Jalebi - traditional stype

My favourite recipe of all times. Must have tried several version of it. But, of all this is the best. It was with out a doubt super hit and was gone in no time. Make sure to make more of it. 

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 Cup 

Yogurt - 2/3 Cup

Cornflour - 1/3 Cup

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Saffron - 1 pinch 

Sugar - 1 cup

lemon juice - 1/2 tsp 

Procedure:

1. Mix flour, yogurt, corn flour, baking powder and Saffron in a large bowl. Add enough water and get it to the consistency of Dosa batter or pancake batter.
2. Let this batter ferment over night at room temperature 
3. Dissolve sugar in water and let it boil till we get single thread consistency. Add lemon juice to avoid crystallization and mix well.
4. Heat oil in a pan. Take the fermented Jelabi batter in to a piping bag. Once the oil is hot enough, gently pipe the Jelabi batter in to hot oil. 
5. As the Jelabis get fried on both sides, remove from hot oil and drop them gently in to sugar syrup.
6. After soaking for about one minute, remove and serve. 

Enjoy while they are hot!!

Onion Pakoda (with a twist)

Well here comes another experimental recipe. This is almost similar to how we make the traditional Pakodas but with a small twist. Traditionally Pakodas are vegetarian, but for this recipe I used an egg. Its just an experiment which turned out to be good, so decided to post the recipe. It is very simple but the end result looks much better and appetizing. 

Ingredients:

Basin powder (gram flour) - 1 cup 

Rice flour (or you can use all purpose flour) - 1 tbs 

Salt - to taste

Egg - 1

baking powder - 1 tsp

Oil - (for frying)   

Onions - 1 large

Chat masala - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

1. Mix the gram flour, rice flour, 1/2 tsp salt, backing powder together. Add egg, some water and mix it in to a thick paste like consistency. (make sure that it is not too liquidy, because if the batter is too loose it will absorb more oil.) 
2. Chop onion in to thin Slices. Add it to the above batter and mix well till the onion is completely coated with the batter. 
3. Heat oil. Drop a little amount of batter in to the hot oil to make sure it is ready. 
4. When the oil is hot enough then the batter will immediately float to the top of the oil.
5. Drop portions of the batter in to the (medium hot) oil and fry till golden brown as shown in the picture. 
6. Once done remove it on to a paper towel so that the excess oil is absorbed. Repeat the procedure till the batter is finished.  

Sprinkle some chat masala and Enjoy while they are hot!!! 

Note: It is very important to have the Pakodas when they are hot. Also be careful when adding the batter in to the hot oil.

Onion & Tomato Curry Base

Most of the Indian curries have a gravy base. Its different for different curries and also tastes different. But, there are some common and important ingredients that can be used for many curries. This is an easy recipe can be made in big quantities and frozen. It is a bit time consuming, but saves a lot of time later. 

Ingredients:

Onions - 6 (Medium, chopped)

Tomatoes - 5 (Medium, chopped)

Ginger Garlic paste - 4 to 5 tbsp

Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp

Mustard seeds - 1/2 tbsp

Oil - 1/4 cup

Cumin powder - 3 tsp

Coriander powder - 2.5 tbsp

Garam masala - 1/2 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Chilli powder - to taste

Ingredients:

1. Finely chop Onions & Tomatoes and keep them aside.
2. Heat Oil in a thick bottom pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they crackle, add cumin seed and ginger garlic paste. Fry for few seconds. Add chopped onions and cook for 5 to 6 mins. Add 1 tsp salt at this point.
3. Add chopped tomatoes and cook for 20 mins. Keep stirring in between and make sure it doesn't burn at the bottom. 
4. Add Cumin powder, coriander powder, Garam masala & Chilli powder and mix. 
5. Keep cooking for another 10 to 15 mins till the oil starts separating out. At this point, adjust the seasoning (Salt & chilli powder) to your taste. 
6. 1 cup should be good enough for 2 persons. Remaining can be cooled, frozen and used when required. 

Enjoy with some hot rice or Bread!!

Note: This recipe can be had as it is and still tastes great. I often spread a bit of it on sandwich bread and top it up with some cheese, bake it for few mins and there you have a very tasty sandwich.

It can be used for all types of curries including vegetarian. 

Gobhi 65 (Cauliflower)

Very delicious, healthy and simple appetizer for gatherings. Will be gone in just seconds after we start serving, so do make sure to cook enough. 

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 1 (Medium)

Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp

Salt - to taste

Red chilli powder - to taste

Ginger-garlic paste - 2 tsp

Tandoori Masala - 1.5 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Yogurt - 1 cup

Coriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp

Lemon juice - 1/2 tsp

Procedure:

1. Take yogurt in to a big bowl. Add Salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, ginger-garlic paste, tandoori masala, Coriander powder, Cumin powder, oil and lemon juice and mix well till it becomes a thick paste. 
2. Cut the Cauliflower in to medium sized florets and microwave them for 3 to 5 minutes. Add some water if required. 
3. Add the above florets to the masala yogurt base from step 1. 
4. Mix gently till all the florets are coated well with the spices and leave aside for 30 mins
5. Preheat the oven to 180 C. Grease a baking sheet with oil and place the masala coated florets on it. 
6. Bake the florets for 5 to 10 mins. keep an eye on them to prevent them from burning. Brush some oil in between to make sure they are crispy. 

Note: Enjoy while they are hot with some Ketchup or green chutney on the side. 

Wheat flour Pancakes - Sweet

Very simple, quick and easy recipe. Crispy and delicious as well. Good option for snacks and breakfast. Do try it!! 

Ingredients:

Wheat Flour - 1.5 Cups 

Jaggery - 1 Cup (or less to taste)

Milk - 1.5 Cups (to get Dosa consistency)

Cardamom powder - 1 pinch

Oil - for pan frying

Baking powder - 1 pinch

Procedure:

1. Add baking powder, cardamom powder to wheat flour. Mix well and keep aside.
2. Dissolve Jaggery in the milk. 
3. Add the above milk to the wheat flour (from step 1) and mix well to get a Dosa batter consistency. Make sure there are no lumps. 
4. Heat nonstick pan. Drizzle some oil and add a spoonful of batter on the pan. Spread it in circulation motion outwards.
5. Drizzle some more oil on the pancake. Flip it and allow it to cook well on both sides. 

Enjoy while they are hot!!!!

Note: You can also substitute Jaggery with Sugar

Salmon Cakes

Ooohh.. Salmon Cakes!! never thought I would like fish, but I was wrong! The best and the easiest recipe ever. Best part, it can be made from leftover Salmon. It can be customized to any pallet. I modified the original version a bit and added my Indian twist. Also, you can reduce the amount of butter... this way we get to eat more with our feeling guilty. So, Here we go!

Ingredients:
Cooked Salmon - 250 gms

Boiled potato - 1

Red Onion - 1 Medium

Coriander leaves - just a few springs

Dijon Mustard - 1.5 tsp

Bread crumbs - 1 to 1/2 cup 

Eggs - 2

Garlic - 1 clove (optional)

Olive oil 

Salt - to taste

Pepper - to taste

Mayonnaise - 1.5 tbsp

Butter - 2 tbsp 

Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp (Indian twist - optional)

Procedure:

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan and add onions. Fry till they turn transparent. 
2. Take the cooked salmon and separate it in to small chunks using a fork. 
3. In a blender, add chunks of boiled potatoes, onions (from step 1), coriander leaves, Dijon Mustard, Eggs, Garlic, Mayonnaise, butter and blend it in to a coarse mixture. 
4. Add Salmon (from Step 2) to above and mix. Add Salt and pepper to this mixture and adjust the seasoning to your taste at this point. 
5. Take about a handful of the mixture and make them in to small patties of your desired shape.  
6. In a non-stick pan, drizzle some olive oil and shallow fry the patties on both sides till they turn golden brown on both sides. 

Enjoy while they are hot with some dill sauce on the side!!!!

Note: Original recipe calls for Parsley instead of Coriander leaves. 

Omelet with mushroom masala base

For this recipe, all I can say is "Don't go by the looks". Give it a try and you are definitely going to like what you taste. It was not very pretty while preparing as well, but it was gone in no time. I think the egg omelet actually make it look more prettier.  Trick is to keep toasting the omelet till it turns golden brown and slightly crispy.

Ingredients:

Button Mushrooms - 250 gms
Medium onion - 1
Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Slit green chillies - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
Chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper - to taste
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder - 1 tsp (optional)
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp (Optional)
Butter - for toasting the omelet
Eggs  - 4

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pan. Add slit green chillies and fry for few minutes. Add garlic paste and turmeric powder and fry for few more mins. 
2. Add in the chopped onions and fry till they become translucent.
3. Add in sliced mushrooms and keep mixing till they become soft. 
4. Add chili powder, salt, coriander powder, cumin powder and garma masala and mix well.
5. Cook for 5 more mins. Remove the mixture from the heat and keep it aside. 
6. Add salt and pepper to 4 eggs and beat well. 
7. Heat a nonstick pan and add butter. Add about 2 tbsp of mixture from step 5 and spread it on the pan. 
8. Pour the egg mixture from step 6 on to the above and spread gently using a spatula. You can spread it in to your desired shape. I did mine as shown in the picture. 
9. Toast on both sides, with generous amount of butter, till it turns golden brown. Remove from heat and serve.

Enjoy with some ketchup or some salsa on the side!!!

Note: be generous with the amount of butter you use. Let the omelet crisp slightly on both sides. Can be had as both snack or with rice