Kati Rolls

I had Kati rolls a couple of times in all my life. The first time was at a road side shop accompanied by the soothing breeze of the Besant Nagar Beach in Chennai. The second time was at the famous Eat Street in Hyderabad, overlooking the Hussain Sagar lake. We had gone with K’s very close cousins and had a gala time stuffing ourselves and chattering away, oblivious of the ever-polluted Hussain Sagar.

All I remembered about the Kati Rolls was that was that the taste was very familiar and it was something that could be easily and comfortably created at home. My search for a good recipe ended as soon as Google yielded veteran blogger Nupur’s recipe for Paneer Kati Rolls. My Kati Rolls are heavily inspired by Nupur, both in terms of ingredients and presentation, however I have mildly tweaked it to suit my taste. Here is my recipe.

Ingredients (makes 4 Kati rolls)

For the curry:
Paneer: a little over ½ cup, cubed
Potato (medium): 1 No
Red capsicum: ½ of a big one (this is just to add a lovely red colour)
Green capsicum: ½ of a big one
Onions: 1 big
Tomato: 1 medium
Ginger: 1 cm, grated
Garlic: 1 pod, grated
Chilli powder: 1 tsp (or to taste)
Turmeric powder: ¼ tsp
Chaat masala: 1 tsp
Kasuri methi: 1 tsp
Salt: to taste
Oil: 1 – 2 tbsp
Lemon juice: 1- 2 tsps (optional)

For the salad:
Carrot, cucumber, onions (chopped longish): ¾ cupCorriander leaves (chopped): 1 tbsp
Rotis needed: 4 Nos.

Method:

Chop all the vegetables in a chunky fashion and set aside.
Heat oil in a kadai and start tossing the ginger and garlic.
Follow with onions and fry for a couple of minutes.
Then add the tomato, potato, red and green capsicums.
Do not add any water to the curry since we are trying to make a thick dry curry.
The water in the vegetables would leave out enough juices to cook the vegetables.
Add a lid to cook faster if you feel the vegetables are not getting cooked properly.
Add salt, turmeric powder and the chilli powder.
When it is almost done, add the paneer, kasuri methi and the chaat masala.
Toss well and cook for 1 – 2 minutes.
If you feel it is bland, add the lemon juice, chaat masala and chilli powder and adjust the taste to suit your tastebuds.
Keep the curry aside.

To assemble the Kati rolls:

If using left-over chapati, just toss it over a hot tava for a minute. Keep the four rotis ready.
Spread a single chapatti on a plate.
Place a generous amount of the filling in the center.
Top it with some salad.
Fold the two sides.
Roll with some butter paper or foil.

Kati rolls are ready to be enjoyed as a picnic food, or for an evening snack or even dinner!

These Kati Rolls are my contribution to this week's Bookmarked Recipes every Tuesday, started by Priya Mitharwal and hosted by Aipi of US Masala, 'Anyone can cook Series - 4' event hosted by Taste of Pearl City and Vegetarian Foodie Fridays #22

Navarathri Neivedyam VI - Chana dal Sundal

Navarathri in homes in Tamil Nadu is incomplete without Sundals. A wide variety of them are prepared in large quantities and offered to God. Then they are distributed to everyone who come home for the customary ‘tamboolam’. Today I had made the very basic of all sundals – Chana dal sundal. This needs the least amount of soaking time. Plus the husband asked for it. Would there be a no? NO. So, over to the recipe of Chana dal Sundal.

Navarathri Neivedyam VI – Chana dal Sundal

Ingredients (Serves 2- 3 people)

Chana dal: ½ cup
Hing: a big pinch
Salt: to taste
For the tempering:
Mustard: ½ tsp
Urad dal: ½ tsp
Red chillies: 1, torn into bits
Curry leaves: few
Jeera: ½ tsp
Coconut oil any vegetable oil: ½ tbsp
Fresh grated coconut: 3 tbsp (for the garnish)

Method:

Soak the chana dal for atleast two hours. Cook the dal with about a cup of water till it is cooked, but not mushy. It could be done on the stove top or in the pressure cooker. If using a cooker, stop with two quick whistles.
Drain the water from the cooked dal and set aside.
Take a kadai and heat oil.
Finish off with the tempering.
Add the dal, salt and hing.
Mix well. Stir for about 3 – 4 minutes till you feel it is done.
Add the coconut and mix well.
Done.
Offer to God and enjoy!

This easy sundal is my contribution to 'Anyone can cook Series - 3' event hosted by Taste of Pearl City

Bread Chaat

When I was newly married, I used to bombard my mom with phone calls mostly concerning some recipe or the other. She reciprocated enthusiastically by not only wholeheartedly transfering her cooking knowledge over the telephone, but also went a step further by watching recipes shown on the television, meticulously taking notes and then dutifully handing them over to me. This bread chaat is again from her kitty. This recipe is a breeze to put together and is sure to please anybody on any given evening.

Ingredients (Serves one):

Bread slices (white or brown, crust removed): 2 Nos
Milk: 4 - 5 tsps
Onion / Mint / Corriander / Tomato chutney: 2 - 3 tbsp
Sev or Boondi: 1/4 cup
Tomatoes / Onions/ Cucumber/ Corriander (finely chopped): 1 tbsp each
Thick chilled curd (mixed with a pinch of salt and 1 tsp sugar): 1/2 cup
Chaat masala - to taste
Chilli powder - to taste
Rock salt - to taste
Jeera powder - to taste

Method:

Take the serving plate and start assembling the chaat one by one. Start with the crust-removed bread.
Smear chutney all over it. It can be any leftover chutney which has been used for idli, dosa, etc. If no chutney is available, just grind together 1/2 of a tomato, a fistful of corriander, a little piece of a green chilli and some salt together and pour all over the first slice of bread.
Close using the other slice like a sandwich.
Pour few tsps of milk over it. (I am really unsure why the milk is added, but it is given in the recipe. So, I unquestioningly did it).
Pour the curd all over the bread slice generously.
Now add the sev and the finely chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and corriander.i
Now sprinkle all the masalas to suit your taste.
Serve!


Since this recipe is from a bookmark, this plate of bread chaat goes to ‘Bookmarked Recipes – Every Tuesday’ event by Priya Mitharwal.

My favourite Recipe - Eggless Blueberry Loaf

When I first read about this event 'My Favourite Recipe' - I instantly knew which one I would be sending. My Eggless Blueberry loaf wins hands down since it gave me my first taste of success in baking. Also, I celebrated my one year of blogging with this loaf. For these two reasons, it shall remain my favourite recipe. Warm buttered slices of my Eggless Blueberry Loaf go directly to Apy's 'My Favourite Recipe'.

Happy Vinayaka Chaturthi!

Vegetable Idlis

This story goes to Of Chops and Chopsticks hosted this month by Desi Soccer Mom.

'I will make my children engineers'

“It is not a Friday, but, it is a Fry-day” mumbled Rajni as it was one of the most chaotic days she had in recent times. She felt everything - absolutely everything and everybody was conspiring against her. To start with, the maid was on leave. The baby-sitter did not turn up. So, she had to request her neighbours to take care of her naughty son for few hours. Thankfully they obliged! At college, she had a heated argument with her Head of the Department over promoting one II Yr student. Rajesh (husband) called up to say that he would be travelling over the weekend and that he would be heading directly to the airport from work. Plus there were internal assessment papers to be corrected, weekly grocery to be purchased, fancy-dress competition in her daughter’s primary school, friend’s son’s birthday party and so many endless things.....

After finishing all her lectures, she drove home hurriedly. As she was entering she heard the land phone ring. It was her tailor, Shabana, saying she would be a little late, however, she would definitely deliver the embroidered salwar kameez today. Rajni was happy that atleast something was working in her favour. As she picked up her deeply-asleep son from her neighbour’s house, she realised she had some time for herself. Treating herself to a hot cup of tea, Rajni limply dumped herself into a chair.

Her mind, in the name of relaxation was sauntering aimlessly. Of all the things she was thinking, one of them was Shabana. She always nurtured a soft spot for her in her heart. Shabana, a typical burqa-clad young woman from old Hyderabad was Rajni’s tailor. Shabana always carried with her an infectious enthusiasm and a noticeable twinkle in her eyes, which unknowingly camouflaged the daily hardships she underwent. Her hands had the dexterity to metamorphose even the most morbid looking scraps of cloth into the most beautiful salwars and embroidered sarees. She was truly talented, but however not lucky enough to make big money. Her husband, who had gone to Saudi Arabia in search of a job was missing for almost six years. Married at an age of fourteen and with two children to support, she was struggling all by herself to raise them respectably. She lived with her aged mother, who was again dependent on her. Shabana would passionately say, ‘One day I will make my children engineers’. She used to give the whereabouts of her husband to each relative visiting Saudi Arabia hoping for some news about him. But, none of them ever gave her any answer. Shabana was very positive that her husband would return someday and take care of all of them. She used to call Rajni ‘didi’ (elder sister), and Rajni really liked being called that way rather than the perfunctory ‘madam’.

A loud wail from her son suddenly brought her to the real world. Leaving the unfinished cup of tea on the table, she ran to pick him up. Also it was four and was time for her daughter to come home from school. The day dragged on with its usual monotonous synonymity. Suddenly it was eight and dinner was yet to be made. She remembered the potful of idli batter chilling in the fridge. While the idli batter had to be undoubtedly exhausted, the reality was that children would stage a mass exodus from the house whenever they saw those white balls of steamed batter. They despised the mere look of greased idli plates as they knew what lay ahead. They would frown, make a fuss and succeed in inveigling bowlfuls of maggi noodles from Rajni.

She groped for dinner ideas and suddenly a brilliant one struck her. She thought of chopping some vegetables and adding it to the batter, introducing some colour and hopefully some more taste. Before the children got ravaneously hungry, the idea had to be implemented. If she succeeded in this, she would be able to trick the children into eating those vegetables which they would otherwise willingly tolerate only on their 'fruits and vegetables' picture book.

"Children, please play outside the kitchen, mummy is working with fire and heat" begged Rajni as she was tossing the tempering in the heated kadai. Her son loved the sound of mustard seeds splutter, the hiss of the cooker and the roar of the mixie. He would drop anything he would be doing and run into the kitchen whenever he heard the "Shhhhhhhh" sound the vegetables made when added to the hot kadai. Amidst all this, Rajni set the cooker on the stovetop remembering to take off the cooker weight and waited in anticipation, both for the idlis and for Shabana, who was supposed to deliver her new embroidered salwar kameez.

Shabana appeared that very minute. She handed over the salwar kameez. There was something very unusual about her. The characteristic twinkle in her eyes was missing. She looked worn out. Rajni enquired if she was not feeling well. Shabana asked Rajni for a glass of water and broke down completely. She was sobbing inconsolably. Rajni quickly got her some juice. Just as Rajni had expected, the news was about Shabana’s husband. One of her relatives, who had just returned from Saudi Arabia brought with him the news that her husband quietly married someone else and had settled there. Shabana’s dreams had been shattered. She felt lost and hurt. Her future was blank. After uncontrollable weeping, she gathered herself back and said with renewed vengeance, “I will still make my children engineers”. Rajni hugged her and muttered, “whenever you need anything, let me know”.

Just as Shabana began to leave, it occurred to Rajni to ask her if she had her dinner. When she replied in the negative, Rajni gave her a quick dinner of vegetable idlis and some chutney. In all her confusions, Shabana commented, 'didi, your idlis are lovely. If you had not offered, I would have slept hungry since I was not in the mood to eat'. She quickly washed her plate. Rajni packed a few idlis for Shabana's children. Shabana took the idli packet and a few more salwars for stitching and left.

Rajni's kids ate their idlis without any fuss. They were yet to realise that this was one of mummy's newly found tricks to make them eat! Rajni kissed the children good night. With Rajesh travelling very often (which has become the case lately), she lay all alone on her bed. Images of Shabana’s crying haunted her again and again. Rajni felt truly sorry for her. She was angry with Shabana’s husband for letting down the innocent girl so cold-bloodedly. Rajni mentally thanked God for all that He had given her – an extremely affectionate husband, two cute and intelligent children, a good job, a great house among all other things. Rajni felt that her trivial troubles paled in comparison to Shabana’s hardships. She mentally resolved never to crib for small things again. However she knew internally that she would fume and fret the next time the baby sitter did not turn up or the maid wanted a holiday. Rajni sincerely prayed that Shabana’s children, just as their mother wishes would become engineers one day and do well in life. Just as she was thinking all this, Shhhhhhhhhhhhh. She fell asleep like a baby. She had had a tough day too.
========================================
Vegetable Idlis





Coming back to the recipe for vegetable idlis, these are are nothing but a healthy twist to our routine idlis. This recipe makes about 12 idlis.

Ingredients:

• Idli Batter : 2 cups
• Vegetables (carrots, potatoes, capsicum, onions, peas, etc) – very finely chopped: 1 cup
• Salt: to taste
• Corriander (optional): 1 tbsp
• Oil: 1 – 2 tbsp

For the tempering:

• Mustard: 1/2 tsp
• Chana dhall: 1/2 tsp
• Urad dhall: 1/2 tsp
• Jeera: 1/2 tsp
• Green chillis (finely chopped): 1
• Broken cashews: 2 tbsp
• Curry leaves: few

Method:

• Take a kadai and heat oil.
• Add the tempering.
• Add onions first. Let them brown slightly.
• Add all other vegetables.
• Half cook them on the kadai adding no water.
• Adjust salt keeping in mind that idli batter also has salt in it.
• Finish.
• Garnish with coriander leaves if desired.
• Once slightly cool, mix it along with the idli batter. Mix well.
• It is very important not to let the batter sit for too long. Immediately pour into greased idli plates and steam for 12 – 15 minutes.
• Serve with chutney of your choice.

Green Peas Coracles

This snack instantly reminded me of these small round boats that are used for short distances in canals and rivers in Andhra Pradesh, India. I have been in one of them for a short ride. Back home there must be a photograph somewhere of me, my brother and my mother on such a little boat –(that petrified look on my mother’s face – Priceless!!). I was looking for a good name for this snack. When I googled to find out what they are actually called, I learnt they are called ‘coracles’ in England and ‘basket boats’ in Vietnam.

Back to this recipe, these cute little round vegetable filled coracles are a perfect companion to a hot cup of tea on any given evening. A bit of tomato ketchup on the side certainly amplifies the taste. I made a filling using green peas. But, the options are truly endless.

Ingredients:

For the filling:

• Green Peas (cooked): 1 cup
• Onions: ½ cup
• Oil: 1 tbsp
• Salt – to taste
• Dhaniya powder: ½ tsp
• Red chilli powder: ½ tsp
• Garam masala: ½ tsp
• Turmeric: pinch
• Jeera- ½ tsp (for tempering)

For the dough:

• Maida or APF: 1 cup
• Salt: 2 pinches
• Butter: 2 tbsp

Method:

• For the dough, mix maida, salt and butter first and then add water and make a smooth dough, just like normal chapati dough.
• For the filling, heat a pan, temper with jeera, add onions – sauté, then add the cooked peas.
• Add all the masalas and salt.
• Let the flavours combine and let it become a totally dry curry – Done!
• Now, take a large portion of the dough.
• Roll out a large fairly thin chapati (as large as you can) on a clean kitchen counter, dusting with some maida (as and when needed).
• Using a steel tumbler or any other device, make small discs.
• Carefully remove the discs and place them in a dry tray or paper.
• Pick up the remaining pieces from the kitchen counter. Knead and roll out again.
• Keep kneading, rolling and making discs till you get the needed number of discs.
• Preheat oven to 350 F.
• Now place these discs, one in each hollow of the muffin tray.
• Spoon out the filling into each disc.
• Place the muffin tray in a preheated oven and bake for 15 minutes or till the edges get mildly brown.
• Serve hot with ketchup!

Since this dish is inspired by Arundati of My Food Blog, this goes to Nupur’s ‘BB6 – The Potluck Edition’

Eggless Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookie

Recently I was suddenly possessed by an almost instantaneous urge to bake cookies. I went through my bookmarks and I decided which one to make since I had all the ingredients handy. I had bookmarked it long back since this recipe not only does not include egg, but also does not call for any form of egg replacers. I halved the recipe and it yielded forty medium sized slightly chewy eggless oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.. Yummmmmm!

Ingredients:

• Butter : ½ cup or 1 stick
• Brown sugar (packed): ½ cup
• Vanilla extract: ½ tsp
• Maida / APF: ¾ cup + (I also had another 1/2 cup ready since I read in the reviews that Imay need some extra flour towards the end)
• Salt: 1/4 tsp
• Baking soda: ½ tsp
• Boiling water: 1/8 cup
• Quick cooking oats (Quaker): 1 cup
• Raisins: 1/3 cup
• Semisweet chocolate chips: ¾ cup

Method:

• Sift together the flour and salt. Keep aside.
• Beat butter, brown sugar and vanilla essence until light and fluffy. Add flour and salt, mix well.
• Dissolve baking soda in boiling water and add to mixture. Stir in rolled oats, raisins and chocolate chips.
• Wrap the cookie dough in a plastic cover and chill it in the fridge for about 20 – 30 minutes.
• Preheat the oven to 350 F or 175 C.
• Make small roundels and gently pat them down on a lined cookie sheet.
• Bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Take care not to overbake.
• Take off the cookie sheet immediately. Let it cool for 15 – 20 minutes.
• Enjoy!
  

Eggless Blueberry Loaf

I have been sincerely insincere to my blog. Not only have I neglected my poor blog, but also let my first blog anniversary pass without a single post! My poor blog turned one on the 1st of July! Too bad. I, in all earnestness want to atone for my bad karma :)

I would like to dedicate this post to my blog’s first anniversary. This may be a simple eggless blueberry loaf, but it is my first successful attempt at making a loaf after around six or seven humiliating fiascos. Each time I tried, I would follow instructions to the last letter, but, would still end up with a sorry-looking gluey mess. Parita’s recipe for a blueberry muffin gave me my first taste of success in baking. Thanks parita! You helped me restore and re-build the largely-lost confidence and enthusiasm of an amateur baker. I made as few changes as possible and stuck to the original recipe. This recipe yields one loaf.

Ingredients:

· All Purpose Flour or Maida: 2 cups
· Salt: ½ tsp
· Baking powder: 2 tsp
· Baking soda: ½ tsp
· Sugar: ¾ cup
· Milk: ½ cup
· Butter (softened): 1/3 cup
· Vanilla essence: 2 tsp
· Fresh blueberries: 1 cup

Method:

· Preheat the oven to 200 deg Celcius (390 F) and keep a greased loaf tin ready.
· Wash and wipe the blueberries with a clean cloth. Coat with one tbsp of flour and toss gently so that the blueberries are completely coated.
· Sieve all dry ingredients together (flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt) a couple of times and keep it in a large bowl.
· Mix all wet ingredients together (butter, milk, vanilla essence and sugar).
· Make a well in the middle of the dry ingredient bowl.
· Pour the wet ingredient mixture into it slowly.
· Mix gently.
· While you are in the middle of mixing, add in the blueberries.
· Parita suggests NOT to overmix. So, I ensured the ingredients came together. And left it right there.
· Once done, pour the batter into the greased loaf tin.
· Bake at 390 F for 40 – 45 minutes. Insert a greased knife in the middle and test if it is done.
· Slice and enjoy with tea, coffee, milk or as it is.

Green Moong Kebabs

Green moong (Mung) is a seriously wonderful legume to cook. I always feel it is a very versatile legume, which can be given any form and shape very easily. For a long time I have been wanting to try out kebabs with green moong. They turned out truly scrumptious. I followed my own recipe of Hara bhara kebab (which is picked up from various websites). Just substituted green moong for the peas. This hassle-free recipe is sure to be a definite hit with your family and friends.

My moong kebabs go straight to the Nineteenth helping of My Legume Love Affair (MLLA – 19), brainchild of Susan, and hosted by Simple Indian Food for January 2010.

Ingredients (makes 10- 12 kebabs):

· Green moong (soaked for 3 – 4 hrs) : 1/3 cup
· Potatoes (medium): 3 – 4
· Spinach: 100 grams or 1 small bunch
· Chopped green chillies: 1 tbsp
· Chopped ginger: 1/2 tbsp
· Grated garlic: 1 tbsp
· Chopped coriander: 2 tbsp
· Chaat masala: 1 tbsp
· Garam masala: ½ tsp
· Corn flour: 2 tbsp
· Salt: to taste
· Roasted cashews (to garnish)
· Oil: to shallow-fry the kebabs

Method:

· Wash and soak the green moong. Pressure cook for 3 whistles. The moong should be well-cooked but not mushy. 1/3 cup of raw moong (after soaking and cooking) would yield about ¾ cup of cooked moong. Drain out all the water.
· Run this moong mixture for a couple of whips in the mixie and keep aside. The mixture should be a thick coarse paste
· Boil the potatoes and palak in the cooker for three whistles
· Now mix the mashed potatoes, palak, moong and all the other ingredients together and make a tight mixture
· If you feel the mixture is a little loose, add a little more of corn flour. But, it may not be the case since water is drained out already
· Now heat a greased thick bottomed griddle
· Grease your palms and make lemon-sized balls out of the mixture and press in order to make flatties
· Shallow fry them over low to medium heat
· Press a roasted cashew on each kebab for garnishing it
· Serve hot with ketchup or chutney
· Done!

Pav Bhaji

A makeshift kitchen that probably measures 6 x 6 ft, some hundred-odd customers at any given point in time.. a couple of service boys running around frantically, a pot of water to wash your hands, the background of blaring horns and most importantly, hungry growling stomachs and unbelievably tasty food!! I talking about the very famous Kaiyendhi Bhavan(s) of Chennai.. This literally means, 'a place where you receive your food with your arms stretched' (sorry.. lot of originality lost in my attempted translation).. This is probably one dimension of Chennai Street Food which I urge all my friends to explore, whenever they make a trip to Chennai. Believe me, you will not be disappointed.

All of us love street food. We never get tired of it. (Wonder why we get tired of vegetables so easily!?!) A few attempts at making Chaat and other street food stuff got me pass marks with great difficulty. Going through Nupur's recipe of Pav Bhaji (the signature dish of Mumbai streets), and the associated reviews gave me an instant confidence of an impending victory with Pav Bhaji. I stuck to Nupur's recipe like I had been bound by glue. The only deviation was that I added the juice of one lemon to the bhaji after switching off the flame.

The Pav Bhaji was so good that, the first time I made it, even before I could click a snap, it was all gone. So, got to click this snap when I made it for the second time. This recipe serves four reasonably generously. The recipe is a winner all the way!

Ingredients

• Potatoes (medium): 3, skinned and cut into large chunks
  
• Cauliflower (medium): 1, florets measuring to 3 - 4 cups
• Capsicum: 1, chopped
• Tomatoes (medium): 5- 6, made into a paste in the mixie
• Peas (frozen or otherwise): 1/2 cup
• Ginger-garlic paste: 1 tbsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Pav Bhaji Masala: 1-2 tbsp (according to taste)
• Butter: 1 tbsp for the gravy + more to be smeared on the pav
• Oil: 2 -3 tbsp
• Salt: to taste
• Lemon: 2 - 3
• Onions (medium): chopped fine, to garnish
• Corriander: chopped fine, to garnish

Method:

• Dunk the chopped cauliflower florets in boiling water for a minute - to de-worm them (just in case)
• Boil vegetables (cauliflower, potatoes and peas) for about three whistles, till they are tender
• Take a kadai. Heat oil
• Fry the capsicum for a whle
• Then add the ginger-garlic paste. Fry well again
• Add tomato puree
• Add the turmeric powder and chilli powder. Saute very well
• Close the lid and let it cook for some time
• After the raw smell has disappeared, add the boilded veggies and pav bhaji masala and the butter
• Keep sauteing and mashing till it becomes a smooth mixture
• Add water if needed
• Now, once it comes to a boil, keep the flame on an absolute low and let it remain there for about 20 - 25 minutes. This is when the wedlock of the veggies and the flavours takes place to give that irresistible taste to the bhaji
• Keep stirring it once in a while. Adjust salt and the masala quotient
• Once it is done, switch off.
• Add the juice of one lemon to it. Mix well
• Garnish with corriander leaves
• Now, the bhaji is done
• Halve the pav and toast on both sides on a pan. Add a good coating of butter in between and serve with the bhaji.
• Sprinkle the bhaji with chopped onion, corriander leaves and a wedge of lemon
• Absolutely divine! Enjoy!

Chooda

Hostel days were total fun! It was even more fun when somebody went home and returned. For their bags would be loaded with all those lovely goodies. The next week or so would keep us busy, munching our hearts out. The best part was that knowledge of the existence of and access to those snacks was restricted to those who belonged to the room.

On one such an occasion, my roommate, who was from Bijapur regularly brought Chooda - a crispy savoury snack made out of rice flakes. I feel this low-fat chooda incarnated only to satisfy those 4-o clock snack-cravings. I wrote down this recipe, probably two years ago from Payaswini's cookbook- a nice collection of kannada recipes. I have tweaked it here and there to suit my tongue.

Ingredients:

• Thin poha: 4 cups
• Peanuts: 1 cup
• Cashewnuts (broken): 1/4 cup
• Fried bengal gram: 1/2 cup
• Dry coconut pieces (kopra): 1/4 cup
• Mustard: 1 tsp
• Red chillies (cut into bits): 4 - 5
• Red chilli powder: 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder: 1/2 tsp
• Hing: 1/2 tsp
• Sugar: 2 tbsp
• Curry leaves: 2 / 3 sprigs
• Salt: to taste
• Oil: 2 - 3 tbsp

Method:

• Take a heavy bottomed kadai. Keep it on slow-medium flame
• Dry roast the poha gently till they become crisp. Take care while roasting. Ensure that they dont break. Keep aside
• Now dry roast the peanuts and the fried bengal gram individually. Keep aside
• Now add oil in the kadai
• Add the mustard seeds. Allow them to crackle
• Add the broken bits of the red chillies and curry leaves. Allow it to change colour
• Now add cashews and kopra pieces. Fry them till golden
• Add the turmeric, red chilli powder, hing, salt and sugar. Mix for few seconds
• Now add the peanuts, fried chana dhall and the poha
• Mix well, but take care not to damage the poha
• Adjust salt and sugar
• Done!
• Store in an airtight container for future use.