Aloo Paratha

Ingredients:
To prepare Dough
* 1 cup whole-wheat flour
* 1/2 cup water (Use more as needed)
* Pinch of salt

Potato Filling
* 2 medium potatoes
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (Jeera)
* 1 chopped green chili
* 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro (green coriander)

Also needed
* 1/4 cup whole-wheat flour for rolling
* Oil to cook

Method:
Dough
1. Mix flour, salt and water together to make soft dough (if the dough is hard add a little more water).
2. Knead the dough for a few minutes on a lightly greased surface to make smooth and pliable dough.
3. Set the dough aside and cover it with a damp cloth. Let the dough rest for at least ten minutes.

Filling:
1. Boil 2 medium potatoes or aloo with 2 cups of water.
2. Once tender, remove them from the water and let them cool down. Note: Do not cool the potatoes under running water because the potatoes will become too soft.
3. After the potatoes are cold enough to handle, peel the skin off and mash the potatoes.
4. Mix green chilies, cilantro, cumin seeds and salt to the mashed potatoes.

Making paratha:
Divide the dough and potato mixture into 6 equal parts. The potato balls should be about 1 1/2 times larger than the dough balls.
Roll the dough into 3 inch diameter circles. Place the potato balls in the center. Seal by pulling the edges of the rolled dough together to make a ball. Proceed to make all six balls.
Let them settle for 3 to 4 minutes before rolling them.
Heat the pan on medium high. To check if the pan is hot enough, sprinkle a couple of drops of water on it. If the water sizzles right away, the pan is ready.
To make it easier to roll the balls, first roll them in dry whole-wheat flour.
Lightly press the ball on the sealed side and keep it on the topside when rolling. Roll the ball light handed in to 6-inch circles. Whenever the dough sticks to the rolling pin or rolling surface, lightly sprinkle dry whole-wheat flour on both sides of the semi-rolled paratha.
Place the paratha over the pan. After a few seconds you will see the paratha change color and puff in different places.
Then flip the paratha over. You should see some golden-brown spots on the topside. After a few seconds, spread 1 teaspoon of oil on the paratha. Again, flip the paratha and lightly press the puffed areas with a spatula.
Flip again and press with the spatula making sure the paratha is golden-brown on both sides.
Aloo paratha is ready to serve. It can be served with plain yogurt or spicy pickle.

Shankarpali - Sweet snack

Ingredients:
Milk- 1 cup
Sugar- 1 cup
Maida- [all purpose flour ]-nearly 3 cups
Semolina(rawa) : 1 cup
Salt- a pinch
Ghee- 1 cup
Oil to fry

Procedure:
1. Mix ghee, sugar and milk in a pan and heat it till the sugar melts and the mixture starts boiling. As soon as the mixture starts boiling, turn off the heat.
2. Let the mixture cool down.
3. Mix maida and semolina in above mixture and keep adding it till you get a nice, stiff dough. The consistency of the dough should be such that you should be able to roll it. [not too thin, not too stiff.]
4. Heat oil in a kadhai. Divide the dough in equal parts, roll it into round shape like a chapati. [it should not be very thin.]
5. Cut it with a knife in diamond shape. Note: You can cut them in your desire shape.
6. Fry in oil on medium heat till you get light brown colour.
7. Nice crispy crunchy Shankarpali are ready to eat.

Sending it over to EC for Fried Snack Event Announcement


And to Shanthi's Dussehra, Dhanteras and Diwali event



And Also to EC's WYF:Tea time snack event announcement

Mirchi Bhajji - Evening Snack

Ingredients:

Gram flour : 2 cups
Rice flour : 1/4 cup
Mirchi (special mirchi bajji mirchis) : 10 to 12
Cumin seeds : 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Baking soda : A pinch
Vegetable oil : oil to deep frying

Preparation:
Make besan batter by mixing gram flour, rice flour,salt and baking powder in a bowl, add water and prepare thick batter.

Wash and cut the bottom end and make a slit length wise in the middle with a knife or a spoon and remove seeds.
Heat oil in a deep bottomed kadai, once the oil is hot, dip the mirchi in batter one by one and gently drop from the sides of kadai and fry until light golden color. Remove it. Let it cool for few seconds. Again put the mirchi bajji in the hot oil to get golden color, remove from the oil, let it cool for a minute to get the real taste.

Serve with onion slices(chopped the onion and mix with salt and lemon juice). This is a favourite evening snack during rain.

Sending this to EC's     WYF : Tea Time Snack Event Announcement

Palak Paratha

Ingredients:
* 3 cups whole-wheat flour
* 1 large bunch spinach coarsely chopped
* 1/2 tsp red chilli powder or 2-3 green chillies
* 1/2 tsp garlic paste
* 1/2 tsp ginger paste
* 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
* 1/2 tsp jeera
* Salt to taste
* Coriander
*Few Curry Leaves
*2-3 tsp spoon oil to fry
* Ghee (clarified butter) or oil to pan-fry the parathas

Preparation:
Take 2 tsp oil in a pan. Heat it.
Add jeera, curry leaves, garlic paste and ginger paste and fry it.
Now add chopped palak to it and fry it till it is done. Add turmeric powder and salt. Lastly add cariander.
Now add this mixture to wheat flour and mix all together, kneading to form a medium-soft, smooth dough. Add some water if needed.
Cover with a moist cloth and keep aside for 30 minutes.
Divide the dough into equal-sized portions and roll into balls between your hands till they are smooth and without cracks.
Roll out each, spread some ghee and fold into half.
Fold again into quarter and keep aside for 5 minutes. Roll out into triangles with each side of 6" approximately.
Heat up a tawa and put the paratha over it ,turn it and spread some ghee round it. Turn Again and spread some ghee on the other side too.
Stir fry till both sides are evenly cooked.
Serve hot with yogurt or cucumber curd salad.

Upma (Upittu)

Ingredients:
Rava / Sooji (Semolina) : 1 cup
Ginger chopped : 1 inch
Onion chopped : 1
Green Chillies slit sideways : 3
Carrot chopped :1
Green Peas frozen or fresh : 1/4 cup
Salt to taste

Seasoning:
Mustard Seeds : 1 tsp
Urad Dal : 1 tsp
Chana Dal : 1 tsp
Oil : 2 tblsp
Ghee : 1 tblsp
Few curry leaves
Finely chopped coriander leaves
Lemon juice to taste

Procedure:
Heat 1tbsp. pure ghee / unsalted butter and fry cleaned rava on a moderate heat stirring constantly to light brown color and set aside.
Now heat 2 tbsp oil in a pan and add mustard seeds and allow them to splatter.
Also add the chana dal, urad dal and curry leaves to it and fry them.
Now add ginger,green chilies and onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes or till the onion turn golden brown.
Add all the vegetables and fry them for two more minutes.
Now add 3 cups of water and cover the pan and allow it simmer on low heat until the vegetables are done.
Add the fried rava to it stirring continuosly, so that no lumps are formed.
After 2 minutes turn off the heat.
Serve hot garnished with coriander and lemon juice.
Upma is ready to serve.