Masala Corn Sev Puri

Source:  Kuty's Kreations

New year, new recipe, new camera, new resolution to post more recipes!

Wish you all a very Happy New Year!

The following was a late night creation due to laziness to go the grocery store/ determination to start using my overstocked pantry! 

Masala Corn Sev Puri

 Ingredients

• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 can corn kernels (I used baby corn because that's all I had in my pantry)
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 1 tsp chat masala
• 2-3 tsp coriander leaves, chopped
• salt, pepper, lemon juice to taste
• 25- 30 papdis (small, deep-fried wheat-based crackers)
• 1/4 cup shredded cheese (optional)
• coriander chutney
• tamarind chutney
• 1/4 cup sev

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. Heat 1 tsp butter in pan and saute onions
3. Add corn, chili powder, chat masala, salt, pepper and stir for 2-3 mins
4. Remove from heat and add lemon juice and coriander leaves
5. Place papdis on baking sheet and sprinkle cheese over them.  Bake in oven until cheese melts.
6. Layer papdis with corn masala, coriander chutney, tamarind chutney, and finally sev
7. Top with additional chat masala or red chili powder if needed

Kuty's Twist
This is a great recipe to make with whatever you have in your fridge and pantry.  If you don't have papdis, you can even try this with nacho chips, tortillas, or make a sandwich out of it!  The corn masala tastes great by itself too.

Rava Bonda

Source: Kuty's Kreations

What does one do when they have leftover idli batter and leftover oil from frying pooris?  Why they make bondas of course!  Thank you Gits!

Ingredients

• 1 packet Gits Rava Idli Mix
• 550ml thick yogurt
• 200ml water
• 1 handful chopped coriander
• 2-3 green chilies, finely chopped
• 1/2 red onion, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• Oil for frying

Directions

1. Mix Gits Rava Idli contents with yogurt and water.  (My yogurt was really thick so I added water. If your yogurt is already watery you may not need to add water.)
2. Add coriander, green chilies, carrots, and red onions (you can put any vegetable you want)
3. Stir to form a smooth batter and let it sit for 10 mins.  (Since I used this mix to make idlis the previous day, I placed the leftover batter in the frig for a day before I used it to make bondas.  I'm not sure if makes a difference or not, but the batter should be quite thick.)
4. Heat oil and place small golf ball size portions of the batter into the oil.
5. Fry until brown to get crispy bondas.  Fry until golden brown to get softer ones.

Kuty's Twist

So this is a great way to use up your leftover idli batter.  If you make all of the batter from a Gits mix into bondas, you are going to have a LOT of bondas!  After making ~16 idlis and 20 bondas, I still have leftover batter from this mix.  I think I may water it down and try to make dosas next... stay tuned!

Lemon Coriander Soup

Source: Sanjeev Kapoor

The Christmas holidays is the one time of the year I really look forward to. With my mom, sister, and I all in the same house, food somehow ends up being the center of our activities :-) My mom wanted to try my pineapple fried rice, so I decided to make this soup as a nice pairing. Since we had been eating so much, I decided to make a light soup which was not cream based.


Ingredients

• 1/2 bunch Coriander leaves
• 1 medium Onion, chopped
• 1 medium Spring onion bulb, chopped
• 1 inch piece Ginger grated
• 6 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Gram flour (besan)
• 4.5 cups Vegetable stock
• 1/4 head of Cabbage, chopped
• 1 medium Carrot, cubed
• 10-12 Black peppercorns, crushed
• 3-4 Green Chilies, finely chopped
• Salt to taste
• Lemon juice- 2 tablespoons or more to taste

Directions

1. Heat 2 Tablespoons oil in a pot
2. Add onion, spring onion bulb, ginger, garlic, green chilies and saute till translucent
3. Add gram flour and continue to saute till you get a nice aroma
4. Add vegetable stock, coriander stems, cabbage and carrot cubes and bring to a boil
5. Add crushed peppercorns and continue to boil
6. Add half of the chopped coriander leaves and cook for five to ten minutes
7. Strain and keep aside cooked vegetables (you won't be eating these)
8. Heat the strained soup
9. Add salt, lemon juice and bring to a boil again
10. Season with the remaining chopped coriander leaves. Add more lemon juice, coriander, salt to taste.

Kuty's Twist
The original recipe did not call for green chilies. I made this with 5 green chilies and it ended up VERY spicy, so please add the green chilies with caution :-)

I also thought that straining the vegetables was a very odd step. I understand why we should take out the cabbage, carrots, and coriander stems, since this soup is meant to be a clear simple soup. Unfortunately straining also takes out the onions, ginger, and garlic. What I ended up doing is straining about 3/4 of the vegetables, so it ended up being a vegetable lemon coriander soup. Something I may try next time is setting aside the onion, ginger, garlic, and green chilies once they are sauteed, then adding the vegetables and broth til the soup boils, then removing the vegetables and re-adding the ginger, garlic, and green chilies. I am still curious to know what this tastes like without adding the carrots and cabbage. Does the soup really need it? If you try it, please let me know!
The original recipe called for 2 tablespoons of coriander, which I did not feel was enough. I also wasn't able to chop the coriander very finely, so I just chopped it in the blender. I kept adding coriander and tasting the soup until it tasted right.
This is perfect for a cold snowy Christmas Day in the house. Enjoy! :-)

Avocado Gazpacho w/ Spiced Croutons

Source: Food Network- Torie Ritchie

This is perfect for a hot day and is both vegan and raw.

Ingredients

Gazpacho

• 2 cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced (I only used One)
• 2 limes, juiced
• 1/2 to 1 cup vegetable broth (I used 1 bouillon cube w/ 1 cup water)
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, plus additional, for garnish
• 1.5 jalapenos, chopped
• 4 green onions, sliced (including green tops)
• 2 ripe avocados
• 4 garlic cloves (I love garlic, you can put less)
• 1 Tomatillo
• Salt

Note: Only the Gazpacho is raw and vegan. The Croutons are not.

Spiced Croutons

• 3 big slices of sourdough bread (or any bread you have)
• 1 Tablespoon butter
• 1 Teaspoon Red Chili
• Black Pepper to taste

Directions:
Preheat an oven to 450 degrees F. Cut bread into medium cubes and spread on a baking sheet. Toast in oven until crisp and golden, about 10 minutes. Melt butter and stir in ground chili powder, salt, cumin, and pepper to taste. Toss and coat bread cubes. Return to oven and toast 5 minutes more.

In a blender, puree cucumbers, lime juice, 1/2 cup broth, 1/2 cup cilantro leaves, jalapenos, green onions, garlic, tomatillo, and 1 of the avocados, diced. Season, to taste, with salt. Cover and refrigerate for about 2 hours or until next day.

To serve, thin gazpacho with additional broth if desired. Dice remaining avocado finely and add to gazpacho base. Pour into bowls and garnish with cilantro leaves and croutons.

Kuty's Twist:
Croutons come out great with sourdough bread!

I only added 1 cucumber since I've heard it doesn't keep too long. My other additions included garlic and a tomatillo. Tomatillos add a nice tangy flavor to this.

If you are desperate to eat this right away, which I was, pour a small amount into 1-2 bowls and stick it in the freezer for 10 mins!