My 200th post- Rasmalai : a sweet tribute, and a giveaway !

Let me be honest - I had almost lost track of the number of the blog posts till a casual conversation over dinner - with a good friend of mine & S -@ Delhi last fortnight asked me how my blog was going - and I said it was good , and that I might have crossed about 150 posts..he gently corrected me and said as he keenly followed my blog, I was on my 181st post--wow ! that was some news, I thought, and then got to work on celebrating what is my blog's 200th post - a milestone that I had dreamt of, when I started this blog about 11 months ago ! Like Anna Pavlova said "To follow, without halt, one aim: There's the secret of success."


I briefly halt though to thank all my readers, well wishers, family and very importantly course my blogger friends , without whose constant encouragement,this would have remained a wish,a hope. Thanks also goes to husband, kiddo and mom for grinning and bearing me as I fussed over the snaps first before serving them food (ok, kidding!) . A special thanks is in order for hubby for, amongst other things, handling my tantrums while shopping out for that particular muffin mould, not to mention cartloads of books brought online and borrowed, and most importantly, gifting me a new laptop so I could work uninterrupted. Just seems like yesterday, when I was all hesitant to step out to the blogosphere : I wasn't even sure I would post once a week, forget running events, contests or even participating in Blogging Marathons and Blog hops events !! And it seems like a breeze now... although , like Robert Frost says , " ...and miles to go before I sleep,..."! Thanks to all out there for your support and encouragement:-)


And for you, dear friends this is a small way of thanking you with a giveaway at the end of this post :-)

Roundup of CEDD Strawberry event and winner of giveaway

Happy to announce the roundup and winner of the CEDD - Strawberry Desserts event that I hosted this October. Thanks to Raven for this opportunity. Although I personally love strawberries, it was completely out of season to make any dishes out of the fresh fruit. I loathe the synthetic store bought crushes. I was very tempted to make ice cream out of strawberry essence, Diwali and other personal agendas took centre stage the entire last month. However, I have 14 yummy recipes sent across my dearest friends that I  present to you on the roundup ... Thank you so much and appreciate the effort. 

And the winner of the giveaway is Suma from Veggie Platter !! Congratulations Suma. Please check your email on how the prize is to be redeemed :-)


Hope you and other readers also would participate in my Ongoing events - Flavours of China and Global Food Festival with equal or better fervour :-)


Cheers,
Kalyani

Apple Chutney

Yes, you read it right. Today's post is a very yummy Apple Chutney that came about, mostly as a result of toooo many apples lying unused in the pantry. We had bought some apples for naivedyam for diwali pooja, and my aunt n uncle who visited us also brought along some more. So, there we had apples galore. Like they say, when life hands you lemons, make a lemonade. So I checked quite a few recipes to use up apples, but most of them were jams / preserves and required pectin (which I am yet to add to my pantry list), or baking (and I do limit my baking with APF to once or twice a month). 


And, there it was - a dilemma. When hubby suggested that I make chutney out of it, given my rush to preserve every vegetable peel in the house to make Chutneys (like the Carrot one or the mixed peel version) , I looked daggers at him. When I realised he wasnt joking, we got to work (yes, me and hubby). While he made me a superb refresher with apples and green tea (recipe coming soon), I got to work with making this yummy apple chutney with a little ginger to spice it up for our Sunday breakfast of  Poha Idli. I had never used apples for chutneys, and therefore didnt know how the final taste 'should' be, but what resulted out of this  experiment was another yummy chutney added to my menu card :-) I have used normal red apples (Shimla red variety - the ones which are spongy in taste) , but do try out with other varieties and let me know if you liked this dish :-) . Meanwhile, check out 10 other varieties of Chutneys here

Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 10 mins. Serves : 3


Sending this to Priya Mahadevan’s The Big Chutney Chowdown

Coconut Pulav

Most people from the South of the Vindhyas (india) use coconut in their everyday cooking. Contrary to what was hyped a decade ago, coconut and its food products greatly help in reducing the cholestrol by boosting metabolism. For every believer in coconut, there would be two to scoff at the 'bad' fat from coconut. It does take a conscious effort to cut down 'unreasonable' quantity of coconut in everyday food, like vegetable peels have replaced most of the chutneys in my family's dinner today. But in totality, coconut should be had in moderation. For that matter, anything taken in excess is harmful. May be this link would throw some light on the benefits of coconut.. Now, why am I going on and on about coconut?? Coz, today's post is a yummy Coconut Pulav that makes use of freshly ground coconut, and is a quick dish to put together for a potluck or lunchboxes. After upma, Pulav is probably something that I learnt cooking way back in high school - may be the humble one pot meals were my pathway to learn more cooking with Paneer-n-raisin Pulav, Soya chunks Pulav & baby Corn pulav added newly to the menu card. Today's dish goes well with any raita and roasted papad.


Sending this to:

• Sukanya's healing Food - Coconut, event by Siri
• Kavi's HCC - Healthy Lunches (HCC), event by Smita

Refer notes on more variations. Now, off to the recipe:

Beans Carrot Thoran ~ Beans Carrot Palya

This week of Blog hop, I am paired with Kaveri of Palakkad Chamayal. Being a south Indian myself, most recipes were common. I chose a simple to make but yummy Thoran (Stir fry in English, Palya in Kannada or Curry in Tamil). Its a very simple dish - Beans Carrot Thoran - that you can put together with very few ingredients. Although addition on onions is optional in such dry curries, in most South Indian homes, onions are not added. Feel free to saute 1 chopped onion to this dish if you prefer. You can saute the chopped veggies in oil, but I pressure cook for 2 whistles prior to sauteeing it with literally just 1 tsp of oil. This dish goes very well with hot rice and Rasam. My favourite preference is to have this with Rice & Poricha Rasam ! Lets get on to the recipe now...  Also sending this to Susan's BWW

Kale Masoor ki Dal ~ Whole Red Lentil Curry

One of the finest cookbooks I have acquired in the recent past (esp after I started blogging) is Vidhu Mittal's "Pure and Simple". Although I must confess here that I am not a cookbook person at all, but I love collecting them - it gives me various ideas which I tweak to suit my family's palate. There are many reasons I love this book by Vidhu Mittal - the simplicity of ingredients, clear write up, and not to forget stunning photographs. But more than anything, love it most 'coz its all about Pure Vegetarian cooking - something that I rustle up in my small kitchen everyday. So, its quite handy for me to refer this. Today's dish - Kale Masoor Ki Dal - is an exception for I have reproduced the recipe to the T, and boy was I impressed :-) We had this for Sunday brunch along with Soya Chunks Pulav, and the combo was amazing ! 
Sending this to Priya's Tuesday's bookmarked recipes as well as to Suma's MLLA, event by Susan. Its a simple hearty dal that goes well with rotis / Naans and simple steamed rice and pickles as well. The tenderly cooked dal along with ginger slivers takes the dish to another level.. Before you rush away, let me get to the recipe :-)

New Event Announcement : Flavours of China

Friends, am happy to announce that I shall be guesthosting Nayna’s event – Flavours of China – at my space all this November. Legend goes that the Cuisine of China spreads both around the world and deep into history and is marked by both variety and change. The archeologist and scholar K.C. Chang says “Chinese people are especially preoccupied with food” and “food is at the center of, or at least it accompanies or symbolizes, many social interactions.” Over the course of history, he says, "continuity vastly outweighs change." Over the centuries, as new food sources and techniques were invented, the Chinese cuisine as we know it gradually evolved. The "Silk road" is the conventional term for the routes through Central Asia linking the Iranian plateau with western China; along this trade route passed exotic foodstuffs that greatly enlarged the potential for Chinese cuisines, only some of which preserve their foreign origin in the ideogram for "foreign" that remains in their name: "it would surprise many Chinese cooks to know that some of their basic ingredients were originally foreign imports," Frances Wood observes: sesame, peas, onions, coriander from Bactria, and cucumber were all introduced into China from the West during the Han dynasty". 

THE SILK ROAD / THE SILK ROUTE

Chopsticks, which are made from all sorts of materials and which are one of the hallmarks of the Chinese table, have been used as eating utensils at least as far back as the Zhou Dynasty. Stir-fried dishes became popular during the Tang Dynasty. The stir-fry method of cooking was invented out of necessity, in order to conserve expensive and scarce fuel.

Poricha Rasam ~ Porciha Sathamudu | Spiced Lentil broth

If I were to choose one signature dish by mom that is extremely comforting, I would choose today's dish - Poricha Rasam (or Poricha Sathamudhu). For the linguistically challenged, this is rasam without tamarind, and loaded with protein and ground masala and is a super combo with hot rice, ghee and roasted papad.. I can almost smell the aroma of this Rasam as I write this post- some dishes cannot be explained in mere words : its got to be experienced at the dining table ;-) I am not a great fan of tamarind in any form. So, while I do make Mysore Rasam and Tomato Rasam regularly, today dish - Poricha Rasam - is something I ask mom to make . Yes, I have learnt it too, but there is something  about her 'kai manam (maa ka haath ke khaana) ) that makes me yearn for that special taste and flavour. And I hope to recreate that magic everytime I make this :-)  Like other rasams, this too can be made with Toor Dal, but mom and me both prefer this with soaked and cooked Moong Dal that lends itself so beautifully to the texture of this rasam. Like most South Indian recipes, each household has its own method, but this comes directly from mom's cookbook and goes straight to :
Suma's MLLA, event by Susan, Healing foods – Coconuts @ Saffronstreaks, event by Siri & also Priya’s Fruit / Veggie of the month- Coconut


Woo hoo ! I am almost writing an ode to this humble yet sublime rasam - something like a heirloom recipe.Without any more prose, lets get quickly to the recipe. 

Arbi Laajawaab ~ Stir fried colocasia munchies

Arbi Laajawaab is one of the quickest snacks you can put together for unexpected guests as well as spice up your Indian Thali for any festival / get together. It can be relised both as a snack as well as a dry sabji , and this goes to Blogging Marathon Day 7 for October 2011.If you prefer, you can deep fry these lovely veggies, but I prefer to stir fry them, and didnt compromise on the taste at all. you can also bake / grill them for extra texture (something I am sure to try out next time).With just under 4 - 6 ingredients, this is a super easy and tasty snack to make. Meanwhile, check out the goodness of Arbi here. Check out my fellow marathoners here
In case you missed any of the 6 days' posts under this edition of Blogging Marathon, here goes a quick recap under the theme "Snacks in a jiffy". 
Day 1 - Mini Katori Chaat

Day 2 - Low fat Mini Beetroot Burgers

Day 3 - No Ghee gajar and Lauki Halwa

Day 4 - Sugarfree Chilli Pine Splash

Day 5 - Schezwan Dill Corn Lollipops

Day 6 - Moong Dal Seekh Kabab

Moong Dal Seekh Kabab ~ Snacks in a jiffy ~ step by step recipe

Kababs (or Kebabs as they are already known) entice me to no end : I was introduced to the same by S. Truth be told: Till about a decade ago I always thought kababs were only non-vegetarian, and didnt care for them too much,being a vegetarian myself. But on one of my trips to Lucknow, I had what was my first Vegetarian Seekh Kebab,and I was hooked. I love it even more because most kebabs can be made in Tandoor and like today's dish - Moong Dal Seekh Kabab- without a drop of oil. The only grease I used was for basting (considering it is really negligible). I was wanting to make seekh kebabs at home, for a long time now and Blogging Marathon gave me just than chance. 

Extremely rich in protein, this recipe came to me from a book by Tarla Dalal (one of my favourite authors), and I was successful in getting even my fussy daughter to eat this (which is quite a rarity for any new dish) . Its a wonderful appetiser for parties too. See notes for more details on spicing this up.  You can parboil the Moong Dal ahead of time for guests you are expecting, and while you are making cups of tea and having light conversation, I promise you the kebabs would be ready :-) So, lets get on to the recipe !

Wikipedia tells me - The origin of kebab may lie in the short supply of cooking fuel in the Near East, which made the cooking of large foods difficult, while urban economies made it easy to obtain small cuts of meat at a butcher's shop.^[4] The phrase is essentially Persian in origin and Arabic tradition has it that the dish was invented by medieval persian soldiers who used their swords to grill meat over open-field fires.^[5]According to Ibn Battuta, a Moroccan traveller, in India, kebab was served in the royal houses during the Delhi Sultanate period(1206-1526 AD), and even commoners would enjoy it for breakfast withnaan.^[6] The dish has been native to the Near East^[4] and ancient Greece since antiquity; an early variant of kebab (Ancient Greek: ὀβελίσκος - obeliskos^[7]) is attested in Greece since 8th century BCE (archaic period) in Homer's Iliad^[8] and Odyssey^[5] and in classical Greece, amongst others in the works of Aristophanes,^[9] Xenophon^[10] and Aristotle.^[11] Excavations held in Akrotiri on the Greek island of Santorini by professor Christos G. Doumas, unearthed stone sets of barbecue for skewers (Ancient Greek: κρατευταί - krateutai^[12]) used before the 17th century BCE. In each pair of the supports, the receptions for the spits are found in absolute equivalence, while the line of small openings in the base constitutes mechanism of supplying the coals with oxygen so that they are maintained light up during its use.^[13][14][15]One of the more delicate kebabs from South Asia, made of minced goat / buffalo meat. It was supposedly made for a Nawab in Lucknow who could not eat the regular Kebabs due to weak teeth. The Galouti Kebab is part of the "Awadhi Cuisine". Along with the Lucknowi biryani and Kakori Kebab, this is one of the outstanding highlights of the great food tradition from the Awadh region in Uttar Pradesh, India. Many leading Indian hotel chains have taken to popularising the Awadhi food tradition, with the Galouti Kebab being a Pièce de résistance.The home of this kebab is Lucknow. It is most famously had at the almost iconic eatery "Tundey Miyan" at Old Lucknow.

Check out more Party idea snacks here and for more baked and healthy options, appetisers, click on..Sending this to: Suma's MLLA , event by Susan, Blogging Marathon Day 6, Manjula's appetiser event, my own event - Global Food Festival & Priya's event that she is hosting: Healthy Cooking Challenge - Healthy Bakes.


Check out my fellow marathoners here.


Prep time : 30 mins. Baking time :  12 - 14 mins. Makes : 6 kebabs (fairly large sized)


Notes: 
1) Instead of using Moong Dal, you can use an assortment of fresh veggies (finely minced and blanched). Be sure to add required quantity of besan to bind them, though. Moong dal needs to be pressure cooked with very little water. If you have any water in the pulse after cooking, drain completely before use.
2) This version of Kebabs does not have any added oil and is mildly spiced. However, you can still bast them with melted butter / ghee and add more chillies and ginger to spice them up.
3) Ensure the oven is piping hot (pre-heat). I pre-heated on broil for 250 deg C for 8 - 9 mins, and once the kebabs were in, I turned down to 220 deg C to bake for 12 - 14 mins, then switched again to broil for further 8 -9 mins once the kebabs were basted. Time and temperature would vary from oven to oven. Please check yours for more settings.
4) If using wooden skewers (like me), ensure they are long enough and that you soak them in cold water for atleast 15 mins, while your kebab mixture gets going.
5) Browned or roasted kebabs is a product of how much oil you bast them with - please adjust according to palates. You can make Palak ke kebab (spinach kebab) in a similar way, on skewers.


Ingredients:

• Moong Dal (split green gram) - 1/2 to 3/4 cup
• Potato - 1/2 boiled and grated
• Onion - 1 no. (grated)
• Kasuri methi - 1/2 TBSP
• Salt - to taste
• Ginger garlic paste - 1/2 TBSP
• Dhaniya Powder (Coriander powder) - 1 tsp
• Turmeric powder - a dash
• Jeera Powder (cumin powder) - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder , Kitchen king masala, Garam Masala pwd - 1 tsp each
• Green chillies - 2 nos (minced)
• cornflour / corn meal - 2 TBSP - for binding
• Oil- for basting (I used olive oil)

Method:
1) Mix all the ingredients for the kebabs (barring oil) to a smooth mixture. 

2) Meanwhile soak the wooden skewers (if using) in a glass of water (place them vertically so the entire skewer gets soaked & pre-heat oven to 250 deg C (broil mode)
3) Adjust the mixture to the required consistency - you may need a little more cornmeal than indicated t make this a completely dry mixture : it should barely stick to your hands. 4) One tip here though : you may oil your hands if required at this stage while mixing and making them into equal sized portions.

5) Once the balls are made, take the skewers out of water, and start pressing them onto the mould starting at the base of your palm and extending it towards the fingertips. If it breaks, dismantle the kebab and start all over - it is extremely painful to work around a hot oven if the kebabs break while baking. Work with the rest of the roundels till the dough is completed.

6) Once all the roundels are done, give it a resting time of 4 - 5 mins to check for any further breakages, if any.
7) Once the oven is pre-heated, place on a baking tray with the skewers stickign out so you  can bast them easily later and set to bake for 220 deg C. Bast with olive oil  / ghee according to your preference after 12 - 14 mins. Check notes above for more details.
8) Once the kebabs are done, let them rest in the oven for further 2 -4 mins to absorb the heat.
9) De-skewer them gently onto a plate, and serve hot with onion rings, green chutney, a dash of lime and tomato ketchup !


It aint get more royal than this :-) Enjoy with steaming cups of tea, and endless gossip with friends over :-D

Schezwan Dill Corn Lollipops ~ Snacks in a jiffy | Step by step recipe

Before we go to today's post, reminding all my readers on the Strawberry Desserts & Giveaway event that ends 31st October - Do rush in your yummilicious entries (archives also accepted when linked) . Also check out my 100-day Global Food Fest and link in your entries.


Day 5 of Blogging Marathon sees me dishing out one of our family favourites - Schezwan Dill Corn Lollipops. Quick to make and easy to serve, its a great dish to whip out for kiddo parties and potlucks alike ! Yes, agreed it is deep fried, but indulgence is good sometimes, or so my daughter says when she chomped it last evening after what seemed like hours playing outside..Like the Healthy Carrot Bonda, I wanted to use the paniyaram pan to fry this, but gave it a miss and deep fried it instead. You can make the lollipops way ahead of time and refrigerate it, and fry it just before serving. Let's get cracking on this.. 


Sending this to Blogging Marathon Day 5 along with Manjula's Appetiser event and my event - 100 day Global Food festival. Check out my fellow marathoners. 


Check out more appetisers and fried delights from my blog.

Prep time : 15 minutes, Cooking time : 10 minutes, Serves : 3


Ingredients:

• Potato - 1 large
• Dill leaves - 1 cup (cleaned and sorted)
• Boiled sweet american corn - 1 cup
• Chaat Masala - 1 tsp
• Amchur / Dry mango powder - 1 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1 tsp
• Schezwan Sauce - 1 tsp
• Tomato ketchup - 1 TBSP
• Salt - to taste
• Onions chopped - 1 medium
• Cornmeal - 1/4 cup
• Oil - to fry
• Maida / APF + water - for outer covering

Method:

1) Grate boiled potato. Mix chopped onion, boiled corn, chopped dill and all the dry masalas including salt , schezwan and tomato ketchup. Now add cornmealand mix well to a semi dry consistency.
2) Make into equal roundels and refrigerate for minimum 10 minutes.
3) In a small bowl, mix APF and water to a smooth slurry kind of mixture.
4) Heat the oil in a kadai (deep pan) and check if its hot enough by placing a drop of the maida covering into the hot oil.
5) Dip the roundels in the maida slurry and gently slide into the hot oil - 5 to 6 at time. Fry on medium heat till golden brown. Drain on paper towels
6) Serve with green chutney or ketchup as required.

Happy Diwali, and wishing you all a very prosperous year ahead !

With gleam of Diyas

And the Echo of the Chants
May Happiness and Contentment Fill Your life
Wishing you a very happy and prosperous Diwali!

Sugarfree Chilli Pine Splash ~ Super summer cooler

Like I mentioned in my post on Sugarfree Ginger Mocktail, hubby has an eclectic eye for mocktails . Today too, is one of his creations and I happily got clicking as the drink was getting ready.. Contrast to the rest of the country (and probably the world too, barring Australia/NZ), Mumbai experiences a very hot , dry & humid October - almost more severe than the main summery months of Mar/May. This cooler too is sugar free, and yes doesn't contain any honey too - the 'kick' (not literally) to this drink comes from the bombastic combo of chillies (jalapenos) and pineapple , but you can also play around with most seasonal fruits to make this more interesting. Addition of sugar / honey is optional, although ensure you have loads of ice and very fresh fruits - to make this a very refreshing drink. You may also serve at your place for guests /potlucks  and i can assure you it would be a super hit !


Sending this to Blogging Marathon Day 4 and also Susan's BWW


Prep time : 5 - 8 minutes. No cooking ! Serves : 2 adults

Ingredients:

• Pineapple chunks - 2 cups - I used fresh. If using canned,drain and use.
• Apple - 1 medium (peeled and cubed)
• Ripe Guava - 1/2 no
• Green chilli - 1 no OR jalapeno (red n firm) - 2 small
• Ginger - 1/2 inch
• Black salt - 1 tsp
• White pepper - a dash
• Ice - 1 cup (crushed ice, preferred)
• Fresh mint leaves - few - optional

Method:
1) First puree pineapple, apple with half the ice quantity.
2) De-seed and finely shred the chillies into small bits.
3) Add the chillies, salt, white pepper, ginger and rest of the ice to the fruit puree and pulse for 3 - 5 minutes. Add extra water as required (you may not need any) and run the juicer.

4) Strain the mocktail and add a few sprigs of fresh mint (if using) and serve immediately in tall glasses.

Gajar - Lauki Halwa (no-ghee version) - a step by step recipe | Diwali Sweet recipe

I was honestly tired of making Gajar Halwa - although its a family favourite, it was nearing its expiry date in terms of being the first choice for festivals / quick desserts for unexpected guests / luncheons / potluck parties. As a family, we are also quite conscious about how much oil and sugar we consume . So, when I saw a nice fresh lauki (bottle gourd) peeking from the pantry, I quickly rustled up this Gajar and Lauki Halwa (adapted from my bookmark here) for the Diwali festival, where we had some friends dropping in. And voila ! It was guilt free too (to an extent) as I didnt use ghee at all, but some mawa (unsweetened solidified milk fudge). For sweet lovers, i would recommend they up the sugar a bit more , but for my family and those who dropped in -  it was the perfect taste. Hope you would also make this dish for your family and enjoy the mild sweetness with a hint of sugar and saffron and crunchy fried nuts to complete that divine experience.  I served this with a Mixed Bhajia platter to the guests for a quick evening snack, and the combo was enthusiastically received :-)

Sending this quick dish to:  
Blogging Marathon (Day 3), Radhika's Diwali event, Khushi's My Diwali My Way, Anu's Diwali - festival of lights, Krithi and Denny's Serve It Festival Potluck, Pari’s Only Sweets & Desserts hosted by Gayathri & also to Priya & Aipi's Tuesday's bookmarked recipes.


Check out my fellow marathoners here

See other Indian Sweets here


Prep time : 10 mins. Cooking time : 15 mins. Serves : 4

Ingredients: 

• Carrots - 2 large
• Lauki / bottle gourd - 1 medium
• Mawa / condensed unsweetened milk fudge - 2 TBSP
• Sugar - 3 TBSP
• Condensed Milk - 3 TBSP
• Milk - 1/4 cup
• Saffron - a few strands
• Cardamom - 1 no.
• Almonds / raisins / Cashew for garnish

Method:

1) Wash, peel and grate carrots and bottle gourd finely. Place the veggies in a deep bottomed vessel. Add the milk and pressure cook for 3 whistles. Cool and drain all the water from cooked veggies.
2) Powder the sugar with cardamom in a spice grinder.
3) In a thick non stick pan, add the boiled veggies and half the mawa and stir continuously on a slow flame. 
4) When the halwa reduces by 1/4 or 1/3, add the powdered sugar and stir again on a low- medium flame. Once the sugar melts and the oil (from the mawa) begins to separate, add the remaining mawa and give it a vigorous stir for 5 - 7 mins (get those arm muscles moving :-)). 
5) Now add the saffron and the nuts (if you wish, you may lightly fry the raisins in just a drop of ghee) and serve warm. This halwa goes very well with a plate of mixed hot bhajias ! 

Low fat mini Beetroot burgers - Snacks in a jiffy | Step by Step Recipe

How to manage guests who drop in unannounced on the same day your pantry needs a bad facelift and your energies also do? Well, that was exactly my predicament this last week, when I was just back from what was intended as a vacation, and some of our family friends came over on Sat evening. While all I had was a cup of beetroot curry to be used up and some boiled potatoes . So, it was to be - Low Fat Mini Beetroot Burgers ! And boy, did they vanish before I could say "cheese" (yup ! had some kids too in the guest party, and they loved it so much that one of the mothers told me that this was the first time her son had beets, and that too without a whimper).. I was tickled pink when she asked me for the recipe to make it at her place. Do play around the ingredients as you want, as I said the more the merrier. I used various chutneys - chundho (tangy mango chutney) and homemade green chutney along with the tomato ketchup and yes, it was low low fat version too, coz there was absolutely no butter used. And the low fat cheese slices were used up for the kids' version only ;-) 


Sending this to Blogging Marathon's Day 2 of Snacks in a jiffy, Harini's event of dressing up leftovers, and my event - Global Food Festival. Check out my fellow marathoners here.


Check out other healthy snacks here. For more appetisers, click here


Prep time : 10 mins ( assuming the curry is ready or you have steamed the veggies)
Cook time : 10 - 15 mins.
Makes : 6 mini burgers


Ingredients:

• Mini burger buns (called cocktail buns) - 6 nos
• Corn meal - 2 TBSP (divided use)
• Chundho / Tangy Mango chutney - 2 TBSP
  Tomato Ketchup - 1 tsp
  
  Low fat cheese slices - 1 or 2 (opt)

For the patties:

• Beetroot curry (or 1 large beetroot peeled, boiled and grated)
• Salt - to taste
• Potatoes - 2 medium (peeled, boiled and grated)
• Chaat Masala - 1 tsp
• Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
• Garam Masala - 1 tsp
• Green chillies - 1 or 2 (chopped fine)
• oil - 1 TBSP and spray as per use while pan tossing the patties.

Method:
1) Mix the boiled and grated veggies (please feel free to add in more as you wish). Add chopped onions too if you wish (I had run out of onions, so didnt add). If using a curry (like me), toss the beet curry in 1 TBSP oil before using and mashing up.
2) Add the dry masala powders, turmeric, salt (if you are using a leftover curry for the patties base, do tread carefully on the salt). Add chillies and mix well. Add 1 TBSP of cornmeal to give this a nice texture and also absorb the extra water if any.
3) Make into equal roundels and flatten lightly into patties. Roll them in the corn meal. 
4) Heat a tava / skillet to medium heat. Place the beet patties in the skillet and spray cooking oil (very minimally) and let the patties slightly brown on both sides.
5) Meanwhile halve the burger buns horizontally and spread the chutneys  liberally.
6) Once the patties are done to a nice golden brown, arrange them one by one within each burger. Place half of the cheese slice (opt.) and secure with a tooth pick ! Serve with tomato ketchup or just as it is !

Mini Katori Chaat ~ Snacks in a jiffy

 I am sure the Diwali preps are already done at your place, and the sweets and savouries have been made, the house spruced up as we are all set to welcome Lakshmi the Goddess of wealth, into our homes this week :-) And there would be guests - both announced and unannounced - who would drop in from time to time, especially in the festive season. The following 7 days would feature a series of snacks that can be made in a jiffy (well, not instant, but quick) that you can put together with most ingredients that are at home. This is part of Blogging Marathon # 9 , week 2 for October 2011, and am sure you would enjoy this series as much as I love to present it to you. Before we go further, would take this opportunity to wish all my readers and their families a very happy and Safe Diwali ! Wishing you every prosperity and good health this festive season :-) 


Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#9


Today's snack - Mini Katori Chaat - can be put together in less than 20 mins (including 10 minutes of cook time). You can use these to surprise your guests as well as for kids' birthday parties / potluck for any parties. you can use any chutney of ur choice, and I used homemade mint-coriander chutney (jain style) along with date chutney and we enjoyed the taste a lot. Also, I have used baked canapes here - feel free to use any base of your choice. This topping is so versatile, you can also use it as a topping for mini pizzas ;-) 


Do check out other Chaat / Street food options here.


Prep time : 15 mins. Cooking time : 10 mins. Makes : 25 single serve chaat cups.
Ingredients:

• Canapes / Katori - 25  nos.
• Homemade Green (Mint - Coriander) chutney - 2 TBSP
• Onion - chopped - 1 no
• Date Chutney - 1 TBSP
• Tomatoes - 1 no - finely chopped
• Salt - to taste
• Chaat Masala - 1 tsp
• Black pepper powder - a dash
• Amchur powder - 1 tsp
• Boiled and grated potato - 1 no.
• Boiled corn - 1/4 cup              

• Coriander and mint leaves - for garnish
• Sev (Ompudi) - for garnish (opt.)

Method:
1) Boil, peel and grate potatoes. Blanch corn in salted water for 10 mins. 
2) Meanwhile, chop onions and tomatoes finely.
3) Just before serving : mix onions, tomatoes, boiled corn, grated and mashed potatoes, salt, amchur, chaat masala, pepper powder well.
3) In baked canape, line with the mint and date chutneys. add a tsp of the above mixture. Top again with a dot of green / date chutney. Sprinkle coriander / mint leaves and sev (ompodi) if using and serve immediately.