Celebrate Independence Day with Indian Street Food

The best way to celebrate any festival of a country is through it’s street food. Let’s check out how Indians come down on the streets to celebrate with loud music, dance, colorful parades and Indian Street Food. I love Indian Food <3 <3

Pakoras - Pakoras are Indian fritters, originated from Uttar Pradesh, that are made up of gram flour. These are crisp and fried snacks made up of different vegetables like potatoes, onion, spinach, mix-veg etc. The filling may also consist of bread, cottage cheese slices etc. The gram flour batter includes chopped green chillies, salt, pepper, turmeric, garlic paste, hot Indian spices etc. Nevertheless, it is considered as one of the best street foods or finger food and makes great party appetizers as well. Any big or small get together is incomplete without pakoras. It can be paired with tomato chutney (Indian homemade sauce) or green chilly chutney.

Dosa - Dosa is another street food that has originated from South India. Dosa is an Indian pancake or crispy savory fermented crepe. It is made up of rice and black lentils batter. The stuffing may consist of spicy potato mixture, onion mixture, cottage cheese mixture or combinations of two or more mixtures put together, the thought makes me feel hungry :P. Dosa is paired with two types of chutneys, coconut-herb chutney or peanut chutney. Though the recipe is popular in South India, with time it has gained popularity throughout India. Indian restaurants in abroad do serve Dosa, which is loved by many local people out there.

Chaat - Chaat is a crispy, sweet and sour snacks made up of round flat and crisp flour fritters. This is accompanied by beaten curd, boiled sliced potatoes and special tamarind sauce, green chilli sauce, Indian tomato sauce. There are various combination of chaat such as ‎Papdi chaat, Samosa Chaat, Spicy sweet Corn Chaat , Aloo Chana Chaat etc. I have described Papdi chaat here. Special chaat masala(mixture of Indian spices) is sprinkled over sauces and curd. Though the origin is Uttar Pradesh, the hawkers and vendors have stalls throughout India, Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.

Aloo Tikki - Aloo stands for potato and tikki means small cutlet. The crisp potato cutlets are pan-fried or deep fried and served with the topping same as that of chaat. Though this recipe is famous in North India, it is loved by people throughout the country.

Kachori - Kachori is puffed up and flaky from outside and hollow from inside. In this, the filling sticks to the crust of the fritter from inside. The dough is made up of hard wheat flour. There are various types of kachori like peas kachori, potato kachori, onion kachori etc. It is served with different types of spicy Indian chutneys.

Dahi Vada - Vada is a soft, fried lentil dumpling. These dumplings are dipped in beaten curd(dahi) and topped with Indian hot spices and different chutneys especially tamarind chutney. They are very popular in marriage parties in India.

Samosa - Samosa is fried pastry made up of refined flour. These are triangular in shape. The fillings consists of spicy potato mixture, basically. The mixture is accompanied by boiled peas and cottage cheese bits. The filling may vary from region to region. It may consist of cottage cheese entirely or ground lamb, ground beef or ground chicken etc. The super crispy treat is accompanied by Indian chutneys, especially tamarind and green chilly chutney.

Pav Bhaji - Pav means bread and bhaji means vegetables. Hence pav bhaji includes spicy vegetable blend in tomato gravy. It is served with pav (Indian buns). Pav bhaji is topped with lotto butter. It is basically a Maharashtrian fast food dish, but has again gained popularity all over India, just as other popular Indian street food.

Pani-puri - The more you describe, the more hungry you feel. Pani-puri consists of a round, hollow hard puri (small hard wheat flour fritter), crisp and filled with a mixture of flavored water (“pani”), tamarind chutney, chili, chaat masala, potato, onion and chickpeas. It is generally small enough to fit completely into one’s mouth. It is famous throughout India, though the taste varies from  region to region. 

 

Happy Independence Day!

Celebrate Independence Day with Chole Bhature

India celebrates Independence Day each year on August 15. The country became an independent nation on August 15, 1947. This is a gazetted holiday. The day is observed with flag-hoisting ceremonies, parades and cultural events from different parts of the country. People display national flag on their attires, homes, vehicles, accessories etc. People listen to the patriotic song, watch the patriotic movies, parades on television with the family and friends. Though entire India suffered, North India was in great turmoil, even after independence and contributed a lot for the nation. The land includes freedom fighters like Bhagat Singh, Shivaram Rajguru, and Sukhdev Thapar. So today I'm presenting a popular Punjabi Recipe, called Chole Bhature before you, which is popular in India as well as abroad. Chole are spicy curried chick peas. Bhature is fried bread. In this recipe, we use a special type of spice powder called chole masala, that consists of bay leaf, cumin, coriander seeds, cloves, mustard seeds, red chillies, peppercorns and pomegranate seeds. 

 For Chole:-

Salt to taste,

2 tablespoons oil,

2 cloves grated Garlic,

1 finely chopped  Onion,

50 grams grated Ginger,

2 teaspoons Chilli powder,

2 teaspoons Chole masala,

2 cups Tomato paste,

1/2 teaspoon Cumin seeds,

1/4 teaspoon Turmeric powder,

1 tablespoon Coriander powder.

2 teaspoons dried Mango powder,

1 cup white Chickpeas (soaked overnight),

1 teaspoon Tea leaves (tied in a muslin cloth).

For Bhature

Salt to taste,

1/2 cup Plain flour,

Oil for deep-frying,

1 1/2 teaspoon Oil,

1/2 cup Potatoes, boiled and grated.

Preparation Method:-

For Chickpeas Curry:-

1. Pressure cook the chickpeas with the tea bag for 3 whistles, until they are soft . Drain and keep aside. Discard the tea bag.

2. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds. When the seeds crackle, add the onion, ginger and garlic. Saute till the onions are golden brown. Add tomato paste and cook till the oil starts separating itself. This indicates the mixture is ready

3. Add the chole masala, and all other spices and saute for another minute on slow heat. Add the chickpeas with 1 cup of water and mix well. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve with bhaturas and onion with lemon wedges.

For Bhature:-

1. Combine the flour, potato, 1½ teaspoons of oil and salt and knead into a firm dough without using any water. Knead the dough very well till it is smooth. Cover with a wet muslin cloth and rest the dough for 10 minutes.

2. Divide the dough into 4 equal parts and roll out into circles. Deep fry in hot oil till the bhaturas puff up and both sides are golden brown. Enjoy the treat!!

Happy Independence Day!

Celebrate 4th JULY with Trifle and Salad Recipes

As promised in my last blog, I'll bring you with great American salads and big berry trifle, here it goes.  

Patriotic Berry Trifle - We use here strawberries, blueberries, heavy cream, cream cheese, pound cake cubes, almonds and lots of sugar. Then we arrange half of the cake cubes at the bottom of the trifle dish. Gently spread a layer of blueberries. Add the cream mixture over them and spread evenly. Again top up with strawberries, evenly. Add the remaining cake cubes on top of the strawberries. Then sprinkle with blueberries and top with remaining cream mixture. Decorate the top with strawberries and blueberries. Refrigerate for an hour. Enjoy the sweet treat!

Grilled Chicken Salad - Summer is welcomed by grills. We can enjoy a real healthy treat by combining in grills with salad. Chicken is my all time favorite lean meat. Normally we use chicken breasts in the salads. The rest you can use for curries etc. This salad can be accompanied by avocado, coriander, baked/boiled beans (red and white), tomato slices and lettuce. You can add seasoning of your choice. Hope you also enjoyed Chicken Caesar Salad.

Creamy Potato Salad With Bacon - Knowing history behind food, is something what I love exploring and potato salad is no exception. In earlier days, potato salads were made simply by boiling potatoes and adding in wine or a mixture of vinegar plus spices. However the good old fashioned, down home potato salad recipe is made by adding in egg, bacon and mayonnaise with bit of greens and apples.

Pasta Salad - This is my best picnic meals. Here we use one or more types of pasta, it is usually chilled. This is tossed in oil, vinegar or mayonnaise-based dressing. It may be served as an appetizer or main course dish. You can add in it grilled chicken, fish or summer greens. This recipe can be served warm or cold. Some of the different variations of pasta salads are:-

• Creamy Pasta Salad
• Caesar Pasta Salad
• Greek Pasta Salad
• Spinach and Pasta Salad
• Rustic Pasta Toss with Tuna and Tomatoes
• Fusilli with Herbed Ricotta and Grape Tomatoes
• Spaghetti with Pesto and Tomato-Mozzarella Salad

Cabo Salad - Now we have something purely for the vegetarians/vegans, this is Cabo salad. We used here diced tomatoes, diced onions, fresh boiled corns, you can also used small baby corns if desired. Sliced avocados give it a happy, healthy feeling. Sprinkle crumbled tofu over it. Vegetarians can add over cottage cheese. Garnish with coriander. This is very nutritious and really a beautiful salad. 

Happy Independence Day!!

Special July 4th Recipes - Happy Independence Day

Fourth of July represents birth of the United States of America as an altogether independent nation. As this auspicious day is falling on Friday, I am definitely gonna have a great weekend. My sister, her husband along with two lovely kids are gonna pay a visit to my place. The grand day must be welcomed by grand meal. I have already decided the menu. Hence, I will be selecting, quick and easy meal plus the meal that can be pre-prepared since I will like to share nuggets of my life with my sweet sister. They will be landing by brunch time. Just have a look at the goodies, I have decided for them. I will be celebrating Fourth of July with traditional/patriotic meal.

Have a look at my special menu:-

Double Beef Cheese Burger - I will be preparing traditional American Double Beef Cheese Burger. This will consist of two spicy beef patties, with rich American cheese slices plus creamy burger spread. I prefer making this at home. 

The Patriotic Spread/Dip Recipe:-

Ingredients:-

1 Cup Mayonnaise,

2 Tablespoons sweet relish,

2 Teaspoons prepared mustard,

1/2 Teaspoons white sugar.

Preparation Method:-

Mix the ingredients thoroughly till the sugar is dissolved completely. 

You can prepare the spread in advance to have a good chit-chat time with your pals. I'm doing the same, since I have a lot many things to share with my family. Infact the beef patties can be prepared a night before, we just need to warm it up. What a quick and easy recipe! Beef is my family's all time favorite.

Seven Layer Salad -  This classic potluck salad is a quick and easy recipe, stuffed with layers of veggies, cheese and bacon. You just need placing the greens in glass bowl. Then top it with layers of celery, peppers, onions, bacon and peas at the end. Then spread mayo over the peas. This completely covers the top of salad. Lastly, sprinkle with cheese. Refrigerate for 12 hours for flavors to blend completely. This recipe can be prepared in advance.

Apple Pie Pops - How can I forget the sweet children, Jane and Peter! Kids are very fond of Apple Pie Pops, what a delightful thought. Well hope you liked my recipe, Crunchy Apple Pie. I had prepared it during Christmas and everybody just loved it. Hope these Apple Pie Pops will be equally magical. I will be gifting kids a box full of this amazing sweets. 

This is not all I’ve got many coleslaw, salads etc. to share with you. Stay tuned. 

Happy Independence day!!