Holidays and Festive Delights

Kachoris

By Promila Gupta

Here are some recipes for the fast approaching festivals of Christmas, New Year, Lohri and Makar Sakranti for our TIDU readers. With children at home during the school holidays, you would need to come up with some easy dishes to keep them happy.

CRISPY SLICES

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup plain flour
  • ½ cup grated cheese
  • 1/3rd cup finely chopped coriander leaves
  • ½ tsp black pepper
  • 6 slices of bread
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • 1 boiled and grated potato
  • Oil for frying

Method

Cut each bread slice in three parts. Mix the potatoes, cheese, coriander leaves, red chili powder and salt in a mixing bowl. Mix well. Make a thick batter with plain flour, black pepper and some salt. Spread the potato mixture on each slice part.

Heat the oil. Dip the slice in the batter and shallow fry till golden on both sides. Remove the extra oil by placing the fried slices on paper towel.

Serve with chutney of your choice.

KASHMIRI KACHORIS

Ingredients:

  • · 1 cup plain flour
  • · ½ tsp sugar
  • · 1/2 cup of  mixed nuts (almonds, cashews and sultanas) ”“ coarsely grated
  • · ¾ tsp of chaat masala
  • · ½ cup butter milk
  • · 1 tabs finely chopped fresh coriander
  • · 1 green chili finely chopped
  • · ½ tsp salt
  • · ¼ tsp soda bi carb
  • · Oil for frying

Method

Add salt, soda bi carb, sugar, chaat masala, oil in the plain flour. Mix with butter milk (small quantity at a time) to make a thick dough.

Mix all the dry fruits, green chili and coriander leaves. Divide the dough into 8 equal parts. Make a ball of each part and roll out as a disk. Place the dry fruit mixture in the middle and lift sides to enclose. Seal the ends and press lightly between palms to make a flat disk.

Heat the oil. Deep fry till golden on both sides. Keep the fried kachoris on paper towel.

Serve with chutney of your choice.

DELIGHT SQUARES

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup besan flour
  • 1 cup rice flour
  • 2 green chilies finely chopped
  • ½ cup finely chopped coriander leaves
  • A pinch of asafetida
  • A pinch of turmeric powder
  • ¼ tsp of soda bi carb
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • 1 green diced capsicum
  • 1 carrot grated
  • ½ cup oil
  • ½ tsp mustard seeds
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup natural yoghurt

Method

Mix besan flour, rice flour, soda bi carb, turmeric powder, salt, coriander leaves, green chili and yoghurt. Mix well. Add water as required to make a pouring consistency batter. Add capsicum and grated carrot.

Heat oil. Add asafetida and mustard seeds. When they crackle, add to the besan mixture. Mix well and keep it overnight.

Grease an oven dish and pour the mixture and spread it evenly. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 30 minutes till golden brown on top. Cut into square pieces and serve hot.

BAKED MAKHANA

Ingredients:

  • 15 makhanas
  • 4 medium potatoes ”“ boiled, peeled and mashed
  • ½ tsp chaat masala
  • ½ tsp red chili powder
  • 1 tsp butter
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tabs finely chopped coriander leaves
  • Oil for frying makhanas

Method

Heat oil. Deep fry the makhanas till golden brown. Place on paper towel to drain out any excess oil.

Mix the potatoes with chaat masala, red chili powder, salt and chopped coriander. Mix well. Now wrap each makhana with this potato mixture and seal ends. Press lightly between palms to shape it like a tikki.

Melt the butter and brush each tikki with it.

Grease an oven dish. Spread the makhana tikkis evenly on the dish. Bake in a pre heated oven at 180 degrees Celsius for about 20 minutes till golden brown on top.

Serve hot with sauce or green chutney.

PEANUT DISKS

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup roasted peanuts
  • 4 large potatoes ”“ boiled, peeled and mashed
  • 2 slices of bread
  • ½ cup green chili chutney
  • ½ tsp salt
  • ½ cup grated fresh coconut
  • Oil as required

Method

Dip bread slices in water. Squeeze out excess water. Mix with mashed potatoes and salt. Divide the mixture into 8 equal parts. Make a ball of each part and flatten each ball to shape it like a round disk.

Heat the oil. Shallow fry all the disks till golden brown on both sides. Remove the extra oil by placing the fried slices on paper towel.

Arrange the disks on a plate. Spread the chutney. Then sprinkle the coconut and peanuts on top and serve.

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