Air-Fryer Crispy Potatoes- A simple & elegant side dish with rice!!!

My friend (Subha), who is a great cook always makes these fried potatoes but not in air-fryer. She used to  saute the cubed potatoes in little oil till they turn golden and crispier. Ones, when I went to her house, I had it which reminded me of my mom's potatoes, who makes exactly like these. But whenever I tried making them at home, they would never turn out perfect. Either I had to add lots of oil as potatoes absorb oil or they got burnt. I used to think, the dish which doesn't take much time to make has become complicated for me.

Then one day I tried making them in air-fryer which doesn't require much oil and ta-da, they turned out perfect. I started making them frequently as my family loves the dish. Air-fryer does some kind of magic on potatoes. Crispy out side and perfectly soft inside. These are the most addicting side dish. I am sure that everybody might know how to make these but I realized that with less/ no oil we can make these perfect. Try this easy dish and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes( washed & cubed)- 3Cups
2. Red Chili powder- 1 tbsp
3. Turmeric Powder- 1 tsp
4. Salt- as required
5. Oil- 1 tbsp
6. Sambhar powder- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Toss all the powders along with cubed potatoes and oil in a bowl.
2. Place these potatoes in the air-fryer basket and cook at 370 degrees F for 15- 20 minutes. The potatoes will turn golden in color.
3. Enjoy this with warm rice and rasam.

leftover Turkey Potato Cutlets

Our friends came over for Thanksgiving and together we cooked a thanksgiving dinner by baking the turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes and Apple pie. The turkey was huge, mostly we finished within 3- 4 days but the remaining I kept it frozen as I was thinking of making something later. Then as the kids take lunch for school, one day I decided to finish the turkey by making cutlets which I usually make with chicken.

Ones it's done, the cutlets came out delicious with the right amount of spices and the potatoes. We can add any spice powders from the pantry. These can also be used as patties for burgers or can be stuffed into wraps. In which ever way, these cutlets taste delicious and will be liked by all. Try this recipe and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Minced Left over Turkey- 2 Cups
2. Onions ( cghopped)- 1
3. Ginger Garlic pate- 1tbsp
4. Red Chili Powder- 1tsp
5. Turmeric Powder- 1tsp
6. Garam Masala powder- 1 tsp
7. Oil- 1 tbsp
8. Salt- as required
9. Boiled Potatoes - 3 

For Coating:

• Egg- 2

Method:

1. Heat oil in a pan. When hot add the onions, fry till they become translucent.
2. Add the ginger garlic paste, stir till the raw smell disappers. Add the red chili powder, salt, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and the minced turkey. Mix well and switch off the flame. Let it cool.
3. When cooled add the boiled mashed potatoes in the turkey mixture, mix well and make small balls and flatten the balls. Flatten the  remaining turkey potato mixture.
4. Break eggs in a bowl and mix with salt and keep it ready.
5. Heat a griddle with 1 tbsp of oil, dip each flattened mixture into the eggs and place them on the hot griddle and cook till done. 5-8 minutes on each side. Enjoy warm cutlets along with evening tea or as a side dish with rice or simply just like that.

Sabudana Vada/ Crispy Sago (Tapioca Pearls) Fritters

Sabudana Vada / Tapioca Pearl Fritters are a most popular Indian snack which is liked by all. This is a traditional dish of Maharashtra, which is made during the time of fasting/ vrat for festivals, as this dish doesn't contain any onions or garlic. An easy and a simple snack which can be prepared in a less time if everything is well planned ahead.

These super delicious snacks are crispy from outside and soft from inside. Sago / Tapioca pearl is pure carbohydrate, the addition of peanuts to sago adds to the protein content, making it a balanced meal.
The popular things which can be made using sago are sabudana kichdi and sabudana kheer.  A little preparation ahead like soaking the sago overnight, boiled, peeled and mashed potatoes, roasting and coarsely grinding the peanuts make the work easy. This vada/ fritter is often enjoyed with spicy green chutney and a hot tea. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Tapioca Pearls/ Sabudana- 1 Cup
2. Boiled Potatoes- 2 nos
3. Roasted & Coarsely grind Peanuts- 1/2 Cup
4. Green Chillies- 2 nos
5. Red Chili Powder- 1 Tsp
6. Coriander Powder- 1 Tsp
7. Cumin Powder- 1/2 tsp
8. Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
9. Salt- as required
10. Oil- for shallow frying

Method:

1. Soak the tapioca pearls overnight. They turn soft after soaking overnight, drain and keep this aside.
2. In a mixing bowl add the mashed potatoes, powdered peanuts along with the drained tapioca pearls. Mix well.
3. Add the chopped green chilies, cumin powder, red chili powder, coriander powder, lemon juice and required amount of salt. Mix all the ingredients well.
4. Divide them into small portions and flatten them in the shape of round patties.
5. Fry these patties in medium hot oil. When they turn golden on one side flip and cook till done. drain on kitchen towels and enjoy a nice evening snack with friends and family.  

Baked Potato and Quinoa cakes along with a Yogurt Dip

This past week, I was little busy with my daughter's birthday. It was a unicorn themed birthday. I will make a post about it some other time. Nowadays Ramadhan fasting is going on in full swing. At home, my mom makes delicious, mouthwatering appetizers for iftar. It would be a nice gathering of family members during iftar.

Here in the US, I will be trying to make daily different varieties of dishes during iftar time. One among them is this potato and quinoa cakes. I got the recipe from Healthy Living James, which has a collection of healthy and nutritious food, which I like to google always. The recipes on the blog are so simple and less time-consuming.

These potatoes and quinoa cakes are so easy to make. Boil the quinoa and potatoes, mix them along with the spices and bake them till done. A healthy and delicious snack will be ready within minutes.
Ingredients:

1. Boiled Quinoa- 1/2 Cup
2. Boiled Potatoes- 3 nos
3. Onions(chopped)- 2 nos
4. Garlic (minced)- 4nos
5. Olive Oil- 3tbsp
6. Paprika- 1tsp
7. Red Chilli Flakes- 2tsp
8. Lemon Juice- 1
9. Cilantro- handful
10. Salt- as required

Method:

1. Add oil to a pan, saute the chopped onions and garlic till translucent. Add the paprika, chili flakes.
2. Meanwhile mash the potatoes in a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients along with the above-made d onions- garlic mixture. Mix well, shape in the form of patties.
3. Arrange them in a baking tray, spray some olive oil on top and bake for about 40 minutes. Flip in between. Enjoy the yogurt dip.

Yogurt Dip:

1. Yogurt- 1 Cup
2. Lemon Juice- 1/2 lime
3. Chilli Flakes- 2 Tsp
4. Cilantro- few
5. Salt- as required

Method:

• Mix everything and serve.

Amaranth Leaf Patties/ Cheera Cutlet/ Thotakoora Cutlet

Amaranth leaves are power packed with lots and lots of vitamins, minerals, iron and so on. These greens form an integral part of Indian Cuisine. As these leaves are loaded with nutrients and proteins, I will make sure to include these greens in almost everything I make.
Amaranth leaves also called as Cheera in our language is a staple green at our place. My mom makes different varieties of dishes with these greens. Because of that, I like them a lot in any form. When we came to the US, these greens were seldom in Indian stores. But when we get this, I buy then in a bulk and so I will wash and chop them and keep it in airtight containers in the refrigerator.  My friends who are close to me, know very well about my love for greens.

Recently for a get-together, I thought of making cutlets using these leaves.  I made these cutlets for the first time, which turned out delicious and my friends liked them a lot. 
Sauting these leaves along with spices and mixing with boiled potatoes, which is then dipped in maida batter and bread crumbs, fried to a nice golden color. is the way to make perfect and scrumptious patties which I think you all might like to try. Let me know how it turned out.

Ingredients:

1. Amaranth Leaves (chopped)- 2 Cups
2.  Potatoes (Boiled and Mashed)- 3/4 Cup
3. Oil- 1 tbsp
4. Onions( chopped)- 1 no
5. Ginger and Garlic Paste- 1 tbsp
6. Red Cilli powder- 1 Tsp
7. Turmeric powder- 1 Tsp
8. Garam Masala Powder- 1 Tsp
9. Salt- as required
10. All-Purpose Flour- 1 tbsp
11. Water- 1/4 Cup
12. Bread Crumbs- 1 Cup
13. Oil- 4- 5 tbsp (for shallow frying)

Method:

1. Mix the Maida in water without any lumps and keep this aside. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate for later use.
2. Heat oil in a pan, add the chopped onions and stir fry till it turns translucent. Add the ginger- garlic paste along with the chopped amaranth leaves. Mix well.
3. Add all the powders along with required amount of salt. Saute well till the leaves get cooked. For about 10 minutes on low flame.
4. Transfer this to a mixing bowl along with boiled potatoes. Mix till everything gets well blended.
5. Shape them in the form of patties. Dip each pattie in the maida batter and press them on the bread crumbs and shallow fry them in oil on a low flame till golden color on both the sides.

Aloo Parata/ Potato Stuffed Indian Bread

Aloo paratha is a popular Indian stuffed bread, which is very filling and will be loved by all. This can be prepared very easily, as all the ingredients added to the stuffing are very easily available in our kitchen pantries.

This is a flatbread made of whole wheat flour, which is stuffed with a potato filling and cooked until golden brown. This aloo paratha is a delicious and versatile dish, which we can have any time of the day. This is a complete meal in itself. this tastes great when served with raita or pickle. This is a perfect lunch box meal for kids. Potato is very filling as it is high in carbs.

I make this often as my daughter likes it a lot. Street vendors in India sell these aloo parathas along with a big chunk of butter or curd on the side. We can add mint, coriander leaves, ginger- garlic paste in the stuffing but I made it simple. Hope you may like this. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

1. Whole Wheat Flour- 2 Cups
2. Oil- 2 tbsp
3. salt- as required
4. Water - to knead

For the stuffing:

1. Potatoes (boiled and peeled)- 3 nos
2. Carom Seeds/ Ajwain- 1 tbsp
3. Red Chili Powder- 1 tbsp
4. Salt- as required
5. Finely Chopped Coriander Leaves(optional)- 2-3 tbsp

Method:

1. Knead the whole wheat flour along with oil, salt and required amount of water till it forms a soft, smooth dough. Keep this aside.
2. Meanwhile make the stuffing by mashing the boiled potatoes along with carom seeds, red chili powder, chopped coriander leaves and salt in a mixing bowl.
3. Make small balls out of the dough and roll them with a rolling pin into circular discs.
4. Place a 2 tbsp of the potato filling in the center of the disc and wrap the stuffing by lifting all the sides of the dough into a ball and roll them again using a rolling pin slowly or else the stuffing will come out.
5. Place it on a hot tawa or a nonstick pan and cook on medium flame. Spread a tbsp of oil on both sides of the paratha and cook till both the sides turn golden brown.
6. Enjoy hot aloo parathas with curd.

Pani Puri with Homemade Puris

Pani Puri is one of my favorite chaats from childhood. Whenever we go out, we used to thoroughly enjoy the chaat from the roadside street vendors. In every nook and corner, you can see a pani puri stall. We used to have competition, as who will have more puris. Every Indian like pani puri to the core. It is said that this not only satisfies your taste buds but also keeps the kid in you alive.

Once during fasting time, in Bangalore, after breaking the fast I had 30- 35 pani puris without eating anything. I like to have them anytime of the day.

After coming to the US it has become very rare to find pani puri. We will get the pani puri kit in all the Indian stores. I started making it from scratch as we don’t find the puris most of the time in stores. My daughter loves it a lot. She won’t eat anything else if pani puri is there for snacks.

Pani puris have different names like the puchkas, gol gappas and so on. Pani means water and puri are the fried puffed dough balls.

Yesterday was my son’s 3rd birthday and so I called two of my friends and families for a small get together. The menu everything was well decided but got stuck with starters. Then the thought of pani puri came to me as everyone likes them and so I decided to serve pani puri as starters. I made everything ready and before the guests came, I filled the puris with the potato- garbanzo stuffing and kept it along with the mint- coriander water. When they came it was easy for them, just to dip the puris in the water and gulp it. I didn’t make the water spicy as the kids would find it difficult to have. I didn’t make the tamarind- dates chutney as this starter was planned at the last moment and so no time to buy dates. But without that chutney also this tasted perfect. Everyone enjoyed the starters well.

I didn't make the puris for the birthday, as its the last minute idea of making the starter. I got it from the store. I have posted the recipe of puris, which I made last time. Go, make it and eat it. You will feel much better….

Ingredients:

For Puris:

1. Semolina/ Sooji- 1 Cup
2. All Purpose Flour- 1 Tsp
3. Salt- as required
4. Baking Soda- ¼ tsp
5. Water- as required for kneading
6. Oil- 2 tbsp deep frying

Method:

1. In a mixing bowl, take the semolina along with salt, all-purpose flour, 2 tbsp oil and mix well using fingers, so that everything gets incorporated well.
2. Add water little by little and begin to knead. Semolina absorbs water, add water accordingly and knead well.
3. The dough is not too hard or soft. The texture of the dough should be important. After kneading well the dough will form elastic. Gluten strands need to be formed.
4. Cover the dough with a moist cloth, let it rest for 30 minutes. Roll the dough on a clean countertop. Roll it very thin.
5. Cut into small rounds, using a small lid or a cutter. Keep this aside. Roll the remaining dough and repeat the same process till everything is finished.
6. Heat oil and deep fry the above made small round puris. The oil should hot then only the puris will puff. Once they puff up, cook over a medium flame until crisp.

Preparing for Pani Puri:

• Puris- 20- 30 nos
• Tamarind- dates Chutney- 1 small bowl (optional)

For the filling:

1. Potatoes- 3 big nos (boiled and peeled)
2. Garbanzo- 1 Cup (boiled)
3. Onions- 2 nos(Chopped)
4. Chaat Masala Powder- 1 tbsp
5. Lemon Juice- 1 tbsp
6. Amchur Powder- 1 tbsp
7. Salt- as required
8. Red Chilli Powder- 1 tbsp
9. Coriander leaves- 2 tbsp (chopped finely)

Method:

• Mash the potatoes and garbanzo together. Take all the other ingredients in a bowl and mix well and keep this aside.

For the Mint and Coriander Water/ Pani:

1. Coriander Leaves- 1 bunch
2. Mint Leaves- 1 Bunch
3. Ginger- 1 tbsp (grated)
4. Lemon Juice- 2 tbsp
5. Salt- as required
6. Green Chillies- 3 nos
7. Cumin Powder- 1 tbsp
8. Chaat Masala Powder- 1 tbsp

Method:

1. Grind the coriander leaves, mint leaves along with green chilies, ginger and lemon juice by adding little water.
2. When they become paste, Pour this in a big bowl along with 3 Cups of water.
3. Mix along with cumin powder, salt, and chaat masala powder. Let this chill in the refrigerator for some time.

Assembling the pani puri:

1. Crack top of the above-made puris carefully with your thumb.

1. Add 1 tbsp of the potato- garbanzo filling in the puri. Drizzle a drop of tamarind-date chutney. (adding this chutney is optional. Without this chutney also the pani puri will taste amazing)

1. Stir the mint- coriander pani and pour a tbsp of the water in the puri and enjoy an amazing delicious chaat.

1. Repeat the above process with the remaining puris and serve immediately.