Continental Appetizers: These appetizers are delicious, simple and attractive, above all easy to make. The top picture is open grilled toast with tomatoes herbs and sour cream. Brochette Appetizer, & & Mediterranean Falafel Pockets. Mediterranean Pita Pockets with Falafels Ingredients: For the falafels 1C black gram flour 1C boiled potatoes mashed 2-3 chopped green chilies or to taste 1tsp garlic paste 1tsp ginger paste 1tbsp chopped green coriander leaves 1tsp salt ½tsp powdered anardana powder (pomegranate powder) ½tsp garam masala ¼ to ½tsp red chili powder 1tbsp oil Oil for frying To assemble and garnish: Red chili and tomato chutney: Ingredients- 2 ripe tomatoes; 2-3 green chilies or dry red chilies; 1-2 tsp red- chili sauce; 1tsp chili garlic paste; 1tsp level salt Blend all these ingredients in a blender and form a smooth chutney. Keep aside till needed.
Yogurt Chutney: Ingredients – 1C yogurt; ½ C Vege Mayonnaise; salt and pepper to taste Whip the mixture to form a smooth spread. Add salt and pepper. Keep aside till needed.
Hummus: Prepared with Garbanzo beans, blended with canola/olive oil, lemon juice, tahini-sesame paste, salt, garlic and spices. Garnished with roasted pepper pureed with lime juice, cilantro and salt Salad: A mixture of chopped onions, tomatoes and salad leaves. Method:
Falafels: 1. Mix all the falafel ingredients thoroughly and make a soft dough-like texture to form the Falafel balls. 2. Divide the mixture into 24 balls and make flat tikkis. 3. Deep fry the balls to light brown. Drain on a strainer. 4. To assemble: Take a full Pita bread, warm it up lightly, cut it into 2. Take one half of the bread, and assemble the falafels in the pocket. 5. Open the pocket and spread the hummus inside the pocket. Then arrange 3 falafels in a layer in the pocket. Pour 1tsp red sauce on the falafels. Spread the salad liberally over the red sauce, then spread yogurt dressing over the salad. Serve it with extra salad and the sauces. Assemble the pita pockets immediately, so you can enjoy the hot falafels in the pita pockets. Appetizers / Snacks:
Celery Cheesy pumpkin snack
Canapés: Canape' is French for small bite-sized appetizers. Canapés’ are small, attractive savory appetizers which can be picked up with the fingers and eaten in a few bites. They consist of a base, mostly bread or salted crackers, on which a savory butter or spread is applied together with suitable garnish. Many imaginative combinations re possible, particularly as regards shapes, colors and garnishing. Canapé Bases: If using a savory crackers base, use either plain or after brushing with melted butter and toasting lightly in a moderate oven. A bread base enable creation of a wide variety of shapes (round, square, diamond, fingers etc.) with design. First cut the bread (one day old is preferable) into slices about 12mm (1”) thick and remove the crust. Next cut out the desired shapes using either a cookie cutter or, if this is not available, with a sharp knife. The bread base can be untoasted; or it can be toasted or sautéed (in a little butter over low heat) on one side only. The topping is always to be applied on the untoasted side. Canapé Butter: Blend softened butter thoroughly with savory ingredients e.g. mustard powder or paprika or curry powder with lemon juice etc. Store butter in a covered container, in the refrigerator. When you wish to use, cream the mixture to spreading consistency, spread thinly on canapé bases and serve after garnishing. Canapé Spreads: These are not as soft as the butters and can be piled more generously on the bases. Use any of the following spreads or others which you like, but do not forget that proper garnishing makes all the difference to the appearance. Cheese spread: Blend ½tcup grated processed cheese with ½tcup softened butter. You can also add ½tcup finely chopped olives. Season spread to taste with salt, pepper and a dash of tabasco sauce. Chili Cheese Spread- Blend grated cheese with chili sauce to taste and add softened butter if you like. Mushroom spread- Wash mushrooms, chop very fine and sauté in butter for 5 minutes. Add cheese, salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.
Potato Canapé
Potato Canapé: Makes 4 Canapé’s. Make the potato filling: Ingredients: Boil 1 medium potato, roughly mash it. 1tbsp finely chopped onion 1tbsp chopped tomatoes 1tsp crushed ginger root ½green chili chopped. ½tsp salt ½tsp red chili flakes ¼tsp anardana powder 1chopped curry patta ¼tsp cumin seeds For Batter; ¼C Besan, ¼tsp each salt, and pepper 1tbsp buttermilk 2 White slices (one day old), cut into 4 rectangles each Oil for cooking Method: Make the filling: 1. Heat 1tbsp oil in a pan, add cumin seeds, when seeds stop cracking add onion, ginger, chili, curry patta. 2. Cook for 2-3 minutes until onions are light brown. 3. Add tomatoes continue to cook till the tomatoes are mushy and oil separates. Now mix in the mashed potatoes, with all the spices and salt. Stir cook until the potatoes are coated with the masala and are slightly brown. Take from heat and keep aside. 4. In the meantime mix the batter ingredients and form a smooth, coating consistency batter. 5. Take 2 bread rectangles Spread 1tsp of the filling on it. Cover it with the other square press the sides to cover filling completely. 6. In a frying pan, heat oil on medium heat. Dip the prepared bread squares in batter and fry the squares, 2 at a time. 7. When they are light brown on both sides, drain on kitchen paper towel and serve with ketchup.
Poha Pea Kebabs
Poha Kabab: (Prepared with Beaten Rice): Ingredients: 200gm Poha- beaten rice 1C boiled, diced vegetables (carrots, beans, cauliflower, potatoes, peas) ½C chopped onion 1tsp ginger chopped 1tsp black mustard seeds 1-2 green chili, chopped ¼C tomato, chopped ½tsp haldi 1tsp salt ½tsp garam masala 1tbsp coriander leaves 2tbsp Lemon juice Green chutney and Mehthi chutney 1tbsp roasted peanuts (optional) 1tbsp oil Method: 1. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, when they start to flutter add onion and ginger, cook for 2 minutes until onion becomes limp. 2. Add the boiled, diced vegetables, salt, chili flakes, haldi and stir-cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients except the lemon juice, coriander leaves and chutneys. 3. Soak the Poha in water for 1-2 minutes just to soften it. Add the poha to the cooking pan. Cook stirring to mix it with the cooked ingredients. 4. Mix and take from heat. Transfer in a big serving bowl, mix the chutneys according to taste. Sprinkle lemon juice and mix. 5. Garnish with coriander leaves and peanuts. Serve immediately.
Eggplant & Bottle Gourd Kabab Delicacy
Individual serving of Kabab
Eggplant & Bottle Gourd Kabab Delicacy
Ingredients: 1(300gm) Eggplant, cut in ¼” thick and 2 ½” diameter round, sprinkle salt on them and keep aside for15 minutes. 1 (300gm) bottle gourd-gheya (Gourd), cut in ¼” thick rounds ¼ to ½C besan (Gram flour) season with ¼tsp each salt and red chili powder 2tbsp all- purpose flour made into thin paste with water Oil for frying 10 rounds of cucumber 10 rounds of tomatoes and few bites of chopped tomato 10 bread rounds of 2 ½”diameter Green mint chutney ½ spring of green onion cut finely 10-12 fresh leaves of coriander or shredded lettuce Method: 1. Heat 2tbsp oil on a skillet. Cook the kebabs separately in batches on a skillet. 2. Dip the rounds in the flour paste and roll them in the besan to coat all over. Place them on the skillet in a single row and stir-fry on both sides to light brown. Keep them aside separately. 3. To assemble the snack: Warm up the bread round spread some chutney on it then place the eggplant round over it. Put tomato round and the gheya round over it. Now decorate the top with the coriander leave, tomato bites and spring onion. Serve in individual serving small bowls with green chutney.
Kasta Kachories Serves 10
Ingredients 250gm flour 200gm (1C) moong dal or urad dal 50gm rawa 4tsp (20gm) coriander leaves, chopped fine 2tsp (10gm) chili powder 2tsp (10gm) amchur powder 1tsp (5gm) black cumin seeds 5 green chilies and 2.5cm ginger, grind to paste 1/2tsp (2gm) garam masala powder a little lukewarm water for kneading the dough salt to taste 300 ml (20 tbsp) oil for sautéing the grinded dal oil for deep frying. Method: 1. Wash the dal in 4-5 waters and soak it for a few hours. Drain and grind it into a coarse paste without adding any water. 2. Heat 12 tbsp oil in a heavy bottom pan add cumin seeds, when they start spluttering add the grind dal 3. Cook on low heat, continuously stirring so as not to let the dal stick to the bottom of the pan. 4. Add the chili-ginger paste with chili powder, garam masala, amchur and salt. Continue to cook until the dal turns golden brown. 5. Now add coriander leaves. mix well and keep it aside to cool. Then divide it into as many parts as the balls of the dough. 6. Mix flour, rawa, salt and 8 tbsp oil. Mix well and add sufficient water to make a soft dough. Divide the dough into lemon sized balls. 7. Flatten each ball and fill it with one part of the dal filling, close the ball round the filling. Roll it into a puri on a floured surface. Make all the puri in the same manner. 8. Deep fry the kachoris on medium heat, till they are golden brown on both sides. Serve with aloo ke sabzi.
Moong Daal Kachoris Ingredients for dough - 3c maida (flour) 1 ½ tsp salt 3 tbsp ghee (melted) Warm water (as much needed to make soft dough)
Ingredients for filling – 1/3c moong daal (soak for 3 hours) 2 tsp whole coriander seeds ½ - 1 tsp cumin seeds ¼ tsp hing 1 tsp fennel seeds ½ c besan 3 tsp red chili powder ½ tsp garam masala 1 tsp kasoori methi ¼ tsp black salt 1 tsp amchoor powder ¼ tsp black pepper 1 tsp salt 1/3c water 4 tsp oil
Method for dough:
Mix maida and salt thoroughly
Make a well and add the ghee to it
Mix the mixture and take the dough and press it in your hand to check if it makes a ball
Add water little by little forming a smooth, soft dough
Knead it to 8-10 min
Make a ball with the kneaded dough and cover it with a muslin cloth
Let it rest for ½ hour
The dough should become soft and elastic
Knead for a few more minutes and make into 12 – 14 balls
Method for filling: while the dough is resting, make the filing!
Grind roughly coriander seeds, cumin seeds, hing, and fennel seeds
In a pan heat 4 tbps oil
Add the ground masala from step 1 to the pan
Add garam masala and salt
Roast for a second
Add besan
Cook and roast until besan changes color and the raw small has left
Add rest of the masalas to the pan
Cook for a few seconds
Add the soaked daal
Add ½ of the 1/3c water
Stir well
Cook on medium-low heat covered until the water evaporates
The daal should be cooked, stir occasionally
Add more water, if required
When the water is evaporated and the daal has softed a bit, take the mix off the heat and let cool
When the filling is cooled, make 12 – 14 balls of the mix
If the balls are dry, add a tsp of hot water
Heat oil for frying the balls on medium high.
While the oil is heating, form your raw kachoris:
Flatten the dough ball with your fingers.
Add a ball of the filling to the dough and enclose the dough over it to form a larger ball.
Slowly press the ball, and take a rolling pin to flatten the ball to about a quarter inch thickness to form your kachori.
Add the kachoris one by one into the oil (upto 4 or 5 at one time)
Do not touch, let them rise in the oil
Once they rise, turn the heat to low and cook them to golden brown on all sides