PAPDI

 

Last year when lockdown was announced, I had a sudden craving for Chaats. I walked about (the house) wondering when I could next get my hands on some good Papdi Chaat. I don’t have Chaats that often, probably a few times a year, but last year, it felt like I had been deprived of the most essential food item.

Someone suggested I make them at home.

Chaat at home? What would I do for the papdis and ‘sweet chutney’?

So I made the papdis and sweet chutney and enjoyed Papdi Chaat at home and the next day ( since I had become a chaat expert) proceed to make Aloo Tikki Chaat. This was one of the dishes that I didn’t have to look at others with raised eyebrows for approval. It may not have been perfect with the limited ingredients I had, but I had finally made Chaat at home and it was tasty enough to be put up on the blog. (Sweet chutney and Chaat recipes to follow).

When things got back to a ‘false normal’, not once did I eat or order in Chaat and now as we realise that the wave has not ebbed but is looming over our heads, I find myself looking for Chaat ingredients in the kitchen.

Recipe is from Hebbar’s Kitchen.

These Papdis are baked and not fried. The baked ones will not be as flaky and crunchy as the fried ones and let’s admit it, the fried ones always do taste better. I would still recommend baking, unless you plan to eat them plain.

PAPDI

Ingredients:

Whole wheat flour (Atta)- 2 cups

Fine semolina (rawa)- ¼ cup

Ajwain (carom seeds)- 1 tsp

Salt – ¾ tsp

Oil – 2 tbsp (for the dough)

Water – about ½ cup

Method :

1.     Mix the wheat flour and semolina. To this add ajwain, salt and oil. Mix well.

2.     Add required amount of water and knead into a tight dough.

3.     Roll out the dough and cut out small rounds as you see in the picture.

4.     Prick holes into the Papdis so that they don’t puff up wile baking/frying.

5.     Either fry the Papdis in oil or bake at 180C for about 10 mins.

6.     Done.

 

 

 

 

ZUCCHINI FRIES

 

I had made these fries some time back and as I sat down to write this post yesterday, I kept searching for the recipe on my phone only to realise in some time that I hadn’t used a recipe from the internet. I hadn’t used any recipe at all.

I almost always have a pencil and a battered notepad with me. While some may mistake this for a sign of diligence and prolificity, the truth is that I need these to make notes lest I forget things I have discussed or brainwaves I have had. I do have a good memory but sometimes there just isn’t space for all the information I receive in a day.

I had made these fries for the first time and for some reason proceeded without referring to a recipe. I am  a stickler to following recipes and the rare occasion that I happen to make something without following one, I usually jot it down somewhere but I perhaps this time, I didn’t feel the need to do so for this basic dish.

I zoomed into my pictures trying to discern the ingredients used. There’s nothing really elaborate about these fries but the recipes I came across whilst looking for THE recipe had a list of ingredients I know I didn’t use. Most of them call for a light coating in flour and eggs, which I know I didn’t use as I typically don’t like using eggs for coating. I also didn’t use an egg substitute such as milk or yoghurt. Hmm, no wonder I struggled a bit trying to coat the fries with bread crumbs!

I also didn’t have garlic powder or cheese powder. I used freshly, crushed garlic and chopped the cheese cubes into tiny bits. I tossed the Zucchini in these and butter (or was it oil?). I, then, powdered the heel of a loaf of bread ( I did not toast these) in the grinder, rolled the greased Zucchini slices on the bread crumbs (the butter (or oil) helped them stick) and the fries that had chunks of cheese and garlic sticking on it, tasted the best!

No quantities mentioned, just eyeball it. Don’t add too  much salt if the oregano and cheese is salty. 1 tsp crushed garlic should do for 1 Zucchini.

I also have the recipes for Zucchini Boats,  Zucchini Fritters and Lemon Zucchini Loaf on my blog. 

If you like Zucchini too, please do follow me on Facebook and Instagram.

ZUCCHINI FRIES

Ingredients:

Zucchini (yellow squash) – 1

Butter/oil

Crushed garlic 

Salt

Pepper

Oregano

Cheese 

Bread crumbs

Method:

1.     Slice the Zucchini into thin slices ( the thinner they are, the crispier they get but the more difficult to coat).

2.     Transfer the slices into a bowl. Drizzle enough butter/oil on them and give them a good toss until they are glossy. Add crushed garlic, oregano, salt, pepper and cheese and give it a good toss.

3.     Roll each slice on bread crumbs and placed it on a baking dish.

4.     Drizzle a little oil on the Zucchini slices.

5.     Bake at 180C for about 15 mins or until they look crunchy.

6.     Done.

 

Recipe Notes :

·       If you don’t have an oven, fry them on stove top, I bet they’ll be crispier, though you can’t claim to be snacking healthy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

SMASHED SWEET POTATOES (5 INGREDIENT)

R looked at the sweet potatoes and then back at me with raised eyebrows. I hadn’t ordered these in ages. I have a new recipe in mind I told her. I hadn’t.

The fancy recipes I came across on the internet had fat, succulent, orange sweet potatoes. What I had was scrawny, purple ones.

I came across a recipe for smashed baby potatoes and decided to make smashed Sweet Potatoes instead.

I haven’t mentioned the quantities. It’s all as per your taste preference.

I mentioned cheese only because I have added it to the batch of which I clicked pictures. I would recommend skipping cheese as I could hardly taste it or perhaps, I put too little of it. 

These are soooooooo good. The sweet potatoes are garlicky, sweet and spicy and crispy and baked! So much healthier than the packet of Lays Chips I’m eating as I type this post. You may add other herbs if you wish to but salt and red chilly powder go perfectly well with these sweet potatoes.

If you do not have an oven, fry them on a pan. You must try these, have I said it already? These are so good. So good.

You could use regular potatoes instead but I do insist that you try it with sweet potatoes too because they are so good ;P

For more such simple recipes, please do follow me on Facebook @Lucidlucent and Instagram @lucidlucent.

SMASHED SWEET POTATOES

Ingredients:

Sweet potatoes

Butter

Garlic

Salt

Red chilli powder

Cheese (optional)

Method:

1.     Boil the sweet potatoes until cooked. (let it not be too soft, I pressure cook it along with our rice and it’s perfectly done). Leave the peel on.

2.     Preheat oven at 180C.

3.     Slice the sweet potatoes into ½ inch rounds.

4.     Add crushed garlic to butter and heat it until the butter melts.

5.   Transfer the chopped sweet potatoes into a mixing bowl. Drizzle the garlic butter on it. Sprinkle salt and chilli powder. Give it a good toss until the sweet potatoes are well coated.

6.     Place the sweet potatoes on a greased baking dish. Smash it slightly with a fork.

7.     Sprinkle cheese on it. (optional)

8.     Bake at 180C for about 15-20 mins until the edges have crisped and browned.

9.     Done.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

FOX NUTS (MAKHANA) TRAIL MIX

30.08.2020: I had 50 gms of Makhana remaining after I had made Caramel Makahana. Though Skip insisted that I make the Caramel ones again, I wanted to try a different recipe. “I need content for the blog”.

I decided to make a savoury version this time.

I’ve had some moments in the kitchen where I’ve frozen in panic after tasting my dish. I tend to add too much salt at times. A trick to pull out excess salt from gravy-based dishes is to drop a few raw potato slices in it. Let it soak in the excess salt and fish the slices out just before serving. What do you do with excess salt in your trail mix?

Skip ate a mouthful and said this wouldn’t have happened if I had just listened to him and used sugar instead of salt.

Barring the slight overdose of salt, which gradually settled at the bottom, we did manage to finish these in good time. If you like "namkeen" of the sweet and savoury kind, you will definitely enjoy this too.

Do not season the fox nuts again, immediately after you take it off the flame. Give it a good mix, let it cool down and then taste and decide if you need to add more salt. 

I’ve used ingredients that were available at home, feel free to use whatever seeds, nuts, dried fruits you have at home and eyeball the quantities. Just don’t add too much salt.

FOX NUTS TRAIL MIX

Ingredients:

Fox nuts (Makhana) – 50 gms

Butter / Clarified butter (ghee) – 2 tbsp

Cashews /Peanuts (or both) – 3 tbsps

Almonds (whole) – 3 tbsps

Raisins – 1 tbsp

Sunflower seeds – 2 tbsps

Watermelon seeds – 2 tbsps

Powdered sugar- 1 tsp

Pepper – ½ tsp

Turmeric – ¼ tsp

Chaat masala / Aamchur powder – ¼ tsp

Salt – to taste

Method:

1.     Add butter/ghee to a pan and roast the nuts and seeds separately. Set aside.   

2.     In the same pan, toast the fox nuts until they begin to brown (for about 10 minutes). Add the salt, sugar, chaat masala and turmeric and give it a good mix.

3.     Dump the roasted nuts, seeds and raisins into the pan and mix it well for about 2 minutes more. (Keep an eye on the fox nuts, you don’t want them to burn)

4.     Let it cool. Store in an airtight jar.

5.     Done.

CARAMEL FOX NUTS (MAKHANA)

12.08.2020: Do you know why these are called 'Fox' Nuts? These come from a plant called Euryale Ferox also commonly called the prickly waterlily. These are also called Phool Makhana (in India) and Lotus Seeds.

These are commonly consumed during periods of religious fasting. The makhana is a super snack- rich in nutrients and low in cholesterol, fat and sodium.

For the longest time, I have been having them with butter, salt and pepper. I first dry roast the seeds and then add a smidgen of butter and toss them in salt and pepper. I had a 100 gm packet lying around and decided to make it different this time.

That night was to be our movie night and I fondly remembered the tub of caramel and salted popcorn mix that gave me company during films, good and bad- the sole reason for agreeing to watch movies in Vega City Mall which is at the other end of town (they have the best caramel popcorn there).

When Skip and I went for movies together, we often fought over the choice of popcorn. He loves cheese and I, a mix of caramel and salt. Skip doesn’t like caramel and I don’t like cheese. The mixed flavours come only in large sized tubs which I cannot finish. So, it was only fair that we bought a tub of caramel and cheese mix. Skip would dip his sticky fingers ( he always has to lick his fingers to get the cheese powder off it!)  and go digging into the tub looking for cheese and would end up picking only the caramels and I would end up with soggy cheese ones, made wet with his little fingers.

I decided we would eat caramel makhana that night. Sky said he would prefer salt. So, I used only half of it to try caramelised makhana. I have decided to try the Dry Fruit Makhana with the remaining fox nuts. I will post that recipe soon!

These are sooooooo good. Skip loved them and so did Sky. Can you hear that crunch? As good as caramel popcorn with the wonderful makhana flavour. Use the exact quantities mentioned by me for an even and light coating of the caramel sauce.

The recipe for the caramel sauce is inspired from the YouTube Channel- Gol Roti.

Yeh makhane ka rass zara chakhna, oi makhna oi makhna…..

Do you love salted caramel popcorn too or grooved to the Amitabh-Govinda-Madhuri starrer song? Then I must insist you follow me on Instagram and Facebook @lucidlucent. Thank you. 

CARAMEL FOX NUTS (MAKHANA)

Ingredients:

Fox nuts (Makhana) – 50 gms

Sugar – 4 tbsp

Water – 3 tbsp

Butter – 1 tbsp

Milk – 5 tbsp

Salt/sea salt – a pinch (optional) 

Method:

1. Grease a plate or line it with butter paper.  

2. Toast the fox nuts until they brown. I dry roasted them in a pan for about 10 minutes. Set aside.

3.To the same pan, add sugar and water and stir until the sugar melts. Keep stirring it continuously.

4.When the liquid reduces and thickens, add the butter and stir it until the butter melts.

5.To this add the milk and a pinch of salt and keep stirring until the sauce reduces further. It shall thicken and turn a lovely caramel colour.

6.Turn off the heat and immediately add the toasted fox nuts. Mix it well until the nuts are coated with the caramel sauce.

7.  (If you have sea salt, skip adding salt to the sauce and as soon as you have coated the nuts with the sauce, sprinkle a little sea salt on it). This step is optional. 

8.  Spread and separate the fox nuts on the greased plate/butter paper.

9. Let it cool and in about 10 minutes, the fox nuts would have turned crunchy.

10. Done.