Palak Para - Easy and Tasty Snack

Palak para is pastry like crunchy snack lightly seasoned with carom seed. This is great snack with cup of tea.

Ingredients:
1 cup All purpose flour (plain flour or maida)
1/2 bunch palak
3/4 teaspoon Salt
1/4teaspoon Carom seeds (ajwain)
2 tablespoon oil
About 1/3 cup water as needed
Oil to fry

Method:
Mix flour,salt,carom seeds with cleaned and cut palak. Now add oil and mix it with fingertips to get consistency of breadcrumb.
Add water as needed to make firm but smooth dough. Cover with damp cloth and set aside at least for ten minutes.
Knead the dough for another minute and divide in two equal parts.
Take each part of the dough and make a flat ball shape. Roll them into 9-inch circles and thickness of salted crackers.
Prick them with a fork all over the rolled dough, so the paras do not puff when frying.
Cut each of the rolled dough into about half inch wide and 2 inch long pieces. Note: you can cut them in your desire shape.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
The frying pan should have at least 1 ½ inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put a small piece of dough in the oil. The dough should make the oil sizzle and come up slowly.
Make sure to place just enough pieces so you can turn them over easily when frying. Fry the palak paras until both sides are light golden-brown.
After palak paras come to room temperature they should become crisp.

You can use as a snack while watching tv.

Sending it over to EC for Fried Snack Event Announcement



Also to EC's WYF: Tea Time Snack Event Announcement

Avalakki Vaggarane

Avallaki also known as poha/pressed rice can be used for breakfast. This is good and easy to make. This recipe is known as avalakki vaggarane in kannada.

Ingredients:
Thick Rice flakes(Avalakki/Poha/pressed rice) - 2 cups
Onion - 1/2 no
Carrot - 1
Salt - As reqd
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Curry leaves - A few
Cut Green Chillies - 3 nos
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Freshly grated coconut - 3 tbsp
Lemon juice - A little
Chopped coriander leaves - 1 tbsp
Putani Pudi(split dalia powder) - 1 tbsp (optional)

Preparation Method:
Take thick poha, wash it twice (like rice)and drain water.
Add about 3/4 cup of water to soak and keep aside for 8-10 minutes. After soaking, poha will become soft and dry.
Add salt and putani pudi, mix it and set aside.
Heat oil in a pan.
Add the mustard seeds. After they splitter add curry leaves.
Add cut onions and and carrot.
Fry till they become soft.
Add turmeric powder.
Now add poha to it and mix well.
Finally, add grated coconut and squeeze a little bit of lemon juice on it. Mix well.
Keep till poha gets warm.
Garnish with coriander leaves.

You can serve avalakki vaggarane with lemon pickle and curds.

Bread Pakoras

Bread Pakoras
Spicy hot bread pakoras are great as evening snack with tea.

Ingredients:
4 slices of firm white bread
1 cup gram flour (besan)
1 tablespoon rice flour
1 teaspoon salt
Pinch of asafetida (hing)
1 teaspoon cumin seeds (jeera)
2 finely chopped green chilies
1/4 cup chopped cilantro (green coriander)
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of water
Oil to fry

Method:
Remove the crust from all sides of the bread.
Slice the bread lengthwise into 3 equal parts.
Mix all the dry ingredients together: Gram flour (besan), rice flour, asafetida, cumin seeds, and salt. Rice flour adds to the crispness.
Add the water slowly to make a smooth batter. (Batter should be the consistency of pancake batter or dosa batter)
Next, add the green chilies and cilantro. Mix well.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
Frying pan should have at least 11/2 inch of oil. To check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in the oil. The batter should come up but not change color right away.
Dip the bread slices in the batter one at a time and slowley drop into the frying pan.
Fry the pakoras in small batches. The pakoras will take about 4 to 5 minutes to cook.
Turn them occasionally. Fry the pakoras until both sides are golden-brown.
Repeat this process. The crispy, delicious pakoras are ready to serve.

Tips:
If oil is too hot pakoras will cook too fast and will not be crispy; if oil is not hot enough pakoras will be greasy.
You may have to adjust the heat as needed while cooking.