MASALA VANGI

Masala Vangi is a traditional aromatic and authentic Maharashtrian recipe. It is a bit spicy and will definitely tickle your taste buds. You will simply love its texture and aroma. Different kinds of vegetarian curry recipe served with rice, rotis or bhakris are staple meals at my place and prepared at least 4-5 times a week. Playing with vegetables and pairing them with the variety of spice blends is the key to creating diverse tastes and flavours. Be it a Marathi wedding or restaurant specializing in Maharashtrian cuisine, vangi holds the top spot among the vegetarian curry recipes. It is simple, rustic, yet bold in taste and form. This is a good option for lunch box. So let’s learn to make this spicy Masala Vangi.

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 Big size Brinjal/ Vangi

½ teaspoon Cumin Seeds

½ teaspoon Mustard Seeds

2 tablespoon Red Chilli Powder

½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

Salt per taste

4 tablespoon Oil

For Making Fresh Masala Paste:

Handful of Coriander

1 tabltspoon roasted Peanut Powder

4-5 Garlic Cloves

3-4 tablespoon Desiccated Coconut[dry]

METHOD:

STEP 1 – In a mixer pot, add ingredients for making fresh masala paste, add 1-2 tablespoon Water and blend it to make a fine paste. Keep this aside.

STEP 2 – Wash, pat dry and cut the brinjals lengthwise and put them in salt water.

STEP 3 – Heat oil in a kadai, add cumin and mustard seeds and let them crackle.

STEP 4 – Add red chilli powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder and mix and raost for few seconds.

STEP 5 – After that add freshly ground masala paste and mix well. Roast it in oil for 1-2 minutes. If it becomes to dry and starts burning, add 2-3 tablespoon water and cook untl it starts leaving oil from the sides.

STEP 6 – Add sliced baingan and give a nice mix.

STEP 7 – Add water [around ½ -1 Cup], mix it. 

Cook for 10 minutes with a lid.

STEP 8 – Check the baingan slice whether it is cooked or not. 

Otherwise cook for another few minutes without lid. If needed add some more water.

STEP 9 – Switch off the flame and garnish with some chopped coriander and serve.

Serve hot with any Indian bread but it tastes awesome when served with hot bhkari.

CHEESY VEG CUTLETS

  Bread Cutlets recipe with step by step photos. Today I am sharing an easy recipe for bread cutlet with potatoes. This bread cutlet is an easy and filling breakfast or snack that gets ready in just 15-20 minutes. It is delicious and hearty Indian snack which can be served as party snack or packed for picnic or can be relished as an evening tea time snack.      This is an easy to make snack that is very filling and delicious finger food for your kids after school or you can pack them as a snack for your kids for school short break.

INGREDIENTS:

2-3 Potatoes

1- Onion, chopped finely

½ Capsicum, finely chopped

2 tablespoon Coriander, chopped

1-2 Green Chillies, finely chopped

4-5 Bread Slices

¼ teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

Salt as needed

1 Cheese Slice cut into small pieces

2-3 tablespoon Rava/ Semolina for coating

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Boil potatoes, cool it to room temperature and peel them. Grate and keep aside.

STEP 2 – In a mixer pot, add bread slices and grind to make a fine powder like freshly made bread crumbs.

STEP 3 – In a mixing bowl, add all ingredients and mix very well to form dough. Divide the dough in equal portions.

STEP 4 – Grease your hands with oil. Take one dough portion and make small dent in the middle.

STEP 5 –  Take a cheese slice and cut into small pieces.

STEP 6 - Put some cheese and close the sides and roll it. Shape into a cutlet or patty.  Here I have used cheese slice cut into small pieces for stuffing in the cutlets. 

STEP 7 – In a small plate, take 2-3 tablespoon rava and spread it evenly. Place the bread cutlet on the rava and coat the cutlets with rava.

STEP 8 – Gently press so that rava stick to the cutlets. Dust off the extra rava from the cutlet.

STEP 8 – Heat oil in a pan on medium heat.

STEP 9 – Repeat the same procedure and make all the cutlets and keep aside.

STEP 10 – Slide the cutlets in hot oil and deep fry until golden in colour on medium-high flame. Add 2-3 cutlets at one time, don’t overcrowd the pan.

STEP 11 – Flip them gently and fry another side until it turns golden brown. Transfer fried cutlets on a tissue paper and drain excess oil on tissue paper. Likewise deep/ shallow fry remaining ones and prepare for serving. 

 Serve hot bread cutlets with green chutney and tomato sauce and enjoy with a hot cup of tea as a tea time snack.

KFC STYLE FRIED CHICKEN

KFC style fried chicken is a world wide popular chicken recipe which is marinated with Italian herbs and spices and then it is either baked or deep fried. Nothing says comfort food quite like a bucket of KFC style fried chicken. I have made this KFC style recipe keeping in mind the ingredients that should be available in your kitchen pantry. These herbs when mixed with Indian spices give out amazing juicy flavour to the chicken. The texture of the chicken is due to the coating given with all purpose flour and corn flour and the chicken just needs to be fried for 8-10 mintues and the recipe is ready to serve in few minutes. This is so easy to make and so crispy yet delicious. It is a straight forward homemade fried chicken recipe anyone can try. So now you can recreate KFC’s secret recipe at home by following the steps below. I bet you won’t even be able to taste a difference.

INGREDIENTS:

500 gms Chicken [breasts, thighs, wings]

1 tablespoon Peprika

2 teaspoon Onion Powder

½ teaspoon Garlic Powder

1 teaspoon Chilli Powder

1 teaspoon Black Pepper Powder

½ teaspoon White Pepper Powder

½ teaspoon Salt

½ teaspoon Garam Masala Powder

½ teaspoon Oregano

½ teaspoon Basil

1 tablespoon Brown Sugar

1 tablespoon Kosher Salt

1 ½ Cup All Purpose Flour

1 Egg

Oil for frying

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Wash and clean the chicken pieces and keep it aisde.

STEP 2 - Combine brown sugar, kosher salt all purpose flour in a bowl. Add all spice powders and mix well. Keep aside.

STEP 3 – Break the egg and beat it in another bowl. Keep it ready on the counter.

STEP 4 – Now take chicken pieces and dip them in egg.

STEP 5 – Transfer it in the flour mixture and coat well from all sides with flour mixture. The flour mixture really stuck to the chicken pieces.

  STEP 6 – Repeat the procedure once again.

STEP 7 – Transfer the ready chicken pieces on a plate and rest for 5-10 minutes.

STEP 8 – Heat oil on medium flame.

STEP 9 – Slide the chicken pieces in hot oil in small batches.

Deep fry until done. Breasts and wings should take 12-14 minutes and legs and thighs will take some more time to cook properly.

STEP 10 – Remove the  chicken pieces with the slotted spoon.

Transfer the chicken pieces on a tissue paper/ kitchen towel to drian excess oil.

Serve hot with schezwan chutney/ tomato sauce or any dip of your choice and enjoy this KFC style fried chicken at home.

ALOO METHI SABZI

Aloo Methi recipe is a dry North Indian Style stir fry curry with potatoes and fenugreek leaves. In this recipe the combination of potatoes and fenugreek leaves is just a brilliant idea. Potatoes get an incredible flavour from the fenugreek leaves. It is simple, easy and hearty dry curry that you can serve with rice or roti or paratha. Fenugreek leaves contains good amount of iron and is very effective in anemia. Women more prane iron deficiency especially during adolescence and pregnancy, so including greens especially methi leaves in their diet once or twice a week will help.  Aloo methi is a soul food can be prepared with easily available ingredients in your kitchen. It is regular in my home and is a favourite of my husband.  They can be a wonderful side dish almost for anything, be it is rice or rotis.   

INGREDIENTS:

3 tablespoon Oil

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

½ teaspoon Asafoetida

2 Dry Red Chillies

1 small Onion, chopped finely

2-3 Green Chillies, chopped

1 teaspoon chopped Garlic

250 gms Methi Leaves/ Fenugreek Leaves

2 Potatoes, boiled and peeled

½ teaspoon Turmeric Powder

1 teaspoon Coriander Powder

½ teaspoon Kashmiri Red Chilli Powder

½ teaspoon Garam Masala

Salt as needed

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Clean the methi leaves and wash with sufficient water for 2-3 times.

Boil potatoes for 2 whistles, peel them after cooling and cut them into big chunks and Keep everything ready.

STEP 2 – Chop methi leaves and transfer in to a bowl. Sprinkle some salt over it and keep it aside. Keep it for 5 minutes.

STEP 3 – Now heat oil in a pan, crackle cumin seeds, add asafoetida, green chillies, dry red chillies, garlic and chopped onion and mix well. Roast it for 3-4 minutes until rawness disappears.

STEP 4 – Add potato and mix well and cover it. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Don’t forget to stir it in between.

STEP 5 – Now squeeze out excess moisture from methi leaves by pressing in between your palms and add in the pan and mix it. 

STEP 6 – Then add spice powders except garam masala and salt and mix it very well.  Cook it 4-5 minutes.

STEP 7 – Add garam masala powder, mix it and cook for just 1 minute with a lid. 

Switch off the heat and garnish with chopped coriander and serve.

Serve it hot with any Indian bread as an accompaniment with your lunch or dinner.

THANDAI CAKE

The perfect eggless recipe with the spiced flavour from the homemade thandai masala powder which I have already shared on my blog. Freshly made Thandai Cake using all primium flavours and dry fruits , topped with some sliced nuts…super tasty and is sufficient to add an extra zeal to your house party. Infact I don’t need an occasion to have this cake…!!! The bestever recipe that just calls for simple ingredients like yogurt, sugar, all purpose flour and some chopped nuts and is just the cake you would want to have with your masala chai. Perfect for your kitty parties and yet healthy at the same time. It is a very rich cake that tastes like Indian Mithai and is very decadent. This cake is also a fitting recipe to celebrate Indian festivals with the flavours of thandai infused.  

INGREDIENTS:

¾ Cup All Purpose Flour

½ Cup Yogurt / Amul Curd [see notes]

½ Cup Powder Sugar

¼ teaspoon Baking Soda

½ teaspoon Baking Powder

¼ Cup Oil

¼ Cup Milk

1 tablespoon chopped mix nuts [optional]

2 tablespoon Thandai Powder/ Syrup[see notes]

METHOD:

STEP 1 – Grease a pan with oil/ butter. Dust some maida and coat all the sides of cake tin. Keep this aside.

STEP 2 – Pre-heat oven at 180 degrees for about 10 minutes.

STEP 3 – In a mixing bowl, add yogurt, baking powder and baking soda and whisk it well.

STEP 4 – Leave the mixture for 5 minutes.

STEP 5 – Now add oil and powder sugar and mix well.

STEP 6 – Add thandai powder and give a nice stir.

STEP 7 – Add all purpose flour and mix it with very light hands.

STEP 8 – Add milk in small batches and mix and make a smooth cake batter.

STEP 9 – Pour this mixture in prepared cake tin. Add some more chopped nuts on the top. Tap the cake tin on the counter for 1-2 times.

STEP 10 – Bake the cake for 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. [see notes]

 STEP 11 – Keep it in oven for 5 minutes.

STEP 12 – Remove from oven, demould it on a plate, slice it and serve it.

NOTES: * I have already shared homemade thandai powder recipe earlier on my blog. You can use store brought as well.

               *Always insert a toothpick in the centre while tasting whether the cake is properly baked or not.

               *Always use neutral oil like vegetable oil which gives the best results in egg free recipes.