SNACKS

VEGETABLE PAKORAY

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup chickpea flour (Besan)
• 1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 finely chopped green chilies,
• 1 tablespoon coriander, finely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• Oil for frying
• An assortment of vegetables: onions, cut into rings or sliced potato

METHOD:

1. Stir the flour, salt and chilli powder into a bowl.

2. Pour in sufficient water to make a thick batter and beat well until smooth. Leave to stand for at least 20 minutes.

3. Stir the chilies, coriander and baking powder into the batter.

4. Drop in the potatoes/onions to coat with batter.

5. Heat the oil in a deep pan, drop in the battered potatoes/onions and deep-fry until crisp and golden.

6. Remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain on kitchen towel and keep warm.

7. Serve hot.

Watch how to make Pakoray:

ALOO (POTATO) PAKORAY

INGREDIENTS:

• 6 Large potatoes
• 2 Cups besan (chick pea or gram flour)
• 1 Cup water
• 4 Cups oil
• 2 tsp Red chilli powder
• 1 tsp Mango powder
• Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Wash potatoes and cut it into thin slices.
2. Add water to besan (chick pea or gram flour) and make a batter of thick consistency.
3. Add red chilli powder, mango powder.
4. Blend it well.
5. Heat the oil.
6. Dip each piece of potato in batter.
7. Fry these potato pieces one by one till they turn golden brown.
8. Serve hot.

   

BAINGAN (EGG PLANT/BRINJAL) PAKORAY

INGREDIENTS:

• 5-6 tablespoons of Besan (gram flour)
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic paste
• 2-3 green chilis
• Vegetable oil
• Salt
• Black Salt Powder

METHOD:

1. Put 5-6 tablespoons of Besan (gram flour) in a bowl then, add 1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder, 1/4 teaspoon garlic paste, 2-3 green chili, salt to taste and mix well.
2. Make a thick batter with the above ingredients and add water if batter is becoming too thick.
3. Cut the baingan (Brinjal) into two halves in a circular shape, then with one half again cut it into semicircle shape into a total of 8 pieces and wash them in running water.
4. Take a non- stick frying pan put 1 cup vegetable oil and heat it for 4 minutes. Dip the baiNgan (Brinjal) pieces into the batter (step 2) and fry in medium heat until it becomes golden brown.
5. Garnish with sprinkles of Black Salt Powder. BaiNgan (Brinjal) ka pakora is ready to serve hot with coriander chutney or tomato sauce for evening snacks.

EGG PAKORAY

INGREDIENTS:

• 4 Eggs (hard boiled)
• 3 tbsp Gram flour (Besan)
• Salt To Taste
• Red Chili powder to taste
• Little Black pepper powder
• Oil to fry

METHOD:

1. Peel and cut boiled egg into two halves.
2. Sprinkle little salt and pepper on eggs.
3. In a bowl take gram flour salt, chili powder and make a thick batter using water.
4. Heat oil in a pan.
5. Dip each egg piece in the batter and deep fry till golden brown on medium flame.
6. Serve hot .

MANGO AND DRIED TOMATO CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups water
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped sweet onion
• 2 cups coarsely chopped mango
• 1 cup snipped dried tomatoes
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, firmly packed
• 1/3 cup red wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons white vinegar

METHOD:

1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a 3-quart saucepan and bring to a boil and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes, or until tomatoes are softened.
2. Add remaining ingredients and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until most liquid has been absorbed. Cool and pack in air-tight containers. May be kept in the refrigerator 2 to 3 weeks or frozen for up to 12 months.

SPICY MANGO CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS:

• Green Mango - 1 piece (preferably hard)
• Salt - 4 tsp 
• Chilly powder - 8 tsp 
• Fenugreek (Uluva) - 1 tsp 
• Mustard seed (Kaduku) - 1 tsp
• Oil - 1/4 cup 
• Turmeric powder - 2 tsp
• Asafetida - 1 as required

 METHOD:

1) Peel the mango and grate it. 

2) Fry the fenugreek seeds on a hot pan without oil and grind it to make a powder. 

3) Heat oil on a pan and fry mustard seeds. 

4) When the seeds pop add the grated mango to it. 

5) Add salt to this mixture while frying.

6) When the mixture gets thick add asafoetida, turmeric powder and fenugreek powder. 

7) Keep it on low fire until the mixture becomes a thick paste and not soggy. 

SWEET MANGO CHUTNEY

INGREDIENTS:

• Four kilogram chopped mango
• Two cups white vinegar
• One and 1/2 cups sultanas
• One teaspoon ground ginger
• One teaspoon mixed spice
• One tablespoons salt
• Three cup sugar
• Six cloves
• Six large cloves garlic (chopped)
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Six peppercorns

METHOD:

1. Boil all mango cubes and sultanas in vinegar for about fifteen minutes.
2. Now add sugar, and boil it for15 minutes again.
3. Add remainder of ingredients and boil it until it becomes thick. It takes about 45 minutes.
4. Stir the chutney every few minutes or it will stick to bottom of the pan.
5. Carefully pour into jars.

AAM KA ACHAR (MANGO PICKLE)

INGREDIENTS:

• 24 Mangoes (Aam) (unripe)
• 1 tbsp. of Coriander Seeds (Dhania)
• 1 tbsp. of White Cumin Seeds (Sufaid Zeera)
• 1 tbsp. of Mustard Seeds
• 1 tbsp. of Onion Seeds
• 3 tbsp. of Salt
• 1 cup of Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)
• 1 tbsp. of Garlic (Lasan) (grounded)
• 4 cups of Cooking Oil

METHOD:

1) Wash the mangoes and wipe dry. Cut into quarters.

2) Mix the salt with the mangoes and spread out on a tray or baking tin and dry in the sun for 2 or 3 days, or until the skin of the fruit becomes soft and pliable.

3) Fry all of the whole spices in 2 cups of the oil until they are light brown. Remove from the oil and grind to a smooth paste. And set aside.

4) Put the rest of the oil in a saucepan and heat well. Add all of the ground spices and stir for 1 minute. Then add all of the dry mangoes. Stir together over fire very briefly and remove from heat immediately.

5) Allow to cool completely to room temperature. When cool, place the pickle (achaar) in an airtight container and store at room temperature. This pickle can be preserved for at least one year.

DAHI BARHAY (LENTIL DUMPLINGS IN YOGHURT)

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups of White Lentils (Urad Dal) (skinned and split) (pre-soaked)
• A pinch of Baking Soda
• ½ tsp. Salt
• A pinch of Asafoetida (Heeng)
• 1 tsp. of Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)
• ½ tsp. Cumin Powder (Pisa Zeera)
• Plain Yogurt
• Cooking Oil (for deep frying)
• Chaat Masala (for garnish)
• Imli Chutney (for garnish)

METHOD:

1. Wash the lentils well in warm water. In a grinder, grind the lentils into a paste then add the rest of the spices. Mix well and set aside for 30 minutes.
2. Put cooking oil in a deep frying pan or karahi on high heat. Once the oil gets hot, turn the heat to medium and drop a tablespoon of mixture at a time in the oil and fry until golden brown. Then remove from oil and put the baray on a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.
3. In a separate dish, beat the plain yogurt by adding a little water to form a paste. Add salt, red chilli powder and cumin powder. And whip well.
4. Then take cold water in a separate bowl and put the baray in the water for a minute or so or until they are soft. Then squeeze the baray with your palms to drain out the water and add them to the prepared yogurt mix. Repeat this process until all baray mix is gone.

  Garnish with chaat masala and imli chutney . (Refrigerate until cold for better taste.)

Watch how to make Dahi Barhay:

LAHORI CHANA (CHICK PEA) CHAAT OR CHOLE CHAAT

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 cups boiled chick peas
• 2 big boiled potatoes, peeled and chopped
• 1-3 green chilies finely chopped
• 2 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
• 1 – 2 medium onions chopped
• 3 tablespoon lemon or lime juice
• 1 tablespoon jaggery or fine sugar
• 2 tablespoon coriander leaves chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, chopped
• Sea Salt to taste
• Chat masala to taste – start with about 1 dessert spoon, and add more if you want it spicier.

METHOD:

Mix all the ingredients and refrigerate for 2 – 3 hours. Serve cold.

If you want to Westernise it, add a load of chopped parsley, mint and coriander and mix through. Mung bean sprouts. Another 2 or 3 tomatoes chopped into chickpeas size pieces.

You can further be adventurous… the sourness of the lime juice, amchur and black salt will go well with fruit as well – any tropical fruit, melons, apples, pears even.

Watch how to make Chana Chaat:

GOL GAPPAY OR PANI PURI

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup Fine Semolina (Rava)
• 1/2 tbsp Plain Flour (Maida)
• 3 tbsp Club soda
• Salt (according to taste)

FOR PANI:

• 1 1/2 cups Chopped Mint Leaves
• 1 tbsp Garam Masala
• 1/3 cup Red Chili Powder
• 1 inch Coriander (dhania) Powder
• 4-5 Crushed coriander seeds
• 1 tsp Fennel seeds
• 1 1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
• Salt (according to taste)

      FOR FILLING:

• 2 Mashed potatoes with salt to taste
• 1 cup Boiled garbanzo beans

METHOD:

FOR PURI:

1. Mix semolina, plain flour, soda water and salt. Knead well to make semi-stiff dough. Cover it with clean wet cloth for about 10 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into forty equal portions and roll each portion into circles. Place each circle under damp cloth right after rolling.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry these circles, slightly pressing with a slotted spoon, until they puff up and are golden brown
4. Place the puffed circles or puris on absorbent kitchen tissue.  Store extra puris in an air-tight container.

FOR PANI (WATER):

1. Soak the tamarind in ½ cup of warm water for approximately 45 minutes. Strain out the pulp to get tamarind water.
2. Add mint leaves, chopped coriander, ginger, chilies and cumin seed. Add a little water and mix to a smooth consistency using a blender.
3. Transfer the paste into a large bowl and add 1 litre of water. Now, continuously mix the contents with a spoon and add black salt as well as salt.
4. Now mix it well and refrigerate for about 2 hours to ensure proper blending.

SERVING GOL GAPPAY:

1. Poke a small hole in the center of each puri. Add small quantity of mashed fried potatoes and garbanzo beans as filling.
2. Add a little tamarind chutney. Dip in pani so that puri is filled with it and serve.

Watch how to make Pani Puri:

BEEF SAMOSAS

INGREDIENTS FOR BEEF SAMOSA FILLING:

• 500g minced beef
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• Chilli  to taste
• 1 tablespoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon ground coriander
• 2 tablespoon fresh Ginger
• 50 ml chopped mint
• Juice of 1 lemon
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Salt, pepper to taste

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic mix in the spices and seasoning and fry until soft.
2. Add the mince, stirring until cooked. Remove from heat and stir in the mint and lemon juice.
3. Now it's time for the pastry.

MAKING SAMOSA PASTRTY:

You don't have to make your own pastry. You can simply buy some ready-made pastry from the shop.

This recipe will make enough pastry for 24 samosas and you will need:

INGREDIENTS:

• 225 gm plain flour
• 2 tablespoon Salt
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 80 ml warm water.

METHOD:

1. Mix flour and salt into a bowl. Make a well into the centre and add the oil and enough water to make a firm dough. Knead the dough on a floured surface until smooth and roll into a ball. Cover in plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes.
2. Divide the pastry into 12 equal pieces. Roll each piece into a ball and roll out into a circle of 15 cm. Divide this circle into two equal pieces with a knife.
3. Brush each edge with a little water and form a cone shape around your fingers, sealing the dampened edge.
4. Fill the cases with a tablespoons of your chosen mixture and press the two dampened edges together to seal the top of the cone.
5. Deep fry the samosas in hot oil until crisp and brown take out and drain on a paper towel.

LAMB SAMOSAS

INGREDIENTS FOR LAMB SAMOSA FILLING:

• 500g minced lamb
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds
• 1 fresh chilli finely diced
• 1 tablespoon chopped mint or coriander
• ½ tablespoon fresh grated ginger
• salt and ground pepper to taste
• juice of half a lemon

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic mix in the spices and seasoning and fry until soft. Add the mince, stirring until cooked.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the mint and lemon juice.
3. Now it's time for the pastry (the recipe for the pastry will be the same as for beef samosas).

VEGETABLE SAMOSAS

 INGREDIENTS FOR VEGETABLE SAMOSA FILLING:

• 1 Potato finely diced (5 to 10 mill cubes)
• 1 carrot finely diced - as above
• 2 cloves of crushed garlic.
• 1 Onion finely chopped
• 1 Cup of frozen peas
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoon curry powder or your own spices according to taste
• Salt, Pepper to taste.
• 100 ml of vegetable stock.

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic, mix in  the spices and fry until soft. Add the vegetables, seasoning and stir well until coated.
2. Add the stock, cover and simmer for 30 minutes until cooked.
3. Now it's time for the pastry (the recipe for the pastry will be the same as for beef samosas).

CHICKEN SAMOSAS

INGREDIENTS FOR CHICKEN SAMOSA FILLING:

• 500g minced chicken 
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic crushed
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• ½ teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ teaspoon ground roasted cumin seeds
• 1 fresh chilli finally diced
• 1 teaspoon chopped mint or coriander
• ½ teaspoon fresh grated ginger
• salt and ground pepper to taste
• juice of half a lemon

METHOD:

1. Heat the oil in a frying pan, add the onion and garlic mix in the spices and seasoning and fry until soft. Add the mince, stirring until cooked.
2. Remove from heat and stir in the mint and lemon juice.
3. Now it's time for the pastry (the recipe for the pastry will be the same as for beef samosas).

CHAPLI KEBAB

INGREDIENTS:

• Meat, half kg or two cups of fine minced meat low in fat.
• Two bulbs of fresh ginger, very fine cut.
• One bulbs of onion average small to medium size. Spanish onions for those who do not like the pungent smell of cutting the bulb. It has to be cut very fine.
• Zeera about one teaspoon.
• Coriander green leaves to be cut to small pieces about ten branches of the fresh cut leaves with the stem. Crushed coriander seeds one tablespoon.
• 4 Tomato crushed and fine cut.
• Ghoura Angoor (Bitter Grape powder) two spoons.
• Red and green chili two of each cut to fine pieces.
• Anardana (seeds of pomegranate dried) crushed fine in a mortar (chattu) 2 tablespoons.
• Garlic one medium size bulb cut to fine pieces.

METHOD:

1. Mix all of the above in wide container and mix 1 table spoon of fine Corn flour and two table spoon of fine wheat flour.
2. Add salt and water as needed to make a semi solid ball. Cover it with the lid and refrigerate for 4 to six hours before cooking.
3. Start the charcoal fire or the gas grill half an hour before cooking. Cover the surface for cooking with a double layer of Aluminum foil. Perforate it with the fine fork about a small perforation per square inch.
4. Prepare medium size Patties and smear both surface of the patties with a touch of olive oil to prevent sticking and burning.
5. Move the patties frequently and turn over when cooked. Slow cooking range for the fire is advised, well cooked or well done are every bodies favorite.

Watch how to make Chapli Kebab:

SHAMI KEBAB

INGREDIENTS:

• 500 g. lean ground beef
• 100 g. chana dal
• 1 onion, skinned and roughly chopped
• 7-8 garlic cloves, skinned
• 1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 4 black cardamoms
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 inch cinnamon stick
• 1 teaspoon. whole black pepper
• 6 Whole cloves
• 2 teaspoon.

·       Chili powder

·         1 teaspoon salt

·         300 ml. water

·         1 egg beaten

·         1/2 cup finely chopped fresh coriander leaves

·         3-4 green chilies, finely chopped

·         oil for shallow frying

METHOD:

1. Wash dal thoroughly and soak in plenty of water for 3-4 hours. Drain and wash in few changes of water. 
2. Place dal in a large saucepan. Add the mince, onions, ginger, garlic, black cardamoms, cumin seeds, chilli powder, cinnamon stick, black pepper, cloves, salt and water to it.
3. Cook over medium heat for 40-45 minutes until the meat and dal are tender and the water has been completely absorbed. This is very important otherwise kabab will split on frying.
4. Remove from heat and allow to cool.
5. Put the mince in a food processor or chopper and grind to a smooth thick paste which holds its shape.
6. Add coriander leaves and green chilies to the paste and mix well.
7. Break off 2 tablespoons of the mince paste. Wet your palms and place it in the center of your palm. Shape it into a smooth ball and then press it into a smooth flat shape.
8. Heat a heavy based frying pan and add enough oil to just cover the surface. (if there is too much oil, the kebabs will split.
9. Dip the kababs in beaten egg and fry 3-4 kebabs at a time to a rich brown color, turning them once. Remove from pan and put them on absorbent kitchen paper to absorb excess oil.
10.  Serve hot as a main course dish with Pullao, Nan, and Podinay ki Chutney. or You can make special Shami Burgers for evening tea.

Watch how to make Shami Kebab:

BEEF SEEKH KEBAB

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 kilogram Minced Beef (Keema)
• 1 medium Onion (grounded)
• 1 more medium Onion (chopped)
• 4 Green Chilies (Hari Mirch)
• 1 teaspoon Red Chilli Powder (Pisi Lal Mirch)
• 1 teaspoon Green Papaya (Papita) (crushed to a paste along with the skin)
• 1 bunch of Fresh Coriander Leaves (Hara Dhania) (chopped)
• 8 Cardamom Pods (Ilaichi)
• 1 teaspoon  Black Pepper (Pisi Kaali Mirch) (freshly ground)
• 1 teaspoon Garam Masala Powder
• 4 tablespoon Chick Pea Flour (freshly ground)
• 1 Egg
• 2 tablespoon Milk Powder
• 8 All spices (Kebab Cheeni) (ground)
• Salt (to taste)
• 2 tablespoon cooking Oil

METHOD:

1. In a bowl combine minced meat with all ingredients except for the oil and mix well. Knead with hands for about 5 to 10 minutes. (It is very important to knead it because the papaya must be mixed well in order to make the kababs soft.)
2. Set aside for 2 hours.
3. Knead once again. Take a small portion of the mixture in hands and put on a barbecue skewer. These kebabs can also be roasted directly on flame for a minute and later fried with a little oil in a frying pan.

Watch how to make Seekh Kebab:

PESHAWARI KEBAB

INGREDIENTS:

• Boneless lamb - 1kg
• Black cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon
• Chaat masala - 1 teaspoon
• Clarified butter for basting
• Garam masala - 1 teaspoon
• Garlic paste - 1 teaspoon
• Ginger paste - 1 tablespoon
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Raw papaya paste - 2 teaspoon
• Red chilli powder - 2 teaspoon
• Salt to taste
• Yogurt - 1/2 cup
  
  

METHOD:

1. Neatly make 1 inch cubes of the lamb.
2. Put the yogurt in a medium sized bowl and whisk till smooth.
3. Add to it the black cumin seeds, garam masala, garlic and ginger pastes, papaya paste, red chilli powder and salt to taste.
4. Mix well and taste to check if the salt is right.
5. Marinate the lamb cubes in this yogurt mix and leave for about an hour or so till the lamb is   nicely flavored.
6. Skewer the lam pieces gently and cook them half way through in a tandoor or grill.
7. Hang the skewers away for about 10 minutes to cool and for excess moisture to drip off.
8. Baste with clarified butter and cook again for 8 more minutes.
9. Remove to a heated platter. Decorate with onion rings, salad leaves and lemon wedges. Sprinkle some chaat masala and serve with green chilli chutney.

PODINAY (PEPPERMINT) KI CHUTNEY OR RAITA

INGREDIENTS:

30-40 mint leaves
20-30 coriander leaves
2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon jeera
½ teaspoon hing
1 ½ teaspoon sugar
3-4 green chilly
Salt to taste

METHOD:

1. Grind everything together.
2. Serve after cooling.
3. You can make ice cubes of this chutney and keep in the refrigerator. Use as and when required.

IMLI KI CHUTNEY (TAMARIND DIP)

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2  ounce Imli (Tamarind)
• 1 ounce Sugar
• 1 cup water
• 2 tsp rasons (kish mish)
• 1/4 spoon red chili powder
• Salt to tasteand salt
• Few drops of red food color.

METHOD:

1. Soak and put the Imli in water for 12 hours or enough time for Imli to go soft. Remove seeds.
2. Put it on the stove in a pot with all your ingerdients for ten minutes.

Now put in grinder and grind it till paste.
It is now ready to be served with Naan, Samosa or Pakora.