PAPDI TOKRI CHAT ( CRISPY BASKET SNACK)

PAPDI TOKRI CHAT (CRISPY BASKET SNACK)

 My Recipe published in the magazine

This recipe was published in the Vancouver-based Darpan magazine. Here is the online link. 

In the month of January, I got my new cell phone, when I was feeding all the personal information and my email address etc on my phone, I thought to check if everything is fine. I opened my mail to check the latest email and to my big surprise, there was a mail from the editor of Darpan magazine, in which she mentioned that she would like to feature myself and a few of my recipes in her magazine for the April 2016 issue, I couldn’t believe my eyes. After reading it few times, I realized, yes it is addressed to me and she wanted me to response to that mail. I was so delighted and felt as if I am on top of the world. I replied to the mail and agreed to send all the information to her, together with all the recipes and pictures etc.

While I was still floating in the air of joy, with the wings of that delighted and wonderful feeling. I gave a tap on my head and reminded myself that I have a lot of work to do. In a short span of time, I had to plan, finalize the recipes, organize things, buy ingredients and cook, and then take nice clicks. Oh, so much to do, I told myself, “Oh dear, don't waste time, stop dreaming and start thinking”. And then the whole process started. I planned, finalised the recipes and arranged the ingredients and started cooking. In this process, I had to check the schedule of my son-in-law as well, because he usually takes all the high-resolution pictures of my recipes. I managed to finish everything on time and met the deadline, it was a big relief.

 

Darpan magazine has been a part of the Vancouver media Industry for the past 11 years. The magazine which releases once in two months, caters to Indians, Canadians and Indo-Canadian readers and covers topics ranging from renowned Indian and Indo-Canadian personalities, entertainment, politics, global Indians to lifestyle related topics like health, food, tech, travel, and much more.

Now came the most difficult part of waiting, for the publication of the magazine. I waited for around one and half months, and then my dream came true. Yes, the magazine is right in front of me, which I got by post, because I live in Calgary which is around 700 km from Vancouver. I’m really proud that my recipes got published in a Canadian magazine, and now I will share the recipes from the magazine here on my blog!

This is a delectable and delicious appetizer which is a street food and very popular in India and it is also available in almost all Indian restaurants in India and abroad. In papadi chat, papadis are made in a round disk shape like small cookies, the same papdi I have converted into a basket shape which looks awesome in a presentation.

 
These dainty baskets are made with white flour and semolina and are filled with crunchy vegetables like onion, potatoes, green peas and chickpeas, and garnished with sweet, sour and tangy tamarind and mint chutney, yogurt and spices.

To make these baskets, we need two small steel strainers, to give a shape of a basket and to fry as it is with the strainer in the hot oil. They can be made, few days in advance and can be kept in an air-tight container, which can really save time later when you have to serve to guests. At serving time we only need to organize the filling, then it should be filled, garnished, decorated and served immediately to avoid being soggy.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS FOR PAPDI



• 250 grams all-purpose flour
• 250 grams semolina (Suji)
• 1/4 cup oil
• salt to taste
• Oil for frying

FOR FILLING


• 200 grams soaked and boiled chickpeas (White channa/chhole)
• 100 grams green peas (fresh or frozen)
• 2 big potatoes boiled and finely chopped (400 grams)
• 1 big onion finally chopped (200 grams)
• 2 cup dahi/yoghurt, beat well with egg beater
• 1 cup tamarind chutney
• 1/2 cup mint chutney
• salt and red chilli powder to taste
• 1 tsp roasted and ground cumin seeds
• 1 tbs oil
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• 3 tbs chat masala (optional)
• 3-4 green chillies finally chopped (optional)
• 3 tbs dried and sliced cranberries
• 100 grams thin savoury seviyan (optional)



METHOD FOR PAPDI



• In a big bowl mix white flour and semolina with salt and oil, mix well and make medium hard dough by adding little water.
• Divide the dough in 25 pieces and make small balls, flatten them in between your palms.
• Roll with a rolling pin, double the size of the rolled out dough to double the diameter of your strainer.
• Press this rolled round piece in the strainer with your fingers giving the shape of the basket.
• Heat oil in a wok and fry in hot oil with the strainer till golden brown.

FOR SERVING CHAT

• Fill papadi baskets with this veg and peas mixture, garnish with yoghurt both tamarind and mint chutney, sprinkle salt and red chilli powder and roasted cumin powder and chat masala.
• Decorate on top with sliced green chilli, cranberries and thin seviyans and serve as it is as an appetizer.

I am sending this recipe as my blog post entry To Sweet inspiration party,  and Real Food Friday 
and wth Tasty Tuesday and Sunday food and fitness party  and with Hearth and soul blog hop and what did you do this weekend and with Cook blog share blog hop, wth Way wow blog hop. 
and wth Festa Frday and My two fav thngs on Thursday

 

 
 

 

RAINBOW FRUIT SALAD AND A POST ON A SPICE- HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

RAINBOW FRUIT SALAD AND A POST ON A SPICE- HIMALAYAN PINK SALT

Himalayan pink salt is used a lot in Indian cuisine, it is considered to be the best salt for cooking, because of its amazing taste and health benefits. In the Hindi language, it is called “kala namak or sendha namak”. In English, it is also called rock salt which is still hand mined in Punjab, Pakistan. It is also produced in other Asian countries like India, Bangladesh, and Nepal. It comes in powdered as well as crystal forms.

Since my childhood, I have used this salt, because it was always available in my mum's kitchen. In my mum's kitchen, it was readily available on the dining table, for us, to add on top of salads and drinks if required to be added on top. I remember, in my childhood, when we brothers and sisters had a mild disturbance in our stomach, my mom would say, “ Take a pinch of kala namak (pink salt) and drink a glass of water, you will be fine.” I used to think, how come this salt can work as a medicine but it worked for us. In that era, in India, mum's were using their traditional knowledge, which was based on Ayurveda to treat small problems at home.

Ayurveda is an ancient Indian science of healing naturally, with the help of plants, herbs, spices and other natural things. This Himalayan pink salt has a specific place in Ayurveda, where it can be used for treating high blood pressure, balancing our body's acidity and alkaline, and can effectively detoxify human body. 

This salt is used in Indian and South Asian cuisines as a condiment in many dishes like raitas, fruit salads, chutneys, chats, pickles etc. This salt has a distinctive flavour which can be really enjoyed when it is added to the dishes which are ready to eat. For example- fresh veg salads, fruit salads, different types of raitas, (when we add cut or diced vegetables in yoghurt) and in many chutneys, dips, pesto and chats for garnishing on top. Since is it considered to be a cooling spice, it is also added to beverages like lemonade, orange squash or different types of savoury lassis (savoury yoghurt drink). It is also sprinkled on chips and fritters. If it is used during the process of cooking, we may still enjoy the health benefits but the aroma of the salt can disappear during cooking. Chat masala which is an Indian blend of spices, black salt is the main ingredient in it.

This pink salt is appreciated by some vegans in dishes to mimic the taste of eggs for example to season tofu. This pink salt is considered as a cooling spice in Ayurveda and is used as a laxative and digestive aid. This salt is also used to treat hysteria and for making toothpaste by combing it with other mineral and plant ingredients. ( Source- Wikipedia)

 Note-  I am not advertising any pink salt.This is a picture for my readers.

It is considered to be the purest salt which is used in culinary, therapeutic and cosmetic uses. Check this website.

Coming to the recipe of no cooking and no baking. This fruit salad can go with any meal as a side dish or can be eaten as a starter.

RECIPE

INGREDIENTS

• 1 English cucumber
• 1 big apple (200 grams)
• 1 big pear (200 grams)
• 200 grams strawberries
• 100 grams blueberry
• 1 big mango ( 200 grams)
• Half sweet melon ( 200 grams)
• 2 bananas medium size
• 2 kiwi ( 200 grams)
• Himalayan pink salt and black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp dry mint
• 1 tbsp chat masala ( optional)

METHOD

• Wash all the fruits thoroughly and chop them into small pieces.
• Mix them all in a big bowl.
• Sprinkle himalayan pink salt, black pepper, chat masala and dried mint.
• Serve immediately.
  
  
  
  

  
  

  I am sendIng this recipe as my blog post entry to Real Food Friday, and Sweet inspiration party, and with Sunday Fitness and food, and with Cook Blog Share and Hearth and Soul blog hop and with Tasty Tuesday, and with way wow link party, and with Fiesta Friday and with Food Year link up 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  
  
  

  

  
  
  

Round-up for Legume Love Affair 95 of May 2016

Round-up for Legume Love Affair 95 of May 2016

I am delighted to present the round-up of MLLA, which I hosted for the second time in the month of May 2016. Special thanks to Susan of  "The well seasoned cook" who conceived this idea in 2008, and later to Lisa of Lisa's kitchen for taking care of Susan's baby for a long period of time, because of them this event is still on, and I got the chance to host it again.

I would like to thank all the bloggers who shared their recipes in this MLLA event for May 2016. Now onto some delicious recipes of this month. This month MLLA received ten recipes in all. Out of them, three were on red kidney beans, a popular legume which is used/cooked in many cuisines of the world. All the recipes shared were amazing and it was difficult to choose which is the best.

The most clicked post was Vegan gumbo by Janet of The taste space. This is a Zucchini and quinoa cajun stew, in which the main legume is red kidney beans. This is an interesting and an amazing recipe, which I would love to try soon.

My favourite post was Crock-pot cheesy salsa by Joy of Joy love food. This is a delicious cheesy dip with black beans, which is full of flavours and was cooked in a slow cooker.

Other posts were in the order they were posted. First one was Mixed lentil vadas by Mayuri of Mayuri's Jikoni. A very good snack in which she used five lentils and lots of aromas, which can be enjoyed with evening tea. She also gave the recipe of coconut chutney.

Next is a very interesting recipe of Lentil Schnitzel by The veg hog, this is a new recipe for me. Schnitzel looks healthy and tempting. In this recipe, she used three lentils with some vegetables and served with mashed potatoes and creamy mushroom.

Next is Mung masoor khichdi by Jolly homemade recipe. This recipe is simple and nice, it is a comfort food, which is a combination of protein and carbs in one bowl. In this recipe, she cooked two lentils together with rice and tempered with garam masala.

Next is Mung bean and quinoa in spicy broth, by Johanna of GreenGourmet Giraffe This is a very healthy and tasty dish. In which you will find flavours of cumin seeds and black pepper, which is served with colourful vegetables. This is a full plate meal.

Next again is a very interesting and unique recipe of Miso Minestrone by Shaheen of Allotment 2 kitchen. Shaheen has a treasure of vegetarian recipes, I always find new recipes on her blog. In this recipe, she used frozen edamame, peas and broad beans. combined with spinach and mushrooms.

Three recipes were very similar to red kidney beans curry, which in Hindi we call Rajma curry. This curry is a famous north Indian dish, very popular in the state of Punjab, India, which is normally enjoyed with rice.
First one is rajma rice. I really liked the idea when Jeena of Jeena's Kitchen prepared this dish, in which she cooked together beans and rice as a main dish, which is a full meal of protein and carbs together. In this, she used cinnamon and bay leaf flavours with other ingredients.

Next is a is rich Punjabi rajma curry by Nupur of The Veggie Indian. In this dish, she used garam masala and full-fat milk to give richness, taste and flavour. She wrote a very nice post on the importance of protein in our diet.

Next is Rajma Chawal by Asiya of Yummy Indian Kitchen. In this post, red kidney beans curry and rice are cooked and served separately. She used nice flavours and spices to make it rich, tasty and flavourful.