CAPSICUM BESAN BHAJI / CAPSICUM ZUNKA

Capsicum zunka is a famous Maharashtrian Bhaji which is prepared with dry roasted gram flour and yossed with few spices. It is very flavoursome and is very easy to pack for lunch boxes as it goes well with both rice and chapatti.

This recipe basically belongs to my Aai. It takes very short time and spices to prepare this very quick, absolutely mouthwatering and flavourful side dish with capsicum as in my family everyone love capsicum in any form.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Capsicum [ large size ]

2-3 Tbsp Besan [ Chickpea flour ]

1 Tsp Garlic Paste

1 Small Onion

½ Tsp Turmeric Powder

2 Tsp Red Chilly Powder

Cumin-Mustard Seeds

Asafoetida a pinch

Salt as per taste

2 Tbsp Oil

Water [ if needed to sprinkle]

METHOD:

STEP1 – Cube the capsicum and keep aside. Chop onion.

STEP 2 – Take a pan with oil, let crackle cumin-mustard seeds and add asafoetida.

STEP 3 – After that add garlic paste and chopped onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add peanut powder and mix.

STEP 4 – Now add the dry spices, roast for a while and add cubed capsicum to the pan. Let it sauté and cook , it takes hardly 3-4 minutes.

STEP 5- After that add besan flour to it and mix well.Cover the pan partly and cook on medium heat.

STEP 6 – If needed sprinkle a little water in the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes. Once get cooked, garnish with coriander and serve.

                   Serve hot capsicum either with  hot chapatti or rice.

If you like the recipe share your comments.  

NOTE: You have to roast the besan flour before starting the main procedure.

CHILLY PANEER

 This chinese food we get in India is very different from the authentic chinese food you get in China. This is a melt in mouth starter flavoured with all ethnic chinese flavours is an all time favourite in my family that is really easy to prepare. Hot and spicy chilly paneer prepared step-by-step is a delicious delight anytime. Whether served as a starter or as a side dish with chinese fried rice / schezwan rice. It’s definitely going to leave your taste buds wanting for more. Here I am sharing a recipe for dry chilly paneer in which we have to marinade and deep fry the paneer which for the best taste. You can prepare this by shallow frying the paneer which reduce the calories of the dish. Marinated paneer with all purpose flour + corn flour adds nice flavour to this dish as they will slowly soak water from the paste. If you are in hurry, then coat with dry corn flour and shallow fry or use thick paste for marination.      

INGREDIENTS:

250 gm Paneer

Oil for frying

For batter:

2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour

1 Tbsp Corn Flour

Salt as per taste

Pinch of Black Pepper Powder

1 Tsp Soya Sauce

1 Tsp Vinegar

Water

For Sauce:

1 Tbsp  Ginger-Garlic Paste

4 Green Chillies

1 Cup Spring Onion

1 Cup Mix Bell Pepper

1 Tbsp Maida

1 Tsp Soya Sauce

2 Tbsp Tomato Sauce

½ Tsp Vinegar

½ Tsp Schezwan Sauce [ optional ]

1 Tsp Chilly Sauce

Salt [ as needed]

Pinch of Sugar

Water / Vegetable Sauce

Finely Chopped Spring Onion [For Garnish ]

METHOD:

STEP 1 – First cut the paneer into 1/1 “ cubes. [ your liking size]

STEP 2 -  Combine all the ingredients for batter in a bowl and make a smooth batter with water and coat the paneer pieces with it.

STEP 3 – Keep it for 10-15 minutes and then deep fry the paneer pieces till golden brown.

STEP 4 – Remove excess oil on kitchen towel.

How to proceed:

STEP 1 – Cut the bell peppers as well as onion in quiet big sized pieces. Make a paste of corn flour with water. Keep it aside.

STEP 2 - Heat oil in a pan and add chopped green chillies and ginger –garlic paste in it and roast well.

STEP 3 – Add pepper and onion in it and sauté and cook for 2 minutes on high flame.

STEP 4 – Add sauces and sugar in it, add corn flour paste and salt and allow it to cook for a short while.

 

STEP 5 –Now toss the paneer and mix well . After 1-2 minutes switch of the heat and serve.

    

                Serve it hot garnished with chopped spring onions. If you like then don’t forget to share a comment.

    

  NOTE:This is a dry version of chilly paneer but if you want to make a gravy then add ½ cup water after tossing the paneer, mix well and cook for a minute.

FISH FRY

Fish fry makes a great appetizer or a side dish to a meal. A simple vegetable salad or onion wedges compliment the fish fry. It can be served as a side with any variety of rice or with rice and rasam . This is very easy recipe and yields a tasty crispy fish. This can be shallow fried on a tava, deep fry or grill pan. Here I shared a deep fry type recipe. You may shallow fry /deep fry or grill, it depends on you. As earlier I shared grilled fish ,here I am sharing deep fried method.All methods results crusty fish and is best served immediately.

INGREDIENTS:

½ kg  Fish Fillets

For Marination:

2 Tbsp Curd

1-2 Tsp Red Chilly Powder

½ Tsp Turmeric Powder

1 Tsp Garam Masala

½ Tsp Corinader Powder

Salt as per taste

2 Tsp Garlic Paste

Lemon Juice as needed

½ Cup Rawa/ Sooji  [for coating]

Oil for frying

  

 METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash the fish fillets thoroughly, drain off the water and dry the pieces.

STEP 2 – Now take all the ingredients for marination and mix them. Taste once and adjust spices as well as salt.

STEP 3 -  Marinate with marinade prepared, coat them with rawa /sooji and set it in a plate in the refrigerator for at least 1-2 hours.

 

 STEP 4 – Heat oil in a wide pan on a low flame. Put the fish fillets one /two at a time in the frying pan .

STEP 5 – Fry till crusty on both sides. Be gentle while flipping the fish otherwise the masala comes out. Fry till golden brown.

STEP 6 – Remove excess oil on the tissue or a kitchen towel and serve it.

                    Garnish with onion and lemon wedges and serve with a meal or as a appetizer.

Try this and share your comments below.

NOTE: Fish can be shallow fried or deep fried or grilled all yields almost same result.

SPROUTED MOONG CHEELA

Cheelas are pan cakes served with green chutney which are sometimes stuffed with cottage cheese crumble. In  this recipe of green gram cheela which I used sprouted green grams instead of split green gram. Moong dal cheela is a great healthy breakfast food and even perfect as an accompaniment  to some vegetable dishes like cauliflower, potato and tomato curry. Traditionally cheelas are made with besan flour , but these are several variations can be made, sprouted moong cheela is one of them. Cheela is a delicious as well as high protein content. Moong is to be considered as one of the healthiest foods in the world and Indian Cuisine uses it extensively. This recipe is very easy and quicker than to prepare dosas. No need of fermentation. Sprouted grains are very nutricious food. You can either eat it raw or can even boil them. You will definitely like the cheela made with sprouted grains and can also be packed for your kids tiffin. So lets prepare sprouted moong cheela.

INGREDIENTS:

2 Cups Srouted Moong [ Green Gram]

2-3 Green Chillies

5-6 Garlic Cloves

1 Tsp Cumin Seeds

2 Tbsp Fresh Chopped Coriander  

Salt as per taste

Water [ as needed ]

Oil [ for cooking ]

METHOD:

STEP 1- Soak the whole moong grains in water for at least 4-5 hours or till get sprouted. [ Hardly overnight ]

STEP 2 – Blend moong grains with rest of the ingredients to a fine paste in mixer grinder.

STEP 3 – Add water for better grinding but not much.

STEP 4 – Remove the batter from mixer pot and add extra water to get required consistency.

STEP 5 – Heat the non-stick tava with 2-3 drops of oil, put the batter over it like dosa batter.

 

STEP 6 – Spread with the back of spoon in circular direction outwards.

STEP 7 – Add 1 tsp oil around the corners and cook it from one side till crispy and golden brown.

STEP 8 – As it done from one side, flip it upside down and cook from the other side. Like this follow the procedure for more cheelas.

             Serve them hot with green chutney or tomato sauce and enjoy the healthy breakfast. Share your experience in the comment box below.