SOYA CUTLET

Here comes yet another vegetarian dish made out of soya. 

It takes time to prepare Cutlet, but its worth the effort once you savour it and experience the taste :)

Non veggies can use chicken or any other kind of meat instead of soya. The process is same. Cook chicken or meat well and start from step 7 of the below recipe.

Ingredients:

1. Soya chunks – 100 gm
2. Potato – 3 medium
3. Onion – 1 big
4. Green chili – 2 to 3
5. Ginger – 1 inch piece
6. Ginger Garlic paste – 2 tsp
7. Curry leaves or coriander leaves – little
8. Red Chili powder – 3 tsp + 1 tsp
9. Turmeric powder – ½ tsp
10. Garam masala powder – 1 to 1.5 tsp
11. Oil – for frying
12. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Soak soya chunks in hot water for 5 mins. (Water should not be boiling hot)
2. Wash it with normal water and properly squeeze the water out.
3. Now shred the soya chunks well with hand. (Do not use mixer)
4. Put 3 tsp chili powder, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste and sufficient salt to it and mix well.
5. Pour little water into a cooker and add 3 potatoes to it and allow the potatoes to get cooked. It may require almost 3 whistle.
6. Now peel the skin of the cooked potatoes and smash it with a fork and keep aside.
7. Pour little oil into a nonstick pan and roast the marinated soya chunks.
8. Transfer it to a plate and in the same pan add little oil and sauté finely chopped onion, ginger, green chili and curry leaves.
9. Add chili powder, turmeric powder, garam masala powder, little salt and mix well.
10. Now add the roasted soya chunks and smashed potatoes and mix well.
11. Off the flame and allow it to cool.
12. Then mix it well with hand and make big lemon size balls out of it and press little in the middle and shape the sides. (Check the picture for the shape)
13. Now take a flat plate and break 1 egg to it and beat well. (Vegetarians can use 2 table spoon corn- flour or maida mixed with 1/2 glass water)
14. Take another flat plate and spread Rusk crumbs or Bread crumbs to it.
15. Now dip both sides of the cutlet in egg or maida mixture and roll it with the rusk or bread crumz. Do this with all the cutlets and arrange in a plate
16. Take a flat pan and pour some oil into it. When its hot add the cutlets to it and shallow fry both the sides in medium flame.
17. Serve hot with tomato sauce. 

Tips on preparing Bread/Rusk crumbs:

1. Just store the odds and ends of bread in a plastic bag in the freezer until ready to make your homemade bread crumbs. Bring it to the room temperature and whirl in a mixer until desired coarseness.
2. If you are using rusk then directly powder it. (Do not use roasted rusk for this)
3. Ensure the bread or rusk crumbs doesn’t turn into a very fine powder because it will get burnt as soon as you put it into hot oil.

BANANA PODI

 Ingredients:

1. Banana – ½ kg
2. Maida – 1 cup
3. Rice flour – 1 cup
4. Turmeric powder – ¼ tsp
5. Salt – for taste
6. Oil – for frying

Preparation:

1. Cut banana into half by length.
2. Slice it into 2 or 3 pieces depending on the thickness of the banana.
3. Prepare batter by mixing maida, rice flour, salt and turmeric powder.
4. Batter should be thick enough to coat the banana slices.
5. Heat sufficient amount of oil in pan. (Ensure its very hot)
6. Dip the banana in the batter and deep fry in oil.

SOYA KABAB

This is a very easy vegetarian dish which can be used as a snack/starter/side dish. It is prepared out of soya chunks. Soya beans are considered as a source of complete protein. Consumption of soya may also reduce the risk of colon cancer.
While preparing this dish ensure that you fry the soya just before having it. Else we will loose its crispiness and it may turn soft.


Ingredients :

1. Soya chunks – 100gm
2. Ginger Garlic Paste – 3 tsp
3. Pepper Crushed – 1 tsp
4. Chili Powder – 2 to 3 tsp
5. Curds – 2 tablespoon
6. Corn flour – 2 tablespoon (or maida)
7. Oil – for frying
8. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Soak Soya chunks in hot water for about 10mins. It will turn double of its original size.
2. Now wash it with water at room temperature.
3. Squeeze the water fully out of it.
4. Take a bowl and add chili powder, pepper powder, ginger garlic paste, curds, salt and corn flour to it. Taste the masala and add more chili powder or salt if needed.
5. Now add the soya chunks to it and mix well. The masala should spread evenly over all the pieces.
6. Keep the marinated soya chunks aside for atleast 15mins
7. Heat oil in a flat non-stick pan.
8. Spread the soya chunks in the pan and ensure that all the pieces touch the base of the pan.
9. Keep in medium flame and when one side is cooked turn it upside down. Cook all the sides evenly until its crispy
10. Same way fry the rest of the marinated soya chunks. Serve hot.

SIMPLE GRILLED CHICKEN

Friends... :) Am back after a break with a new recipe "Grilled Chicken".Its very simple to prepare and easy on your taste buds. Do not miss it :)

Ingredients:

1. Chicken – 10 to 12 medium sized pieces
2. Ginger Garlic Paste – 1 to 1.5 tsp
3. Lime Juice – 2 tsp
4. Red Chili powder – 3/4th tsp
5. Turmeric powder – 1 pinch
6. Pepper powder –1/2  tsp
7. Red food colour - half of a pinch (only if required)
8. Oil – 1 tblsp
9. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Prick all over the chicken pieces with the help of a fork
2. Mix all the above ingredients well and marinate the chicken pieces. Keep it aside for a minimum of 30mins.
3. Set the oven in grill mode and cook for about 20 to 30 mins. Turn the chicken pieces upside down after 10 to 15 mins of grilling. (Grilling time may vary based on the oven)
4. Garnish with onion rings mixed with lime juice and salt.

Unniappam

Unniappam is a very famous Kerala snack. In malayalam unni means small and appam means rice cake. Its a sweet dish which is specially prepared during Onam. This snack is served as prasadha in many temples. 

We need 'Unniappa chatty', a special kind of kadai which gives  the round shapes to unniappams. But don't worry, you can use even a normal kadai. Even if the shape doesn't turn up as expected the taste will not change. 

Unniappam

Unniappa kadai

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour- 2 cups (or 1 cup of maida and 1 cup of sooji rava)
2. Well ripped Bananas – 5-6 small (Avoid the bananas which are used to make banana podi)
3. Jaggery – 2 big pieces
4. Salt – a pinch
5. Cooking soda - a pinch
6. Cardamom Powder - 1/4 tsp
7. Black sesame seeds – 1- 2  tsp
8. Coconut sliced into thin pieces – 1/4th of a cup
9. Oil - for frying
10. Ghee – 2 tbsp

 Method:

1. Heat grated jaggery and 1/4cup of water in a vessel. Stir well until jagarey gets dissolved completely and   keep it aside.
2. Roast the coconut pieces in 2 tsp of ghee till it become light brown in colour. Off the flame and add sesame seeds into it. Keep it aside.
3. Grind banana into a fine paste in a mixer. Add rice flour, jaggery syrup, cooking soda, cardamom powder and a pinch of salt into the same mixer and blend well.
4. Now transfer it to a vessel and add fried coconut pieces and sesame seeds.
5. The batter should be as thick as the idly batter. Taste the batter and if you want it to be sweeter add some sugar and mix well till it dissolves.
6. Keep it aside for about 15mins.

Frying process:

1. Heat oil in a ‘unniappa kadai’.
2. Pour oil into each pit covering half of it.
3. When oil is very hot, reduce the flame and fill 3/4th of each hole with the batter.
4. Turn them around when 1 side is cooked.
5. Remove and drain the unniappams when they are golden brown.

Note: If it’s a normal kadai then pour oil, then take dough in a spoon and put it to the hot oil. If the kadai is big at a time you can prepare 5 to 8 appams. 

Bhel Puri Chat

Bhel Puri Chat

Step 1 : Preparation of Tamarind Sauce

1.  Take tamarind of a big lemon size and put it in half cup of warm water for some time and squeeze the juice.
2.  Keep a pan in the flame and add 1/4th cup of water into it.
3.  When water boils add 5 table spoon of sugar into it.
4.  When the sugar is dissolved completely add the tamarind juice into it and boil well.
5.  Add ½ tsp of chat masala powder and boiled for some more time till it thickness.
6.  Taste the sauce and balance the taste by adding more sugar or more tamarind juice if needed.

Step 2 : Preparation of Green Peas masala

1.  Soak little green peas in water for few hours.
2.  Take a cooker and add some chopped onions, some chopped tomatoes, green peas, little chopped coriander leaves, 1 tsp chat masala and sufficient salt.
3.  Cook till green peas turns soft

Step 3 : Mixing Procedure

1.   Take a big bowl and add little chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves, little green peas masala, and little chili powder and a pinch of chat masala.
2.   Now add sufficient quantity of Puffed rice and mix well.
3.   Pour some tamarind sauce over it and again mix well.
4.   Transfer it into a serving plate and evenly spread Sev over it.
5.   Sprinkle a  little more tamarind sauce and decorate it with chopped onions and coriander leaves

Chinese Bhel

Chinese Bhel

Step 1 : Preparation of noodles:

1. Take water in a big vessel and allow it to boil.
2. Now add sufficient salt and 1 table spoon oil into it.
3. Add around 200gm of noodles into it. Boil till the noodles get cooked.
4. Then drain the water and pour cold water over it. Again drain well till the noodles get dry.
5. Now heat oil in a Kadai and deep fry the noodles little by little until its crispy.

Step 2 : Preparation of Tamrind Sauce:

1. Take tamarind of a big lemon size and put it in half cup of warm water for sometime and squeeze the juice.
2. Keep a pan in the flame and add 1/4th cup of water into it.
3. When water boils add 5 table spoon of sugar into it.
4. When the sugar is dissolved completely add the tamarind juice into it and boil well.
5. Add ½ tsp of chat masala powder and boiled for some more time till it thickness.
6. Taste the sauce and balance the taste by adding more sugar or more tamarind juice if needed.

Step 3 : Preparation of Green Peas masala:

1. Soak little green peas in water for few hours.
2. Take a cooker and add some chopped onions, some chopped tomatoes, green peas, little chopped coriander leaves, 1 tsp chat masala and sufficient salt.
3. Cook till green peas turns soft

Step 4 : Mixing Procedure:

1. Take a big bowl and add little chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped coriander leaves, little green peas masala, and little chili powder and a pinch of chat masala.
2. Now crush the fried noodles, add into it and mix well.
3. Pour sufficient tamarind sauce over it and again mix well.
4. Transfer it into a serving plate and evenly spread Sev over it.
5. Sprinkle a  little more tamarind sauce and decorate it with chopped onions and coriander leaves

Charmuri Chat

Ingredients:

Charmuri Chat

1. Puffed rice – 150 - 200gm
2. Onion chopped – 1 Medium
3. Tomato chopped – 1 big
4. Carrot grated – 1 small
5. Beetroot grated – ½ of a small
6. Coriander leaves chopped – little
7. Raw mango grated – little
8. Ground nuts – 50gm
9. Lime – 1 small
10. Chili powder – ½ tsp - 1 tsp
11. Sambar Powder – 1 tsp
12. Coconut oil – 1 table spoon
13. Salt – for taste

Method:

1. Take a big bowl and add onions, carrot, beetroot, mango, tomato and coriander leaves to it.
2. Now add chili powder, sambar powder, salt , lime juice and mix well
3. Add oil and ground nuts into it and again mix well
4. At this stage check the taste and add more masalas or adjust the salt if needed.
5. At last just before serving add the puffed rice little by little and mix well.
6. Add only sufficient amount of puffed rice and ensure that the masala covers the puffed rice well.
7. Decorate with chopped coriander leaves and serve.