Fried Idlis

Since I've moved to Bangalore I've been making a lot of Idlis and Dosas. I especially love mini-idlis with hot sambar. But often, inevitably some idlis are left over. And well, you can't really have the same breakfast twice. So I've found a snack that works best for me with my evening chai (or coffee if you prefer). It's quite simple really.

You'll need:

• Leftover idlies - 4 if they are mini, 2 if they are regular
• 1 medium onion - julienne
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds 
• 2-3 curry leaves
• 1 dry red chilli
• 1 green chilli - sliced long
• 1 tbsp oil 
• 1/2 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp sambar powder
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp fresh grated coconut (you can also use dry grated powder that is readily available)
• Juice of 1/2 lemon
• A pinch of sugar (optional)

How to

• Cut the idlis in to bite size pieces
• In a bowl, mix chilli powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder, salt and the grated coconut. If you are using sugar add that too. Mix well. 
• Add idlis to this bowl and rub the spice mix over them. Keep aside.
• Heat oil in a pan (preferably non stick). When hot, add mustard seeds, curry leaves, dry red chilli, green chilli and the chopped onion. Stir well and fry till onion turns golden brown.
• Add the spiced idlis and mix well. Cover and cook on a simmer for 1 min. Keep stirring in between to ensure that the spices are getting cooked well and do not burn
• Turn off the flame. Add lemon juice and mix well
• Serve hot. You can garnish with some fresh coriander leaves and grated coconut

Spaghetti in cheese & cream sauce

So this one is a real quick fix and doesn't really need any fancy ingredients. It's quite a flexible recipe and very easy to play around with depending on what you have at home. I made it for dinner today and munched on it with a can of happiness (read Coke).

For one person you definitely need:

• Spaghetti - A handful ( I just grabbed enough to fit my fist and it was just a slightly bigger portion that what I usually can eat)
• Cheese - Any kind really except mozzarella/ stringy cheese. It should basically melt in the sauce. I had 2 cubes of processed cheese and a few smallish (1/2" inch) chunks of cheddar. And I like my pasta cheesy so I put it all in. You can cut down on cheese a bit if you want
• Italian seasoning - Use anything really. I had some leftover oregano and chilli flakes from a pizza I ordered yesterday. So in went 1 small pack (abt 1 tsp) of oregano and a similar portion of chilli flakes
• Olive oil/ butter - 1 tsp
• Milk - 1/2 cup with some cream in it
• Onion - 1 small - finely chopped
• Salt - to taste

How to make it:

1. Heat a large pan of water and add spaghetti to it once it comes to a boil. Cook for 10 minutes approx. Check often to see how much you want it cooked. Some want it al-dente and some like it slightly softer. 
2. Drain spaghetti and put in a pan of cold water.  
3. Meanwhile, heat oil/butter & fry the onion till translucent
4. Add milk and cheeses and cook till the cheese melts
5. Add oregano, chilli flakes and salt. Bring to a boil. 
6. Add spaghetti and toss well
7. Serve hot with a slice of garlic toast

Tips to make it better

If you have some more ingredients you can mix and match and make it better

• Got any garlic? Crush and fry it with the onion (step 3 above)
• Fresh coriander? I feel it really goes well with pasta. Give it a quick whirl in the blender, without water. Add to the sauce in step 5 above
• You can use black olives as garnish while serving

Imli ki Chutney

Had a few friends over for dinner and wanted to make some chaat. Figured out my stock of mom's chutney is over so had to whip this up myself.

You need:
- Imli (Tamarind) - 1 cup (soak for 2 hours)
- Gud (Jaggery) - 1 cup (or less if you want it more sour)
- Salt - to taste
- Red chilly powder - 1 tsp
- Raisins - a handful - soaked
- Dry ginger - 1 tsp
- Jira (cumin seeds) - 1 tsp - roasted

How to:
- Sieve the pulp from the tamarind in a pan, add as much water as needed to make it soupy in consistency.
- Add jaggery and bring to a boil.
- Add everything else and cook on low flame till the chutney thickens.
- Taste and adjust spices if needed

Tip - leave a chutney slightly runny as it will thicken when cold

Poached pears in red wine

I think I need classes in food photography, this looked much better than it does in the picture.

Anyway, for those of you who need a guilt free dessert, poached pears to the rescue. And it's quite simple too.

You need:

1. 2 pears
2. 1 cup dry red wine
3. 1/2 cup orange juice
4. 1/4 cup sugar (adjust according to taste)
5. A small stick of cinnamon

How to:

1. Take a deep pan and add the wine, sugar, orange juice and cinnamon.
2. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2-3 minutes
3. Peel the pears without removing the step
4. Remove some portion from the bottom to make it flat so that the pear can stand
5. Put the pears in the simmer liquid. Cover and cook till the pears are cooked but firm. Turn the pears from time to time to ensure even cooking
6. When cooked, remove from flame and let the pears rest in the liquid. When cool, put in the fridge to chill. 
7. Before serving, bring the pear to room temperature, thicken the sauce on a flame if needed. Serve the pear with a spoonful of the sauce. 

Banana walnut cake

I was looking out for some eggless cake recipes on the internet and found many options. Made a few tweaks, experimented a bit and came up with this one.

You need:
Dry ingredients

1. All-purpose flour (maida) - 1 cup
2. Icing Sugar - 3/4 cup
3. Baking powder - 3/4 tsp
4. Baking soda - 1/3 tsp
5. Salt - 1/4 tsp
6. Cocoa powder – 1 tbsp
7. Cinnamon powder - 1 pinch
8. Walnut pieces - 1/2 cup

Wet ingredients

1. Ripe Bananas - 1 medium
2. Buttermilk (unsalted) – 1/2 cup
3. Melted Butter or vegetable oil - 1/2 cup
4. Vanilla essence - 1 tsp

How to:

1. Sift maida, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder and cinnamon powder and keep aside.
2. In a bowl add oil (I used vegetable oil, you can use melted butter also) and butter milk and mix well. (I gave it a quick whisk in the blender for a smooth finish)
3. Either mash or cut the banana into really small pieces and add to the liquid. Also add the vanilla essence.
4. Fold the flour mix into the liquid now. Don’t beat.
5. Dust the walnuts in some flour and add to this mix. Fold in. The mixture will be of a thick consistency.
6. Preheat the oven to 180⁰ C for 10 minutes. (You can turn it on while starting the preparation for the cake)
7. Pour the mix in a rectangular tin. You can add walnuts on top as garnish. Bake at 180⁰ C for 35-40 minutes. Do a check at 30 minutes as the cake may bake earlier if your layer is thinner.
8. Remove from oven and let it cool. Remove from the tin and cut into thick slices. Dust with some icing sugar.

Dessert topping

Quick and easy to do :) and you can store it for later use. Can also be used as a filling in chocolates for that extra crunch.

You need:

A handful of cashew nuts ( or groundnuts)

A cup of sugar

How to:

Grind the nuts to a grainy powder. Heat a  nonstick pan and caramelise sugar. When it's turning a nice golden brown, remove from the flame and quickly add the powdered nuts and stir well. In a greased plate pour this mix out as small dollops and wait for it to set.

Once it's cool and hard. Give it a turn in the blender to a coarse consistency. Ready to be sprinkled!

To store keep in a sealed container and refrigerate 

Sabudana Vada

Most people eat it during fasts, but i just love the snackiness of it :). It does take some prep time though since the Sabudana needs to soak. So you need to plan at least 2 hours in advance.

You need:

1. Sabudana - 1 cup (soak for at least two hours)
2. Boiled potatoes - 4 small or 2 medium
3. Green chilli - 1 - finely chopped
4. Roasted unsalted peanuts - 2 tbsp (optional)
5. Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
6. Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
7. Salt to taste
8. Bread crumbs/ Maida/ Rice flour  - whatever is available to coat the vadas before frying
9. Oil to deep fry

How to:

1. Wash the soaked sabudana till all the starch is gone and only the pearls remain
2. Crush the peanuts
3. Mash the potatoes
4. In a bowl mix all ingredients (except the coating ingredients)  and knead well till it sticks together
5. Make small patties and roll them in the bread crumbs
6. Heat oil in a deep pan. When it's really hot, add the vada's to fry till they are a darker shade of brown
7. Serve hot with green chutney