Palak Potato Cutlets

Palak is very nutritious rich in iron and has the goodness of Vitamin A & C. These cutlets are a good way of making children consume the greens and is also made differently without bread crumbs but using fried gram and chiroti rava.

Ingredients

1 bunch palak
3 potatoes boiled
1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp red chilli pwd
1 tsp cumin pwd
3 tbsp of fried gram pwd
2 tbsp of chiroti rava
1 chopped onion
1 bunch coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method

Clean and chop the palak. Blanch the palak in hot water for 5 minutes and puree it.
Boil and mash the potatoes. Take a tbsp of oil in a pan and add chopped onion and fry for 2 minutes. Add ginger garlic paste, boiled potatoes, pureed palak, chili and cumin pwd, salt and mix well for 5 mnts. Garnish with coriander leaves. Make flat cutlets of the mixture and shallow fry till crisp. Tastes best when eaten hot.

Masala Vadas

My mom always made amazing vadas. Her vadas were always a hit specially her urad dal vada which was perfectly round and crisp. I’ve tried to make them a couple of times but all my attempts at the urad dal vada were a failure. However I managed to get the recipe of her masala vada and made this for our evening snack. They were great with a hot cup of tea.

Ingredients

1 cup chana dal
½ pod garlic
1 inch piece ginger
2 green chilles
1 chopped onion
1 sprig chopped curry leaves
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
Salt to taste
Oil

Method

Soak the chana dal for 3-4 hrs. I soaked it overnight. Grind to a coarse paste along with the garlic, ginger and green chilles. Add the chopped onion, chopped curry leaves and coriander with salt to taste. Make flat small vadas of the mixture and deep fry in oil. You can even add finely chopped methi/palak to the vada mixture.

Tip: Add 2 tsp of hot oil to the dal mixture. This helps to make the vadas crisp.

Mixed Vegetable Cutlet

I usually have a lot of problem in getting my son to eat vegetables. This is a sure way of getting him to have his share of veggies without a fuss. These cutlets are delicious and consume very little oil. You can make the non-veg version of this by substituting the vegetables with fish/chicken/mutton mince.

Ingredients

I cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped beans
2 large potatoes
1 cup green peas
1 cup chopped cabbage
1 chopped onion
2 tbsp ginger garlic paste
1 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tbsp red chilli pwd
1 tbsp garam masala pwd
Chopped coriander leaves
200 gms bread crumbs
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Method

Boil all the chopped vegetables in the pressure cooker for 2 whistles. Take oil in a pan. Add the chopped onion. Fry for 2 minutes. Then add the ginger garlic paste and fry well. Add all the chopped vegetables with the chilli, turmeric and garam masala pwd salt to taste and sauté for 5 minutes. Garnish with chopped coriander. When slightly warm add the bread crumbs to this mixture. Make flat cutlets and shallow fry with little oil on both sides. Serve with ketchup or mint chutney.

Quick & Easy POHA

We were all hungry this evening and I wanted to make a quick snack but fried items were a big No considering all the fat already added on to my waist and back. I’ve considered numerous forms of diet and exercise to reduce the inches but to no avail. To keep myself happy I just think of the adage

“Eat Healthy, Stay Fit, Die Anyway”. So I keep eating and staying FAT.

This evening we had Poha. Poha is a Maharashtrian dish which I got introduced to 10 years ago from a tenant of ours who was a Maharashtrian. She used to make this frequently and always gave me a bowl which I enjoyed. I remember asking her the recipe then but never gave it a try until recently. She’s also given me a few other recipes like sabudana kichidi and bread roll which I will post soon. Coming to the poha I’ve added a few ingredients of my own and tweaked it a bit. It tastes good and is quite filling as a snack or breakfast.

Give it a try and I’m sure you’ll like it.

Ingredients
2 cups- Paper rice flakes ( or avalakki in kannada)
1 onion – finely chopped
1 tomato- finely chopped
2 green chilles- chopped
½ tsp turmeric pwd
1 carrot- grated
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tbsp sugar
Bunch of coriander leaves for garnish
1 tbsp lemon juice
Salt to taste
Oil for seasoning

Method

Take the rice flakes in a bowl and sprinkle water on it to make it slightly wet. Be careful add very little water else the poha will become soggy. Add the grated carrot, green chilles and tomato to the poha along with salt and sugar. Take a tsp of oil in a kadai and season it with cumin seeds. Add onion and fry slightly. Add turmeric pwd and transfer this onion mixture to the poha. Garnish with coriander leaves and lemon juice. Mix nicely using hand if possible so the ingredients blend well. You can add fried groundnuts and grated coconut for extra taste. Poha is ready.