MounasKitchen An Indian Food Blog

For most for us Indians, the perfect and comforting food during cold weathers or rainy season is a very popular and comforting Indian snack, Pakoda or Pakodi. Best enjoyed over a hot cup of tea, the cripsy and spicy Pakodi makes tea time something special, almost like a bonding time between family and friends.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups besan (gram dal flour)
• ½ cup rice flour
• 4-5 green chillis, finely chopped
• 2 large onions, sliced
• 2 spring onions (optional)
• 2 tbsp melted ghee (clarified butter)
• few sprigs curry leaves
• salt to taste
• pinch of baking soda
• oil for deep frying

Method

• Combine both the flours with salt, soda, green chillis, curry leaves and onions. Add the melted ghee and mix well with fingers. Combine well till u have a crumbly texture.

• 
  Add few tablespoons of water and mix well that it forms a hard batter. Don’t add too much water.
• 
  Heat enough oil in a deep frying pan. It should be piping hot. Use your fingers to drop the batter in the oil to form small fritters. Reduce heat to medium and deep fry till they turn golden brown. Use a ladle to keep turning the fritters so that it cooks on all sides.
• 
  Once they turn golden brown, remove them on to absorbent paper. Store in air tight containers and serve as evening snacks over a hot cup of masala chai (spiced tea).

This wonderfully crispy snack does not need any introduction coz of its popularity not only in India but throughout the whole world. It is rightly called as the KING  of  Indian  street  food...!!
This spicy stuffed pastries are very easy to prepare at home & makes an irresistible combo with tomato ketchup or with  Mint,  Coriander chutney.

Ingredients:

For Outer layer:

• All purpose flour / Maida - 1 cup
• Wheat flour - 1 cup
• Cumin seeds - ½ tsp
• Ajwain / carom seeds - ½ tsp
• Baking pwd - ¼ tsp
• Ghee - 1 tsp
• Oil - 2 tsp
• Salt to taste

For Stuffing:

• Onions sliced - ½ cup
• Poha / pressed rice - ½ cup
• Red chilly pwd - ½ to ¾ tsp
• Cumin pwd - ¼ tsp
• Coriander pwd - ¼ tsp
• Chaat masala pwd - ¼ tsp
• Lemon juice - 1 tsp
• Oil to fry
• Salt to taste

Method:

To prepare outer crispy layer:

• Take All Pupose flour & wheat flour in a mixing bowl.
• To it add cumin , ajwain seeds, baking pwd & salt.

• Mix all the ingredients.
• Add ghee & oil combine well.
• Add little water at a time and knead to nice smooth dough.
• Now soft dough is ready.

• Cover it with a damp cloth & allow to rest at least for 15 to 20 mins.

To prepare inner stuffing:

• Take finely sliced onions in a cup.
• Add poha to it. ( poha absorbs all the moisture let out by onion, while frying & enhances the taste )
• Add red chilly pwd, cumin pwd, coriander pwd, salt & chaat masala pwd. ( also you can add finely chopped green chilly & coriander leaves ) 
• Add lemon juice to it & mix all the contents.
• No need to cook the onions for stuffing, on frying the onions gets cooked & turns soft.

• Inner stuffing is ready.

To prepare Samosas:

• Unwrap the soft dough. Sprinkle little wheat flour and knead again for a minute.
• Make it to small balls.
• Dust it with wheat flour & roll it to flat disc.

• Apply some oil or ghee & flour over the surface.
• Fold it to half , again apply oil & flour.
• Fold it to make triangle.
• Now roll the triangle to flat disc shape by dusting with flour.
• This process helps to get layers in samosa.
• Now cut it two equal halves.

Take one cut & make a folding like this.

Make a triangle by bringing the other end together.

Now it comes to a triangular shape.
Seal the edges of the pastry with maida & water paste.
Inside the cone fill the onion – poha stuffing.

Close it with thin part first.
Apply maida paste and seal it with the thicker part of the cone.
Repeat the same procedure for the rest of samosas.
Heat oil & deep fry the samosas in low medium heat.
Flip to the other side & fry to golden and crisp.

Drain the excess oil on tissue paper.
Serve hot with tomato ketchup or Coriander chutney.
Yummy homemade Onion Samosas are ready to taste.!

Ingredients:

12 Pav buns
2 Onions
3 tsp Dhania Powder
5 Tomatoes
2 tsp Jeera Powder
3 Potatoes
2 tsp Chilli powder
1 cup Peas
4 tsp Pav Bhajji masala
1/2 cup Carrot
Salt to taste
1/2 cup Beans
1/2 cup Coriander for garnish
1/2 cup Cabbage
2 tsp Lemon Juice
1/2 cup Capsicum
1 cup Cauliflower
1' piece Ginger
Garlic optional
2 Green chillies finely chopped

Preparation:

1. Heat a pan with oil & add the onions. Fry till translucent. Add tomatoes,salt,add all the powders and fry till the oil floats on top. 
2. Steam all the other vegetables seperately & add them to the onion mixture. 
3. Add a cup of water & let it cook to boiling consistency. Then With the help of a potato masher keep mashing the mixture till it cooks nicely. 
4. When all the vegetables are cooked thoroughly garnish with coriander & lemon juice and serve with Pav.