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Friday 25 January 2013

Vegetable Samosa

Ever since I had been to a friends place and had the humble samosa,I have been waiting patiently to make it.Now what better moment to make it than when you have guests for tea .Its an easy to make light snack,often had during tea time(well some have it for breakfast too).You can add any stuffing you like,just remember to keep it dry,half cooked and with as less oil as possible.

Ingredients:
2 cups Maida/Flour
2 Tsp  fine Semolina/Sooji/Rawa
A pinch of salt
Knead all together with water to form a soft pliable dough.
Allow to rest till you get your stuffing ready.

Ingredients for stuffing:
1/2 cup shelled Peas
1/2 cup thickly grated Cabbage
1/2 cup button Mushrooms chopped 
2 medium sized onion finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped coriander leaves
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 green chillie finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp chillie powder
1/2 tsp garam masala powder
2 cups oil for frying
salt to taste

Method :
Add 2 tsp of oil in a pan and saute cumin seeds,ginger, green chilli and chopped coriander till they change colour.(Ensure you do this on a slow flame)Once they change colour add the onions and saute well,till they change to a light golden brown.Add the peas first and saute well,let the peas cook for a while...Add mushrooms and all the dry powders and mix well.Cover and allow the vegetables to cook for a while.Remove lid and add the grated cabbage,mix well,place lid and after a minute, switch of the stove.Allow it to cool partially without removing the lid.Once its sufficiently cool,open the lid and allow it to cool completely.Do check if any liquid remains in the vegetable,if there is, return to heat and saute till dry,but do remember the vegetables need to have a crunch to them.Cool completely.

To make samosas take sufficient amount of dough and roll out into thin large disks.Divide them into halves as shown in the picture,add the stuffing,wet the ends all around the disks and form into samosas.Heat oil and fry samosas gently on medium flame turning them once.

Some tips on samosas,do keep the dough wrapped till you get your stuffing ready.Always ensure that you fry the samosas on medium heat and if you have a four burner gas stove,the one further away from you(it makes sense,less splashing or sputtering)Do not over cook your vegetables at any cost,they need to be half cooked and crunchy.During the process of sauteing the vegetables do not be tempted to add any water to it.The stuffing should be dry.Do not saute on high heat,keep it on low/medium so that the moisture from the vegetables are released and they cook in their own steam.As much as possible cover the vegetables while cooking.

Hope you enjoyed this recipe,as much as I did while making it.
Do remember to share your food,and serve with love and kindness.


Wednesday 16 January 2013

Wasabi Prawns

I don't like what Crimson Chakra (Gandhi Nagar,Chennai) has done to me,not only has it got me addicted to their fabulous food,but it has got me hooked on to Gourmet Market,( a food store located within their premises) its every cook/chefs, food paradise.A small u shaped store,it has the capacity to hold all the exotic food delicacies your heart desires.On one of my sojourns to CC,I picked up a wasabi paste ( a horse radish inspired sauce) to make its namesake, wasabi prawns.I had the good fortune to enjoy this dish at a fine restaurant named Chao,since then have always wanted to try this at home.

Now the flavours for this need to be delicate,so just don't go overboard with the wasabi paste.

For this you would need 

Ingredients:

400 gms shelled,deveined
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 egg white
2 tbs cornflour
salt to taste
Marinate the prawns in the above mixture adding the cornflour just before frying.
Fry in piping hot oil,(do remember to stay away from the sputtering pan) till brown and crisp.

The sauce:

1 cup good mayonnaise 
1/2 cup fresh cream
1 tsp Wasabi paste (increase if you want more spice)
1 tsp lime juice
1 tsp sesame oil
1/2 tsp onion seeds

Mix all the ingredients except the oil and onion seeds, together till its smooth,add the fried prawns to it and mix well.Heat the oil add onion seeds and fry for a few seconds,pour over the prawns and serve immediately.


Hope you liked this recipe,remember to share and serve with love and kindness....