Vegetable cutlet

Vegetable cutlet is the first dish me and my sister made ( after our mom said if you don’t want to eat what I made , make your own food )  and we followed the recipe from the classic tamil cookbook ‘ Samaithu par ( cook and see)’. Since then I have simplified the recipe so it doesn’t take much time to make 

Ingredients;

Cutlet:

3 potatoes - cooked and peeled- mashed 

Mixed vegetables with peas/ carrots/ corn -1.5 cup steamed ( I took out the beans/ Lima beans but you can leave in you like)- mashed in a separate bowl

Ginger garlic paste - 2 tbsp ( if you don’t have the paste just grate equal parts fresh ginger and fresh garlic and put in 2 tbsp worth)

Homemade masala powder - 2 tbsp ( recipe below- store extra )

Fennel - 1 part ( I used about 1/8cup) 

White poppy seeds- 1 part ( 1/8 cup)

Cloves - 3 

Grind well into a fine powder and store in an airtight container 

Kashmiri chili powder ( or just chili powder)- 1/4 tsp

Garam masala ( store bought) - 1/2 tsp

Salt to taste 

Panko bread crumbs ( for gluten allergic people use crushed rice cereal or corn cereal / corn meal) - 1/2 cup 

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Batter : mix together until batter consistency ( like pancake batter- can adjust water to get to correct consistency ) 

Corn flour - 3 tbsp 

Water - 1/4 cup 

Salt and pepper to taste 

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Panko bread crumbs- 1 cup ( for dipping- see substitution above for gluten allergic people )

Instructions:

1. Mix the potato and the mixed vegetable mash together in a large mixing bowl 

2. Add the spices including ginger garlic paste, homemade masala , garam masala , chili powder, salt to the mash and mix in well. Taste and adjust salt.

3. Add the breadcrumbs to the mixture and mix in well

4. Now set up a dipping station.Put the mashed potato mixture bowl first , then the batter , then the bread crumbs in a bowl 

5. Take a golf ball sized mixture and pat it flat. Dip in the corn batter to coat it and then in the bread crumbs and set on a plate ready to fry.

6. In a fry pan pour 1/2 cup of vegetable/ canola oil and heat up to 375 ( frying temp - can use a thermometer ). If there is no thermometer - heat up the oil in the pan on moderate / high heat (around 8). Once it gets hot enough test it by putting a small pinch of the potato mixture in and see if fries and rises to the top quickly ( this is the appropriate temp).

You can turn down the temp to moderate heat at this point to prevent burning of the cutlet.

7. Fry the cutlet about 30 sec on both sides until golden brown . Use a slotted spoon since this drains the oil . Set the cutlet aside on a paper towel lined bowl to drain the oil 

Cutlet is ready to serve with ketchup/ tamarind sauce / mint chutney 

Mysore pak

Mysore pak is an Indian sweet. The story goes that the king of Mysore wanted a dessert and his chef Kakasura Madappa mixed besan flour ( bengal gram flour - a type of chickpea flour), sugar and butter and came up with this sweet. It was one of the first sweets I learned how to make and enjoy making it. If you are uncomfortable with trying to figure out the string stage of the sugar syrup manually you can get a candy thermometer that has this marked on it !

Ingredients 

Gram flour ( Bengal gram / besan flour) - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 cups

Ghee - 1.75 cups 

Water - 1 cup 

Instructions 

1. Take a sieve and sieve the gram flour so that it is fine with no lumps

2. Place a heavy bottomed pot on low- medium heat and dry roast the gram flour until the raw smell is gone 

3. Place the flour in a bowl and set aside 

4. Clean the pot out so there is no flour sticking to it 

5. Now add the 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water to the pot and place on medium heat and mix well and let it boil until it reaches the one string consistency ( this is when you can put the sugar syrup between your fingers and when you pull it apart it forms a string 

I didn’t take a picture of the single string stage , so I am using  a picture from this  website 

Make sure you are careful since the sugar is hot. 

6. Now lower the heat and add the besan flour to the sugar syrup a little at a time and using a whisk mix it in smoothly.

7. Finally add the ghee into the mixture and this will make it more liquid. Keep stirring until the ghee starts coming off the side 

8. Now turn off the stove and pour the mixture in a pan greased with butter 

9. Cut into small squares when hot and let it cool for about half hour 

10. Now you can take the squares out and Mysore pak is ready to serve ! 

Eggplant poriyal ( side dish)

When I was growing up I hated eggplant just because it looked odd. Now I have come to appreciate its flavor and taste. ‘ poriyal’ is the Tamil word for roasted or sautéed vegetables. The simple poriyal is just vegetables sautéed with a few spices like turmeric and chilli/ sambar powder and salt. This version is a little more complex and is made with a homemade spice mixture that gives it additional flavor 

Ingredients

Eggplant ( indian eggplant with the tops cut off and cut into eighths)- 2 to 3 cups — soak the eggplant in salted water to prevent it from becoming brown 

Onion - 1 medium cut into strips 

To grind: 

Shredded coconut ( frozen or fresh )- 1 cup 

Dried red chillies- 2 or 3

Coriander powder - 1 to 2 tbsp 

Fennel seeds- 1/2 tbsp

Urad dal ( dehusked black gram)- 1 tbsp

Chana dal ( dehusked split bengal gram)- 1 tbsp

Salt to taste 

Topping 

Pottu kadalai flour (roasted dehusked split chickpeas)- 2-3 tbsp

Roasted peanuts - crushed - 2 tbsp 

Vegetable/canola Oil - 4 to 5 tbsp

Instructions: 

1. Dry roast the ingredients under ‘ to grind’ and grind them in a blender into a paste 
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
2. Place a sauce pan on medium heat and add 2 tbsp of oil, add the onion and roast it in the oil. Then add the eggplant slices and roast them as well. Do this until they are both tender ( but not mushy) 
   
   
   
3. Now add some salt and the spice mixture to the eggplant and fold it in to make the eggplant is coated at the same time making sure not to crush the eggplant. 
   
4. Let it cool for about 5-7 minutes until the eggplant is roasted well and the spice mixture is drier. Now add the pottukadalai flour and the crushed peanuts and dip them in to coat the eggplant . This gives it a crunch. Let it roast for 2-3 minutes.
   
   
   
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Indian miso noodle soup

My sister loves Ramen and she found this recipe on one of her favorite sites The Chutney Life and tried it out. She sent me pictures for my blog . She really loves this recipe. 

Ingredients :

Ramen noodles - 1 packet

Vegetable broth ( Swanson 1 carton 32 oz)

Garlic - 3 to 4 cloves ( minced)

Ginger - grated 1 tsp

Scallions - 1 bunch chopped ( keep the green and white parts separate. This is because the white parts take longer to cook than the green)

Shiitake mushrooms sliced - 2 packages ( here we get 3 oz packages at our grocery store ) - wash really well and chop into small pieces 

Cilantro - chopped- half a cup

Red miso - 1 tbsp ( fermented soybean paste)

Asafoetida- 1/8 tsp

Cumin seed - 1/2 tsp 

Sambal olek - 1 tbsp ( Indonesian chili paste)

Soy sauce - 2 tsp

Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp 

Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp or to taste 

Oil - 1to 2 tbsp

Red chili flakes ( optional)

Instructions:

1. Cook the ramen noodles per package instructions and drain them and run cold water over them to stop the cooking process and to prevent them from becoming mushy 
   
   
2. In a large deep pot heat the oil on medium heat. Once hot place the cumin seeds in there and let them sputter. Then add the scallions ( white portion), asafoetida and sauté for a few seconds 
3. Now add the chopped mushrooms, salt, turmeric powder and sauté until the mushroom are soft. Make sure they don’t stick to the pan
   
   
   
   
4. Add the minced garlic, grated ginger and sauté . Now add the vegetable broth , cilantro , soy sauce , Sambal olek, scallions ( green)  and let it simmer.
5. In a small bowl add the miso paste and a little bit of the hot broth and mix well so the paste dissolves. Once dissolved add this mixture back to the pot. 
6. Let the broth cook on medium heat for 10 minutes , stir to ensure the ingredients are mixed 
7. In a bowl add the ramen noodles and pour in the broth and garnish with chili flakes, scallions and cilantro 
8. Indian miso soup is ready to serve 
   
   

Indian omelette

I love to make this omelette with a blend of spices which gives it a little kick. It really elevates the flavor of the eggs. 

Ingredients:

Eggs- 2

Ginger - 1/2 inch cut into small pieces 

Green chilly- 1/2 de seeded cut into small pieces

Curry leaf- 1 or 2

Cilantro - a few leaves

Onion- 1/4 cut into small cubes 

Paneer cubes ( optional)- 3 or 4 cubes

Turmeric powder- pinch 

Garam masala - 1/4 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste 

Oil- 3 to 4 tablespoons 

Instructions

1. Break open a couple of eggs and beat them well and keep aside in a bowl
2. Cut the ginger, green chilies, onion, paneer into small pieces as shown below.

    3.In a pan add 2 tablespoons of oil and add the onions first and sauté them until translucent , then add the paneer, ginger , green chillies, curry leaves and sauté.

    4.Next add the turmeric powder, garam masala , cumin powder, salt and pepper and sauté well so it’s mixed in with the onion and paneer.

   5.Add the egg to the pan and fold in the veggies   

6. Flip over the omelette once cooked on the bottom and cook for 30- 60 seconds and serve