In some of my previous blog posts, I have mentioned about her dishes like the chocolate roll cake and the baked apple roses. As now I have returned, everything is back to normal. I started my routine and so after the break, the post which I thought would be perfect was this snack which is everyone's favorite.

We all know that spinach and paneer is an amazing combination in Indian curries. So I thought why not try it out in our favorite samosas. Samosas are deep fried snacks, which has a filling of meat/ vegetables. Samosas are one of the most common snacks in India. They are very special during the month of Ramadan, which is eaten as an iftar snack. These are easy to make, only difficult part is to make the dough and shaping them into a cone, but if you have spring roll sheets then within minutes an amazingly delicious snack will be ready to eat.

Ingredients:

For the Filling:

1. Spinach- a small bunch
2. Cottage Cheese- ½ Cup
3. Garam Masala Powder- ½ tsp
4. Oil- 1 tbsp
5. Onions (chopped)- 1 no
6. Green Chillies (chopped finely)- 2 nos
7. Ginger (crushed)- 1 tbsp
8. Garlic (chopped)- 1 tbsp
9. Cumin powder- 1 tsp
10. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tsp
11. Coriander powder- 1 tsp
12. Turmeric powder- ½ tsp
13. Oil- for deep frying

For the Dough:

1. All Purpose flour- 11/2 Cups
2. Salt- as required
3. Melted butter- 2 tbsp
4. Ajwain/ caraway seeds- 1 tbsp
5. Water- required to knead the dough

Method:

1. In a bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, salt, melted butter along with required amount of water into a smooth dough. Cover with a damp cloth and let it rest for some time.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a pan, saute the onions. When they turn translucent, add the ginger, garlic and green chilies.
3. Saute till the raw smell disappears. Add the chopped spinach, stir till it becomes soft. Add the crushed cottage cheese and mix well till everything gets blended well.
4. In the above add the garam masala powder, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, and salt. Mix and switch off the flame.
5. Divide the above-made dough into small round balls of 12- 15.
6. Using a rolling pin, roll the dough balls into small round discs, cut into half, water the straight edge and join the edges to make a cone. Press gently to seal the edges.take a spoon full of the filling and place it inside. Seal the other end and press gently make sure that the filling doesn’t come out.
7. Repeat with the remaining dough and the filling. When all the samosas are ready, heat oil for deep frying and fry the made samosas till golden brown. When they are done drain on a kitchen tissue and serve hot along with tomato ketchup or green chutney.