Vadakari-my first for SNC challenge

“Accept the challenges so that you may feel the exhilaration of victory.”

Challenges!!

Challenges make you re-discover yourself and help you to grow irrespective of succeeding or failing.  Challenges make us realize our own strengths and weaknesses, our likes and dislikes. They help and make us try things beyond our area of comfort. And they certainly are a true test and an eye-opener of our capabilities. 

No wonder you are seeing me soaked in all sorts of food challenges nowadays !! There is a different sense of exhilaration in being able to participate and complete them. The SNC challenge is the newest on my repertoire!! Brainchild of Divya who blogs from you too can cook food, this is quite a novel challenge where we have teams divided into northern and southern. I naturally belonged to the northern team being a Sikh and hailing from the city of joy, Kolkata. Teams are challenged with region specific food and are given a month to complete. This months challenge was given by Ramya who blogs from lemonkurry.

Vadakari was never heard by me lest try it. But being a challenge, it was finally attempted and was such a hit at home. We all unanimously loved the vadas. My husband loved the vadakari which was these same vadas crumbled and put in gravy. My darling daughter all of 20 months munched away to these vadas in glory. 

Ingredients:
Vadas:

• 100 gms Bengal gram/chana dal
• 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds/saunf
• 2 dried red chillies
• 3 garlic pods
• 1/2 small sized onion, chopped
• salt to taste
• oil for frying

Gravy:

• 1 1/2 tbsp oil
• 1/2 tbsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tbsp fennel seeds/saunf
• 1/2" cinnamon stick
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 small tomato, chopped
• 1/4 tsp red chilli powder
• a pinch of turmeric powder
• a pinch of garam masala powder
• salt to taste

Procedure:

Vadas:

Soak bengal gram for around an hour. Grind it along with the listed ingredients to a coarse paste. Add water as required but not too much.

Heat oil for frying.

Shape the vada batter into thin small roundels and fry them till they get a nice brown colour.

Eat them as a lovely snack with tea leaving some for the gravy. 

Gravy:
Heat oil in a pan, add fennel seeds, mustard seeds and cinnamon. Add chopped onions and saute for few minutes. Add tomatoes and cook till it leaves oil. Now add turmeric powder, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt. Add some water to get the required consistency of gravy. 
Add the crumbled vadas and adjust the consistency of the gravy as vadas absorb water.
Serve garnished with chopped fresh coriander.
Served usually with rice, idlis, dosa or chapatis. 

Linking this dish to Kolkata Food Bloggers ongoing event 'Kashmir to Kanyakumari'.

Happy Vada/Vadakari eating
Amrita

Shotglass Kebabs

Last month has been super hectic for me, shifting to a new place and settling in new surroundings. Things have been even more hectic and impossible for the blogger in me who has been trying her best to keep posting recipes. With a super supportive husband and an extra sweet daughter, I have been able to do what I love doing. 

These kebabs were made on one crazy day where I was all alone looking after Vaanya (On weekends and in evenings Vishal takes care of her to give me some time to myself). It took me the whole day doing bits of the recipe as and when I found time. I kept the pulses boiled and ready and when Vaanya took her afternoon nap, I jumped onto making them. Wonder where does sleep evade on such times! Normally I like to rest when she is sleeping. But not today. I had an interesting mission.

This recipe was supposed to be my last entry for an amazing event-Cook like a star Masterchef series where all I did was bake. I wanted to make a no bake recipe from the Masterchef India series, but time got the better of me as the event was over by the time I made them. 

Nevertheless, these vegetarian kebabs were a big hit at home. Served in little shot glasses these kebabs sounded and tasted like non-veg kebabs to my family. 

Ingredients: For kebabs (Yields 10 such kebabs)

• 100 gm (1/3 cup) Rajma/Red kidney beans
• 50 gm (1/3 cup) Chana dal/Split Bengal gram
• 50 gm (a little less than 1/3 cup) Dhuli Moong dal/Split Green gram
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbsp ginger-garlic-green chilly paste
• 1 medium sized onion, chopped
• 1 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp kasuri methi/dried fenugreek leaves
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• ½ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp amchoor powder/dried mango powder
• 1 tbsp refined flour
• 1/2 cup Breadcrumbs
• 1/2 cup sooji/semolina

Procedure:

Soak rajma overnight and soak chana dal for atleast 2 hours.

Put Rajma in a pressure cooker with 1 1/2 cup of water and salt to taste. Cook on  high flame till the first whistle blows, then reduce flame and cook for 20-25 mins.

Strain and keep aside to cool.

Now put chana dal and moong dal in the pressure cooker with salt and 2 cups of water. Cook till 3 whistles blow. Remove from heat and strain to cool.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan and add ginger garlic green chilly paste. As it begins to brown add chopped onions and sauté till they become transparent.

Mix cumin powder, kasuri methi, amchoor powder, red chilly powder and pepper powder. Mix well.

Mix the boiled pulses and cook till they are mashed well (If required mash with a masher). Cook till the mixture dries. Remove from heat and let it cool.

Heat oil in a pan to shallow fry the kebabs.

In a bowl, make a thick batter with refined flour and water. Mix semolina and breadcrumbs in a plate and keep aside.

Make cylindrical shaped kebabs with the pulse mixture.

Dip each first in the flour batter and then in the breadcrumb semolina mixture. Coat well on all sides.

Shallow fry each kebab till they get a nice golden colour.

Drain on absorbent paper.

Ingredients: For Cheese sauce

• 50 ml fresh cream
• 4 tbsp processed cheese, grated
• Salt and pepper to taste

Procedure:

Heat cream in a pan, mix grated cheese, salt and pepper and cook till cheese melts and the sauce thickens.

Remove from flame and keep aside.

Ingredients: For Tomato chutney

• 3 ripe tomatoes, chopped
• 3 tbsp sugar
• Salt to taste
• ½ tsp red chilly powder
• ½ tsp panchphoron (fenugreek seed/methidana, nigella seed/kalonji, cumin seed/jeera, mustard seed/rai and fennel seed/saunf in equal parts)

Procedure:

Take oil in a pan and add panchphoron. As it splutters add the chopped tomatoes. When the tomatoes gets mashed and the juice reduces, add salt ,red chilly powder and sugar. Let it cook till it thickens. Check the chutney for sweetness and if required add some more sugar.

Assembly:

Spoon a tablespoon of the cheese sauce in a shot glass. Spoon some tomato chutney over it. Insert a toothpick in a kebab and place it on top of the sauces in the shot glass.

Sending this recipe to a super event Favorite recipes event-Vegetarian recipes

 Kids delight@Spice your life

Happy Eating
Amrita