Samosas

Samosas are probably the most popular Indian appetiser. I used bananas instead of potatoes here but it can be easily made with potatoes using same recipe.

Ingredients (16 small or 8 big samosas)
For Dough
1/2 cup plane flour (maida)
1/4 cup sooji (semolina)
1/4 cup wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ajwain
2 tbsp oil
1/4 cup lukewarm water (approximately)
1/4 tsp white vinegar

For Filling
3 large boiled potatoes or 2 boiled raw bananas
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 chopped green chili
1/4 tsp chopped ginger
1 tsp coriander powder
1/4 tsp garam masala
1 tsp amchur (mango powder)
1 tsp salt
2 tsp oil
1/2 cup green peas
1 tbsp

Oil for frying
Green chatney to serve

Method
For Dough
Mix the flours, sooji, salt, oil & vinegar together & rub them a little.
Add water slowly & knead the dough for about 1 to 2 minutes to make the semi stiff but smooth dough.
Set the dough aside & cover it with damp cloth. Let the dough sit for at least 15 minutes.

For Filling
Peel & chop potatoes/bananas into very small cubes.
Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium high heat.
Add cumin seeds as cumin seeds crack, add green chilies, ginger, coriander powder & stir for few seconds.
Next add green peas & turn heat to medium & cover for few minutes.
Add the potatoes/ bananas & stir-fry for about few minutes.
Stir in garam masala & amchur.
Let the filling cool to room temperature.
Add fresh coriander.

Making Samosa
Take 1 tbsp of water and 1 tbsp of plane flour to make a paste & keep aside.
Knead the dough for a minute.
Divide the dough into 4 equal parts & make into balls.
Roll each ball into 6-inch diameter circles & cut each circle in half.
Spread the paste lightly all along the edge of one semicircle.
Pick this semicircle up with both hands & fold it into a cone shape.
Pinch the side of this cone so that it is completely sealed.
Fill the cone with filling, leaving little space to close.
Press this filling down with your fingers.
Now close the top of this cone into a triangle shape, pinching the top edge so that it is completely sealed.
Continue filling the rest of the samosas.
Heat about 1-1/2 inch of the oil in a frying pan on medium heat.
To check if oil is hot enough place a small piece of dough in oil. The dough should sizzle & come to the surface slowly.
Place the samosas in the frying pan a few at a time.
After samosas are floating on top of the oil turn them slowly.
Fry until they turn a light golden-brown color on all sides.
Serve hot with green chatney.

Tips
* Boil the potatoes or bananas just until tender.
* You can take only maida for dough or take half maida & half wheat flour. I felt we can skip sooji, didn't feel it gave any extra taste or anything.
* The dough has to be kneaded well; otherwise, the samosas will not come out as crisp.
* Test the heat of oil of filling by adding one cumin seed to the oil; if it cracks right away oil is ready.
* If the filled samosas sit for too long, they will dry. To avoid this, cover with a damp cloth.
* Adding vinegar in the samosa’s gets a nice flakier crust.

Baked Stuffed Potatoes

Serve these potatoes as the main dish or as yummy starter. They can be loaded with number of tasty toppings & kids just love them :)

Ingredients
6 med. potatoes
1 cup cottage cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 - 2 green chillies chopped
Salt & pepper, to taste
Fresh or dried parsley
Chilli flakes
1 cup cut salad (tomato, cucumber, shredded cabbage & carrot)
1/2 tsp vinegar
1/2 cup fresh coriander & mint leaves

Method
Preheat oven at 200 C.
Boil & peel potatoes. (Alternately you can bake potatoes instead of boiling).
Cut in half and scoop out pulp with a spoon, carefully reserving shells.
In food processor; combine potato pulp with low fat cottage cheese, milk, green chillies, salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly.
Spoon mixture into shells.
Sprinkle with chilli flakes & parsley.
Now rub little olive oil around potatoes & place them in a baking dish.
Bake for 10 minutes & then turn them over & bake again for 10 minutes.
Cool slightly & add cut salad, vinegar, pinch of salt & little chilli flakes.
Toss & garnish with fresh coriander & mint leaves.
Serve immediately.

Tips
The stuffing can be used as spread on sandwiches or frankie.
You can use different stuffing, like -

* Creamed Spinach- Cook 2 chopped onion in butter. Add 2 tablespoons flour; cook 2 minutes. Add 2 cup spinach (squeezed dry), 1 cup cream + milk and some nutmeg; cook 5 minutes. Season with salt. Spoon onto baked potatoes and top with Parmesan.

* Chilli Cheese Top-baked potatoes with warm chilli, shredded cheddar and sour cream.

* Paprika Butter-Mash 1 tbsp soft butter with salt and 2 tsp each paprika and ground caraway. Spoon onto baked potatoes and mash into the flesh.

Mexican Tacos

A taco is a traditional Mexican dish composed of a corn or wheat tortilla folded or rolled around a filling. A taco can be made with a variety of fillings. Here I'm giving out a homemade version where the Tacos or Tortillas are first toasted on a griddle & then baked to make them little hard. These are made with minimal oil instead of the traditional Mexican Tacos which are deep fried.

Ingredients
For Taco shells
1 cup maize flour (makai ka atta)
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
1 tsp oil salt to taste
little wheat flour for dusting

For Salsa
1 cup deseeded and chopped tomatoes
1 spring onion, chopped
1 tbsp finely chopped capsicum
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander (dhania)
1 green chilli, finely chopped
1/2 tsp cumin seeds (jeera) powder
1/4 tsp fresh oregano
salt to taste

For Bean Filling
1 cup boiled kidney beans
1/4 cup boiled sweet corn
1/4 cup paneer cubes
Salt & pepper to taste
1/2 tsp Mexican seasoning
1/4 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup grated carrot

For Garnish
4 tbsp sour cream + 1 tbsp mixed herbs + pinch of salt
2 tbsp coriander or cilantro leaves

Method
For Taco shells
Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and knead into a soft dough using warm water.
Make golf ball size balls from dough.
Roll out each ball into a thin circle. Size depends on how big you want your tacos to be.
Dust the tacos generously with flour to make the rolling easier.
Place tacos on griddle and toast on both side.
Now to make them hard you can either do with the help of tortilla maker that you get in market or you can try the other methods that follows –

a) Brush both sides of each tacos with little oil. Arrange them directly on your oven rack (bring out the rack before preheating the oven), draping them so that they are on 2 rails of the oven rack (see the picture).

b) Make tortilla cups by placing them on an inverted muffin tray (like shown in other picture).
In both cases you may want to warm your tortillas before in order to make them more pliable.

Bake at 190°C for 7 to 8 minutes or until the tortillas are crisp.
Cool and store in an air-tight container.

For Salsa
Combine all the ingredients together and refrigerate for at least 3 to 4 hours.
Mash the salsa slightly to make it like a sauce.

For Bean Filling
Slightly sauté shredded cabbage & carrots.
Add beans, corn & paneer along with salt, pepper & Mexican seasoning.
Sauté a little and keep aside.

To Assemble
First mix salsa & bean filling.
Arrange taco shells into a standing position.
Add on bean filling & salsa mix.
Top with sour cream & sprinkle coriander or cilantro.
Crunchy crisp tacos with a delicious filling are ready to be devoured!

Tips
* You can buy ready made tacos from market but I always prefer home made as then I'm sure they are fresh.
* I like to make the tacos the night before I am going to be using them, & then store in airtight container.
* You can make whatever filling you want.
* Sour cream tastes too good in this but if you don't have it then you can replace it with grated cheese.
* I used home made sour cream (it was too yummy & I'm never going to buy from market). You can refer to its RECIPE UNDER NOTES.
* Assemble these just before serving time or they will become soggy.
* If you like it spicy then spread a few pickle jalapenos on top.

Zucchini Rolls

These bite-sized rolls are an excellent starter to any meal, Italian or not. The idea is simple and very fast to prepare.

Ingredients makes 8
1 medium green zucchini
100 gm cottage cheese, cubed
8 cherry tomatoes, cut into half
Salt & pepper to taste

For Pesto
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp pine nuts or walnuts
1 medium sized garlic cloves, minced (optional)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Method
For Pesto
Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil).

Add the garlic, if using, pulse a few times more.
Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on.
Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula.
Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended.
Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

How to proceed
Mix cottage cheese cubes with pesto & marinate for at least an hour.
Cut the zucchini into lengthwise. Grill them lightly on hot tava in minimal oil. Keep aside.
Now place a marinated cheese cube on zucchini slice along with cherry tomato halves and roll it, & put it on a plate. You can use a tooth pick to hold them together.
Sprinkle with little salt, mixed herbs & black pepper.
Keep in refrigerator until ready to serve. (I like them freshly made).

Tips
If you have extra pesto, you can freeze it for later use. It can be served with pasta, or over baked potatoes, or as spread on breads.
If you don't want to make the rolls, you can also serve in layers with zucchini piece as the lower one followed by tomato & cheese.

Stir Fry Pak Choi & Tofu With Veggies

Pak choi (also called Bok Choy) is especially delicious when eaten raw. Just slice it up, toss with a light dressing, and enjoy. A great summer alternative is to grill it on your barbecue

Ingredients
1/4 cup water
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp cornstarch
1 tsp dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
2 tsp grated fresh ginger
8 baby pak choi or 1 large pak choi
1/2 cup red & yellow pepper cut in stripes
1 small carrot cut in stripes
1/2 cup zucchini
1/4 cup baby corn
1/2 cup broccoli
150 gm silken Tofu
1/2 cup (125 ml) skin-on almonds, toasted (optional)

Method
In a small bowl, whisk water with soy sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, garlic and ginger. Set aside.
Rinse pak choi under cold running water, spreading leaves to wash away dirt. Pat dry with paper towels. Leave baby pak choi whole. Cut large pak choi in half lengthwise. Cut out and discard core. Slice leaves and stalks crosswise into strips.
Heat oil in a large wide saucepan, or wok, over medium-high heat. Add tofu and stir-fry until light golden, 3 to 4 minutes.
Add vegetables & fry till tender.
Add pak choi and pepper. Pan will be quite full, but volume decreases during cooking. Stir-fry until vegetables are tender-crisp, 3 to 4 more minutes.
Stir soy mixture and then pour into pan. Stir until sauce thickens, approximately 2 minutes. Sprinkle with almonds.
Serve with basmati rice or rice noodles.

Tips
Lower leaves of Pak Choi are little harder then upper leaves so while cooking Pak Choi, always cook lower leaves first and then upper leaves.