Recipe | Quick Pasta in Rice Cooker

When it comes to a quick weekend dinner at home, nothing can beat piping hot delicious Pasta.

I have been cooking Pasta recipes in pan and wok for many years now, but have never had Pasta which tasted so rich and creamy.

On any normal day I first boil Pasta shells in hot water, drain and combine the al dente Pasta with sauce.

I tried the same Pasta recipe in my cool touch Maharaja Whiteline multi-cooker the other day and was blown away by the richness and creaminess of the sauce and the Pasta. Not to mention about the hassle free cooking where I just had to throw all the ingredients in the multi-cooker, sit back and relax for a while till my Pasta is done.

The recipe is a breeze if you have a Harissa sauce or any tomato based dip ready in your refrigerator. 

Recipe | Three Lentil Fritters or Parippu Vadai

Parippu Vadai or lentil fritter is a perfect tea-time snack and a popular street food In South India. These deep fried crispy delicacies is quite versatile and can be easily adapted to suit the taste buds of any family.
At home my MIL makes a variety of these Vadai and each version outshines the earlier one.
This recipe uses three different lentils.

Recipe | Peppercorn Lentil Fritters or Milagu Vadai

These peppercorn spiced lentil fritters or Milagu Vadai are a delicacy of South India. Normally prepared and offered to lord Hanuman, these thin crispy fritters are quite easy to prepare.

Recipe | Methi Pakoras or Fenugreek Fritters

Ingredients;

• 1 cup tightly packed Methi leaves
• 1/2 cup chickpea flour
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp. red chilly powder
• 1 tsp. Chaat masala
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry
• Water as required

Method; Pluck Methi (fenugreek) leaves, wash it with water and chop them finely.

Take a large vessel and add chopped Methi leaves and rest of the ingredients eacept oil and water.

Mix all the ingredients thoroughly with hands. Add water if you feel the batter is not binding together.

If you want crisp Pakoras add very little water and keep the batter thick, almost like chapatti dough. If you wish to make soft Pakoras add enough water to make a batter of flowing consistency.

Heat oil in a wok and drop small portions of batter to make Methi Fritters or Pakoras.

Notes;

Add a little hot oil in the batter to get soft Pakoras.

 

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Recipe | Fresh corn Fritters or Pakoras

Rain and Pakoras go hand in hand. These crispy corn fritters or Pakoras make a perfect tea-time treat.

Ingredients;       

• 1 cup corn kernel fresh or frozen
• 4 tbsp. chickpea flour or besan
• 2 tbsp. chopped coriander leaves
• 1 onion
• 1 tsp. Chaat masala or lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. red chilly powder
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry

 

Method; peel and chop onion finely. Grind corn kernel to make a coarse paste.

Take a large vessel and add all the ingredients together except oil.

Heat oil in a wok and drop small portions of batter in it. 

Fry the Pakoras till they turn golden brown in colour.

Serve hot Corn fritters or Pakoras with green chutney or tomato sauce. 

  

Notes;
Grate a fresh corn and use in the recipe for better taste.
Replace 2 tbsp. of chickpea flour with rice flour more more crispy fritters.

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Recipe | Quick and Easy Tofu Fritters

Paneer Paoras or cottage cheese fritters are a common street food in many parts of India. I like to use Tofu to make these fritters,.A delicious tea time treat Tofu fritters are easy and quick to make.

Recipe | Quick Chickpea Sundal with Flax seed powder - A Spicy Festive Snack

If Navaratri is a time for playing Dandia in Western and Northern part of India, it is a time to showcase your culinary skills down South. A very popular recipe Sundal is made in most of the houses and shared with neighbors and family during Navaratri evenings after it has been offered to God. 
Many use coconut and spices to make savory Sundal while others opt for jaggery and make sweet versions of it. 
My children love the entire process of decorating the small dolls, making gardens with sand and calling friends to visit the same each day. Each day my MIL prepares a different Sundal alternating with a sweet and savory recipe. 
I came up with the idea of adding flax seed powder to this healthy and filling Sundal recipe and make it more nutritious. You can omit the same if you wish to, it will not make any difference. 

Idly Seekh Kebabs - A Fusion Recipe from Four Regions of India

Most of the traditional recipes from India are simple and are cooked with commonly available indigenous ingredients. These recipes can be easily adapted in any other cuisine of the world. The humble lentils or Daal, quick veggie curries, Indian flat breads are loved by one and all.

I have been cooking many fusion recipes to give a new dimension and also to add health factor to the original recipes. Some of which are on Lite Bte;

A refreshing Upma or couscous salad, 

Traditional Lapsi with a flavorful twist  

The very famous Gajar Ka Halwa in a new avatar  

Crispy Lentil Snacks - Daal Vada

Any Indian meal is incomplete without tangy pickles, crisp poppadoms and some sort of deep fried accompaniments. And when my friend Prerna, Barbara and Kathy announced 'Indian Food Palooza' at their blogs, I thought of taking these Crispy Lentil Vadas along with me to join their on going event.

A perfect tea time snack, a popular street food and a must during most of the festive meals in India, these Daal Vadas or deep fired crisp lentil cakes are a real delicacy.

Kulcha - A Delightful Yeasted Indian Flat Bread

Kulcha is a delightful Indian flat bread, normally fermented with yeast and baked in oven. Baked version is better off than the fried one as it is devoid of oil. Kulchas are very common street food of North India, and is generally served with spicy channa curry in bowls made of dried leaves.
I made the fried version ad served it with Cottage cheese curry - Paneer Jalfrezi.
The Kulchas taste quite different from the Pooris because of the yogurt and yeast in it.

Rice and Soya Granules in a Crispy Snacks

Weekend is the most awaited time for my family who look forward to something crisp to munch upon during the evenings. And I like to experiment with various food ingredients to come up with something new and exciting from the normal snack recipes I usually make. This one is yet another scrumptious treat from my kitchen for you.

Crunchy Lentils - A Spicy Tea Time Snack

Evening is the time everyone look out for something to munch upon with a hot cup of tea. I often bake muffins, wholewheat cookies and scones in advance and store them for a couple of days. At times we all feel like having something spicy and crispy to go along with the tea. The Crunchy Lentil snack below fits the bill perfectly.

Crispy Green Gram Pooris an Indian Flat Bread Delight

For the last one month my taste buds are adjusting with the drastic changes in the food habits. From the light and simple foods I am used to, to the lavish spreads mom is cooking daily. The whole month passed trying out some of her authentic curries, pickles, snacks and recipes I almost forgot.
Mom made these Wholewheat Green Gram Pooris or Indian flat bread with wholewheat and green gram which we took with us in our trip to the lakeside the other day. These are so crisp and scrumptious that you don't need any other accompaniments than a hot cup of tea with it.
I like her idea of adding whole green gram in the dough. The grams gave a crunchy look and feel to the flat breads.

A Crisp and Scrumptious Sago Snack

Snack time is the most awaited time on a weekend. More so when there is a cricket match to follow and the kid and hubby look forward to eating something crisp and scrumptious. These Sago snack was one such treat for them last week.

Spicy Brown Rice Pooris

These Brown rice spicy pooris make a good lunch box meal when packed with a chutney or spread. Healthy and easy to make they can be taken for picnic or as a great travel food too. I often make these crisp pooris at dinner time and serve them with spicy curd potato or channa masala.

Lentil and Rice flour Snack

These crisp and spicy circles make a very interesting tea time snack. The crunchy whole pepper in every bite gives a fiery taste. Very common in South India, these are called Tattai in Tamil. Easy to make these snacks stay good for many days.

A Crispy Lentil Snack - Murukku

A crisp and scrumptious lentil snack - Murukku is a very common savory dish during festivals and special occasions in south India. Murukkus are traditionally made with hands and needs a lot of patience to constantly twist and turn the dough for that spiral look.

A Crispy & Easy Tea Time Snack - Veggie Fritters

Tea time snacks are the most awaited time during rainy days and on weekends. These Veggie Fitters aka Pakoras fit into the bill perfectly. Easy to make, crispy and delicious snack which can be transformed into many new varieties with different vegetables and flours in it.
This veggie fritter is the most common way to make these scrumptious snack. And using the same batter you can make fritters with any vegetable of your choice.

Crispy and fluffy Savory - Khaja

Khaja is a crispy and very light snack popular in the North India. Care should be taken when you buy these snacks from the bakery or super market. As most of the times these are made with Trasfats, a kind of vegetable fat which is very dangerous to health but gives a light and flaky texture and more shelf life to such goodies.

Sambhar Vada - A Regional Delicacy

Sambhar Vada is an authentic regional dish of South India. The humble dish has become very common and has made its presence in every part of the world. A recipe which makes a full meal in itself, and can be devoured at any time of the day.