Kanda Bhaji Recipe

 Kanda Bhaji Recipe

Kanda Bhaji is deep fried onion fritters. These are made with besan or gram flour, onion and a few spices. These are a perfect tea time snack.

 Especially for a monsoon evening, kanda bhaji and a hot cup of tea is a just perfect combination. Let’s learn to make crispy, crunchy and easy kanda bhaji.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup Besan / Chickpea flour
• 2 tsp Rice flour
• 1/2 tsp Red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp Ajwain / Carom seeds
• Salt to taste
• A pinch Baking soda
• Water
• Sliced and separated Onion
• Finely chopped Coriander leaves

INSTRUCTIONS

• In a bowl, take besan.
• Add rice flour, red chili powder, turmeric powder, ajwain, salt, and baking soda. Mix well.
• Rice flour makes bhaji crispy and its crisp lasts longer.
• Ajwain makes bhaji a lighter on the stomach.
• Do not add more soda or bhaji will absorb more oil.
• Add a little water at a time and make the batter.
• The batter should neither be too thick nor too thin. It should have a medium consistency.
• Mix the batter well with the help of whisk for at least 4-5 minutes.
• Add sliced onion. Make thin slices of onion and separate them.
• Add finely chopped coriander and mix well.
• The batter should get mixed well with onion.
• Cover and rest it for about 15-20 minutes.
• Try to rest the batter for at least 30-45 minutes.
• Heat up oil in a pan. When the oil is enough hot, drop bhaji with the help of fork in hot oil.
• Mix the batter well before dropping bhaji in hot oil.
• Fry until they get a nice color.
• After frying for about 3-4 minutes on medium heat, flip them over.
• Fry from another side as well for about 3-4 minutes.
• After frying bhaji on medium heat for about 7-8 minutes, take them out, drain excess oil, and put them on tissue paper.
• Kanda bhaji is already.

Sweet Corn Bhel | Corn Chaat

Sweet Corn Bhel is a tremendous no-cook snack variation from the regular bhel we find on the streets of India. This sweet corn bhel is extremely quick and easy to make. It gives a burst of tang and zest to your tongues.

This bhel recipe has more to offer than the roasted sweet corn you eat from the street vendors. There is a promising delight for you with this corn bhel. You will get loads of flavours and an enjoyable experience.

It is perfect for everyone but most of all, for the kids. Besides, it is one of the best ways to make the kids eat vegetables.

What is Bhel?

In general, bhel is a quick street snack, including puffed rice as the main ingredient. It also consists of vegetables and a tangy tamarind sauce and has a crunchy texture. They range in flavours from sweet, savoury, sour to tangy.

Bhel is a very famous chaat all over India and is available in different varieties. But most of all, it is consumed on the Chowpaty beach of Mumbai as “Bhelpuri”. Hence it is also considered beach food.

Bhel comes in two types-one is sukhi or dry bhel, and another is wet bhel. However, we call this simply bhel and not as geeli bhel. The only difference between these is that dry bhel does not consist of chutneys or liquid sauces. In general, dry bhel consists of fewer ingredients.

This sweet corn is a nice change to it and something fresh. The best part is that it will be ready in a snap of your fingers. It is that quick!

Corn is certainly one of the most versatile food products we have. Boiled and roasted, it has been used in salads, soups, snacks, and even maggie noodles. So this is one more significant result of its versatility.

Ingredients For Sweet Corn Bhel

The ingredients we need to prepare this dish are readily available in your pantry. Hence, whenever you feel like something filling yet light, you will have everything on hand to make this.

• Corn – The base ingredient in this recipe. Choose the one with larger kernels and juicy ones. The sweetness in the bhel will be from the natural sweetness of the corn.
• Water – This will be for boiling the corn and nothing else.
• Vegetables – Cucumber, onions, and tomato are the vegetables we are using in the bhel. They go well together. And a little bit of chopped coriander to top it all up. Generally, boiled potatoes are also used in bhel, but we are omitting that. So it is up to you if you want to have that.
• Spices – Salt, red chilli powder, red pepper powder we are using here. It will give a great flavour burst. You can add some other spices if you like.
• Lemon Juice & Chaat Masala – Both of these are for some extra tanginess and fun for your taste buds.

Some more ingredients like pomegranate seeds, sev, and Bundi are also added to make this bhel irresistible for your senses. Pomegranate will also add to the natural sweetness.

Preparing Sweet Corn Bhel

Making this bhel is super easy and quick. As we mentioned before, it is a no-cook recipe. So the only cooking here will be boiling the sweet corn.

To do that, take a deep vessel, add water, sweet corn, and boil it till soft. Once boiled, drain the hot water, peel off the corn.

Now, all you need to do is, in a large bowl, add corns, all the vegetables, spices, pomegranate, and the remaining ingredients. Then, give them an excellent mixing.

Lastly, squeeze the lemon juice and sprinkle chaat masala. Mix thoroughly once again. And it is done! See how easy it was!

You can endlessly experiment with this recipe with different ingredients. You can even add puffed rice and crush papdi like in the classic bhel recipe—a nice crunch in your mouth. Raw mango, if available, will make an excellent addition to this recipe. It will enhance the tanginess in the bhel.

Add chutneys and sauces if you want to have wet bhel and make it more flavoursome.

Go ahead and treat your taste buds with this beautiful chaat.

Fish Butter Fry

Fish Butter Fry

 Fish Fry was once the most favourite entrée dish in Bengali menu for any Bengali marriage function. Where bhetki (barramundi) fish was marinated then dipped in egg wash and coated in bread crumb and deep fried in mustard oil. Later this Fish Fry was replaced with Fish Batter Fry or Fish Orly. Where marinated fish is dipped in flour-egg batter and deep fried in oil. It is normally served with tomato ketchup and green salad in marriage function but ideally it should be served with potato fries and tartar sauce. I have tried and tested many recipes for this crispy layer. Finally it is the recipe which gives a nice brown crispy layer, I’m sharing today. I have used ‘Bhetki’ fish here you can use any other white fish. It is ideal to be served as entrée to any party. Try to use fresh fish fillet rather frozen one. There was some leftover batter. So I made some onion rings too. And those were loved by all too. Here goes the recipe of crispy Fish Batter Fry ….

Ingredients

500 gms Barramundi or Bhetki Fillet – (Cut into squares)

1 tsp Ginger Paste

2 tsps Garlic Paste

1 ½ tsps Black Pepper Powder

1 tsp Green Chilli and Coriander Paste

1 tsp Lemon Juice

¼ cup All Purpose Flour

¼ cup Corn Flour

1 – 2 (Depending on the size) Egg

Chilled Water

½ Baking Soda

To taste Salt

Vegetable Oil – For deep frying

Methods and Instruction

1. Marinate the fish fillets with ginger paste, garlic paste, chilli-coriander paste, lemon juice, ½ tsp black pepper powder for 1 hour in refrigerator.
2. In a mixing bowl mix in flour, corn flour, pepper powder, salt, baking soda and 1 egg.
3. Mix well Now add chilled water a little at a time to make a smooth thick batter.
4. Heat oil in the kadai or deep frying pan. Once you can see smoke leaving the kadai – drop a small amount of batter in oil. If it comes up on the top then the oil is ready to fry the fish.
5. Now deep the fish fillets in the batter. Batter should coat the fish properly on both sides. Do not over crowd. Fry 1 or 2 battered fish fillets at a time.
6. Fry till both the sides are fried brown and crispy. Once brown – remove and keep on kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
7. Serve hot with tartar sauce and green salad.

Noodles Pakora or Noodles Fritters

 Noodles Pakora or Noodles Fritters

Crispy and crunchy noodles pakora or fritters…

Turn noodles into a delicious appetizer or evening snack. While browsing for fancy noodle recipes, I stumbled upon the recipes for making noodles pakora. I’m quite impressed by this idea and this was exactly the kind of recipe I was searching for.

I used cooked chow mein noodles, you could use any kind of noodles. Also added shredded cabbage and onion along with Indian spices and gram flour. Made into small balls and deep fried till golden brown. It was very crispy outside and soft inside. Without a doubt, this will make a perfect appetizer or evening snack that will be devoured by both kids and adults. Hop into the kitchen and let the frying begin…

Ingredients

• Chow mein noodles, cooked- 1 cup
• Shredded cabbage- 1 cup
• Onion, minced- 1, small sized onion
• Chili powder- ¾ to 1 tsp (less spicy add ¾ tsp)
• Turmeric powder- ⅛ tsp
• Coriander powder- 1 tsp
• Cumin powder- ½ tsp
• Garam Masala- ½ tsp
• Salt- ½ tsp
• Chickpea flour or gram flour (besan)- 1 cup
• Water- 3 to 4 tbsp
• Cilantro, chopped- 2 handfuls
• Oil- for deep frying

Instructions

1. Cook the noodles in boiling water till it turns soft, do not over cook the noodles. Drain water and keep aside.
2. Into a large bowl, add cabbage and onion.
3. Add chili powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, garam masala and salt. Combine well.
4. Add cooked noodles, combine well.
5. Add chickpea flour, combine well.
6. Add water little by little and combine till the mixture binds well, should be able to make balls.
7. Add cilantro, combine well.
8. Make small balls out of the mixture.
9. Place a frying pan over medium heat, let turn hot.
10. Add oil and let oil turn hot.
11. Add the balls and deep fry till golden brown.
12. Transfer to a plate lined with kitchen paper towel to absorb excess oil.
13. Serve while it's warm along with tomato ketchup or chutney or your favorite dipping sauce.
14. Enjoy the crispy and crunchy pakoras.

 

Stuffed Potato Balls

Leftovers for Days

Thanksgiving has officially passed and now we enter the phase of eating pumpkin pie for breakfast and leftovers for a week straight. To be honest, I don’t mind it for the first day or two, but by day 3 I’m kinda over it. 

However, we cannot let it all go to waste! There are so many delicious ways to repurpose Thanksgiving leftovers so that they taste like a whole new dish! These Stuffed Potato Balls are a great way to use up leftover mashed potatoes, turkey, gravy, and cranberry sauce!

Mashed potatoes mixed with cheddar cheese, stuffed with turkey. These Stuffed Potato Balls are then breaded and fried to golden brown perfection!

If you’re looking for new ways to vamp up your Thanksgiving leftovers, give this recipe a try! I hope you all had a fantastic Thanksgiving and now we move on to Christmas!

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups Cold Mashed Potatoes
• 1 cup Grated Cheddar Cheese
• 2 cups Roughly Chopped Turkey
• 1/2 cup Gravy
• 1 1/4 cups All Purpose Flour
• 2 Large Eggs (beaten)
• 1 1/4 cups Breadcrumbs
• As Needed Vegetable Oil (for frying)
• 1/4 cup Chopped Parsley (for garnish)
• As Needed Cranberry Sauce (for serving)
• As Needed Additional Gravy (for serving)

Instructions

• 1/4 cup balls 1 tbsp turkey.
• In a bowl, mix the mashed potatoes and cheddar cheese until combined.
• In a separate bowl, mix the turkey and gravy until combined.
• Measure about 1/4 cup of the mashed potatoes. Roughly form in into a ball in your hand then flatten it in one of your palms. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the turkey mixture into the center of the mashed potato then wrap the potato around the turkey filling so that it is completely enclosed. 
• Roll it into a ball then place it onto sheet tray lined with parchment paper. Repeat this process for the remaining mashed potatoes and turkey mixture.
• When all the potatoes balls are made, place them into freezer for about 15 minutes.
• Pour the flour, eggs, and breadcrumbs into separate dishes. Take one potato ball and coat it in the flour. Dust off any excess flour then dip it into the egg, making sure that any flour had been absorbed. Allow any excess egg to drip off then coat it in breadcrumbs. Place the potato ball back onto the sheet tray and repeat this process with the remaining potato balls.
• After all the potato balls have been breaded, place them back into the freezer for about 10 minutes. In the meantime, add the oil to a pot so that it is about 3-4 inches deep. Heat the oil to 350˚F. Working in batches, add a few potato balls into the oil and fry for about 3-4 minutes or until they turn golden brown. Remove them from the oil with a slotted spoon and place them onto a tray lined with paper towels. Sprinkle the potato balls with salt while they're still hot.
• Garnish the potato balls with a sprinkle of parsley then serve them with gravy and cranberry sauce. Enjoy!

CORN PAKODA

     CORN PAKODA

Corn Pakoda with step-by-step photo and video recipe.

This quick evening snack is prepared by grinding sweet corn along with few spices and then deep fried till golden brown and crisp.I come from a Punjabi family, married to a Jain family. 

Punjabis are known for making pakodas using everything. On the contrary I have been eating more pakora variety at my in-laws than at my Mom’s home.

My MIL makes pakoda or bhajji with every vegetable you can think of. I have learnt this corn pakoda recipe from her. 

We call it bhutte ke pakode or corn bhaji.

This is an easy and quick recipe of pakoda which makes for a great tea time snack. It is healthier than any packaged or junk food like biscuit or chips which we often serve during tea time.

 

 

The pakoda mix can be prepared before hand and you can fry them right before serving. It makes for a great party snacks or starter as well.

 

THIS RECIPE OF CORN PAKODA IS –

1. Easy & Quick to make
2. Deep Fried Recipe
3. Makes for a great tea- time snack or party starter
4. Gluten free and Vegan
5. Kid’s Friendly Recipe
6. No Onion No Garlic Recipe

 

HOW TO PREPARE FOR CORN PAKODA RECIPE –

Boil sweet corn cob and separate the corn from the cob or else use frozen corn.

Keep all the other required ingredients ready.

 

WHICH CORN IS BEST FOR MAKING BHUTTE KE PAKODE?

You can use either sweet corn or desi corn for this recipe. Though I personally prefer using sweet corn for pakora as it makes them softer and juicier.

If you prefer, you can also have a mix of sweet corn and desi bhutta for this recipe.

 

 

HOW TO MAKE BHUTTE KE PAKORE –

Grind sweet corn along with green chilli and cloves, do not use water here. Make a coarse mixture.

Transfer the coarsely grounded corn to a bowl. To it add all the remaining ingredients except oil. Mix everything together.

Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown.

 

THINGS TO REMEMBER WHILE MAKING CORN PAKODA –

1. Make coarse mixture of corn, it will give nice crunchy texture.
2. Use fresh and juicy corn to make soft pakodas.
3. Right before frying add 2 Tbsp of hot oil to the mixture, this will add moisture to the pakodas, making them soft from inside.
4. Use boil corn kernels or frozen one. Do not use raw corn.
5. Fry in a hot oil on a medium flame until golden brown.
6. Make sure to maintain the temperature of oil, it should not to be hot or too cold.
7. In case you want to serve later, do not add salt to the mixture and refrigerate the mixture in an air tight container. Add salt right before frying.
8. After adding pakodas to the oil, flip only after it turns golden brown from one side. Do not over flip else it will start to split in oil.

 

STEP BY STEP METHOD TO MAKE CORN PAKODA AT HOME –

 

MAKE CORN MIXTURE –

 

 

1. In a mixer jar, add together boiled corn kernels along with green chilli and cloves.

 

2. Add water as required, grind together to make coarse mixture.

 

 

3. Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.

 

 

4. To it add coriander leaves, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, grated ginger, gram flour (besan), rice flour, roasted fennel seeds and salt.

 

 

5. Give everything a nice mix.

 

FRYING PAKORAS –

6. Heat enough oil in a kadai to deep fry the pakodas.

7. Right before frying add 2 Tbsp of hot oil the corn mixture. Give it a mix.

8. Check the temperature by dropping a tiny piece of mixture to the oil, it should rise immediately.

9. Using a Tsp add mixture to the hot oil, on a high temperature.

 

 

10. Reduce the flame to medium and deep fry the pakodas till golden brown. Flip pakodas only one it is cooked from one side.

11. Do not over flip else it will start to split in oil.

 

 

12. Fry in batches until done. Drain excess oil on kitchen towel.

13. Serve hot with min coriander chutney, tamarind chutney and ketchup.

HOW TO SERVE CORN PAKODA –

Corn Pakodas makes for a great get-together or party snack. Serve it with hot tea along with mint coriander chutney and ketchup.

Alongside serve makka poha chivda, roasted makhane and mathris to make your tea-time party a hit.

Ingredients

• 250 gms Corn (Bhutta)
• 2 Nos. Green chilli
• 2 Nos. Cloves
• Water as required
• 4 Tbsp Coriander leaves
• 1 Tsp Grated Ginger
• 1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
• 1 Tsp Red Chilli Powder
• 1 Tsp Coriander Powder
• 4 Tbsp Gram Flour (Besan)
• 2 Tbsp Rice Flour
• Salt to taste
• 1 Tsp Roasted Fennel
• 1 Tsp Asafoetida
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Make Corn Mixture –

• In a mixer jar, add together boiled corn kernels along with green chilli and cloves.
• Grind together to make coarse mixture. Do not add water.
• Transfer the mixture to a mixing bowl.
• To it add coriander leaves, asafoetida, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, coriander powder, grated ginger, gram flour (besan), rice flour, roasted fennel seeds and salt.
• Give everything a nice mix.

Frying Pakoras –

• Heat enough oil in a kadai to deep fry the pakodas.
• Right before frying add 2 Tbsp of hot oil the corn mixture. Give it a mix.
• Check the temperature by dropping a tiny piece of mixture to the oil, it should rise immediately.
• Using a Tsp add mixture to the hot oil, on a high temperature.
• Reduce the flame to medium and deep fry the pakodas till golden brown. Flip pakodas only one it is cooked from one side.
• Do not over flip else it will start to split in oil.
• Fry in batches until done.
• Serve hot with min coriander chutney, tamarind chutney and ketchup.