Tangy Potato Nests

Busy weekday calls for simple dinners at my home. So i keep my dinners light and easy to cook types. So did this make you think that the dinners in my house are boring??? No way!! That can never be the case coz my husband and i crave to eat something good once we are back home from work, to assuage our office traumas! :P :P 

So even though the dinner is simple and easy, there has to be variety when it comes to taste. Hubby dear is extremely difficult to please when it comes to food. For past two days he had been telling me to prepare some chaat at home and i kept declining the offer thinking, it requires so much of preparation. Just when i was thinking over his chaat proposal and looking for something less extensive and elaborated for a weekday, i was struck with this recipe of potato nests. Trust me, initially it was just a random thought and further contemplation made me draft the complete recipe. 

Yesterday, i decided to surprise my darling hubby with a stylish new twist to the traditional chaat. Oh yes! I am the innovation queen and for me its a big NO NO to follow a recipe as it is. A twist is my signature style to any dish. So before hubby was back home, i began with the preparation. Easy peasy steps and easily available ingredients made my tasks a cakewalk!

20 minutes of kitchen work and all was set and served :) My Mr.Tripathi entered the home sniffing around, enjoying the aromas and looked happy conjecturing that wifey had made something special for him. He knows me too well! Mr. Husband was right! His eyes gleamed at the site of the pretty little nests that were waiting to get devoured. First bite and his eyes said it all. He looked spell bound and later confessed that he overate BIG TIME!! :) No wonder, he always blames me for his cute little bloated tummy :P Nevertheless, for me that growing belly is a sign of happiness and contentment!

So here's how you make a contemporary chaat or a tangy starter!

Ingredients:-

For the Dough

1 cup flour (Maida)

2 tsp carrom seeds (Ajwain)

2 tbsp Oil

1 tbsp Dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri Methi)

Warm water for kneading 

Salt as per taste

For the Potato Stuffing

4 big boiled potatoes (broken into small pieces by hand. Do not use knife here as the potatoes should have a rough broken look. You may choose to use a knife if needed)

2 tsp red chilli flakes (Kuti lal mirch)

2 tsp nigella seeds (kilonji)

1 tbsp roasted coriander seeds (sabut dhaniya)

3 tsp Fennel seeds (saunf)

3 small green chillies (finely chopped)

sprig of coriander leaves

4-5 tbsp chaat masala

1/2 tsp asafoetida (hing)

2 tbsp Oil for tempering 

Salt as per taste

Green Chutney

 
1 cup Coriander leaves
2 or 3 (If you like it to be spicier, you may add more) Green chillies
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1 small peeled onion
Salt to taste
Juice of 2 lemon (or adjust as per your taste)

Sonth (Tamarind Chutney)

 
2 cup tamarind pulp (soak dried tamarind overnight in water and then mash it next day and pass the fluid through a seive to get the pulp)
2 tbsp roasted cumin seeds powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 cup sugar or as required - adjust as per your taste
rock salt or black salt as required
1/4 cup kishmish
Handful of ginger cut into julienne

Steps to follow:-

For the Dough

Combine all the ingredients and knead it to a stiff dough. Once done, let it rest for 15-20 mins while you prepare the stuffing.

For the Potato Stuffing

1. Heat oil in a pan.

2. Throw in asafoetida, green chillies and saute for 1 min

3. In a mortar and pestle, roughly pound the roasted coriander seeds and fennel seed 

NOTE: Do not make a powder. Just roughly ground them

4.  Now add nigella seeds, fennel seeds and coriander seeds and red chilli flakes.

3.  Let the spice splutter for a while and then add broken potatoes and saute them on medium-high flame.

NOTE: Since the potatoes need to be crisp and browned well, hence the medium-high flame recommended. Ensure, while the flame is high, you continuously toss the mixture else all will burn. 

6. Add salt and chaat masala 

NOTE: The mixture needs to be tangy, so you may increase or decrease the chaat masala according to the sourness required by you. 

7. Keep tossing on medium-high flame until the potatoes look crispy and well browned.

8. Once potato mixture is ready, sprinkle chopped coriander and transfer the mixture to a bowl and let it cool

Green Chutney

 
Blend all the ingredients mentioned for green chutney and squeeze in the lemon juice once all has blended well. 

Sonth or Tamarind Chutney

 
1. Place a wok on the gas stove and let it warm up.
2. Pour in the tamarind pulp in the wok and let it come to a boil.
3. Bring down the flame to medium and now add roasted cumin seeds powder, sugar, ginger julienne, red chilli powder and kishmish and salt as per taste.

NOTE: The tamarind pulp will reduce in quantity so add the spices accordingly

4. Stir continuously and would observe the mixture would start to thicken
5. When cooled, store the saunth chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container. refrigerate and serve the sonth chutney whenever required with chaat or snacks. 

Final assembling of potato nests

1. Make small balls of the dough and roll them into thin chapatis. (You don't have to cook them on a tava/griddle)

2. With the moulds open surface facing you, place the rolled chapatis onto the mould

3. Use your fingers to press the rolled chapati on the mould letting it take the shape of the utensil.

4. Press it hard and ensure there is no air passage anywhere.

5. Trim the excess dough from the rim of the moulds.

6. Prick the dough (stuck to the muffin mould) with a toothpick or fork everywhere

7. Heat oil in a wok and deep fry the nests in the oil.

NOTE: When you are deep frying, you have to add the muffin mould( which has the dough stuck to it still) into the oil. 

9. Once the top surface of the nest is cooked, flip the mould and it will automatically leave the dough and you can fish it out of the oil then.

10. Now fry the nests in the oil just like mathris with flame switching between medium and high.

11. One the nests are light brown in color, take them out of the oil and transfer to a kitchen towel.

12. Make the nests from the remaining dough following the above steps and let the nests cool for sometime before final assembly.

13. Arrange the nests on a platter and add potato mixture till the level of rim.

14. Put some green chutney and sonth on top and serve.

Butter Garlic Mushrooms

Its fun when you have many people under one roof staying together, laughing on a joke, caring for each other worries and of-course dining together. I can never think beyond food!! :P :P

Well, Trust me its one helluva time!! I have a huge family from my in laws side and its a mad house when all of us are together. Its insane. Busy work schedule seldom allows us to party with our family but whenever their is bandwidth, we squeeze in time for our crazy one! Two things which always tops the list of family discussions are jokes and food! Oh Yes, we are a bunch of foodies :)

My weekdays are quite boring in the sense nothing much exciting about weekday apart from my cooking and time spent with hubby dear! ;) Well, otherwise its just another busy day with a huge mundane to-do list. Well, yesterday was a bit different. Definitely different in all good ways. :)

Yesterday, while coming back from work, i got a call from one of my relatives, that they would be dropping by for sometime. Smile, was my first reaction! Wow..super exciting weekday..coming ahead. I love it when i have guests in my house. I wish to do all that is possible in that time frame. Spend as much time with them as i can and cook loads and loads of exciting food for them.

So while coming back, i quickly picked up some mushrooms from a local grocery store not knowing what to cook. Rushed back home and hunted for my recipe diary and flipped through the pages frantically for something exciting. I bumped into a simple yet delicious recipe of Butter Garlic Mushrooms and decided to make those for the starters along with some chilled mint mojitos. 

Put on my apron and got cracking. They were simple to make and by the time my lovely guests arrived they partially done! I was happy and contented that even though a busy weekday yet my guests left from our place with smiles on their face and a happy contented filled tummy. They were in awe of the mushrooms which were loaded with butter and garlicky flavor and the dash of thyme gave it a perfect kick! Aaahh..ummmm...yummmm..were the after effects of this amazing appetizer.

So if you are in a jiffy and yet feel the urge to quench your cravings, this is a perfect snacker or appetizer which will leave you in surprise. Its incredibly easy yet flavorsome. 

Ingredients:-

100 gms button mushrooms
1 tbsp butter (at room temperature) (Brand Used: Amul) 

4 tsp minced garlic

3 tsp crushed thyme (You could use fresh thyme if available. Here dry thyme has been used which is readily available in any grocery stores. Brand Used: Urban Flavors)

3 tbsp red chilli flakes

3 tbsp bread crumbs

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Steps to follow:-

1. Heat water in a vessel and blanch mushrooms for 2-3 mins in boiling water and then thoroughly wash the under cold running water and then strain them.
2. Pat the blanched mushrooms with dry cloth and ensure all the excess water gets absorbed.

3. Now heat oil in a frying pan and one by one deep fry the mushrooms.

NOTE: You have to very lightly brown them ensuring they are not overcooked. Just a very light brownish color on the skin and they are done!

4. Take a bowl and add butter to it.
5. Add minced garlic, crushed thyme, red chilli flakes and salt. Mix all the ingredients well.

6. Prick the fried mushrooms with a tooth pick at several places and dip it in the garlic-butter marinade

7. Now leave it for an hour so that all the spices are well absorbed in the mushrooms

8. Pre-heat the oven at 200 degree Celsius for 15 mins

9. Post an hour, sprinkle bread crumbs on the mushrooms and give a light toss.

10. Transfer the mushrooms to an aluminium tray and bake for 15 mins or until you see them turning crisp and brown

10. Once done, transfer them to a serving platter along with a cheesy dip.

Peas Croquettes

Whether it be a long winter break or the festivities during the cold months, the winter season is a great time. Its last week of October and winter is just round the corner. So soon we will be digging into our lofts and beds for warm winter wear. The cold months of the year are so much fun. Foggy mornings, days without Sun and gloomy evenings..I per say don't really enjoy winters much coz they make me a bit lazy but still i have a few reasons to look forward to them. Cladded with heavy woolens, i always wish to tuck myself inside a warm cozy blanket! Lethargy seeps into my system..totally!

One of the reasons why i look forward to Winters is the variety of flowers available all around. Oh yes! i love flowers..they make me smile...they seem to spread happiness with their vibrant colors..without a miss, i bring flowers at my home and meticulously arrange them in my vases and place them in the corners of my living room. They give me such a high! 

The second being the plethora of calorie filled food we all gorge on. I don't bother about those extra calories in my meal. Cold winters and a bowl of hot gulab jamuns..worth it! worth it! Ohhh..i cant wait to grab some now! Its just a matter of few months and i enjoy to the fullest. Winters bring along with it a wide range of vegetables and you can do soo much with it. Phew! Its insane. Stuff it and make parathas or deep fried delicacies. Love them in whichever they are made. I truly live to eat. :D After all Life is meant to be lived once and i wish to live it to the fullest. I hate to regret later for anything which i missed.

Warm sunny days and cold nights are the apt time to feast with your family. Barbecue parties are so much fun. A sunny day with mild winter breeze, aromas from the barbecue grill and gossips with friends is my perfect idea of a winter Sunday. So my today's share is a perfect starter for a winter affair!

Peas or matar (as known to Indians) is available during winters and for sure its a delightful veggies for many of us. I love it in any form, be it just a Peas Pulao in Lunch or mildly tempered peas with ginger and chilly for breakfast. They are delicious. Truly appetizing. So today, i bring forth a delectable dish made out of peas which is not only different but is loaded with flavors and trust this is a right snacks or starter for those Sunday BBQ feast or the one of those evening when you have surprise guests. Quick to make if all ingredients are handy. Even those who don't relish peas otherwise will dote on this new avatar of peas.

Ingredients:-

1 cup grean peas (I used frozen ones, you could use fresh ones as well)

½ cup soaked soya granules (soak them for 30 mins)

1 cup mashed potatoes

2 finely chopped green chillies

2 tsp grated ginger

Handful of chopped fresh coriander leaves

1 tsp cumin powder

2 tsp coriander powder (freshly roasted coriander seeds roughly ground it in mortal & pestle)

1/4 tsp black pepper powder

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/3 cup bread crumbs

3-4 tbsp flour (maida)

2 tbsp kasuri methi

3-4 tsp red chilli flakes

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Chaat Masala

Steps to follow:-

1. If using fresh peas, then blanch them with little salt and when soft drain and spread on a kitchen towel to remove all excess water.

2. If using frozen, then blanching is not needed as they are already blanched before being frozen.

3. Transfer the peas to a mixing bowl and add finely chopped green chillies, chopped coriander and grated ginger and thoroughly mash them.

4. Now drain the water from the soya granules and ensure there is no excess water.

5. Now add the soya granules to the peas mixture and mix well.

6. Add mashed potatoes and ensure everything gets together well.

7. Then add the cumin powder, salt to taste, roughly ground coriander powder, black pepper powder, garam masala, kasuri methi & red chilli flakes and mix well to incorporate everything together.

NOTE: You can alter the measurements for red chillies, green chillies, black pepper powder based on the level of spiciness required & your choice of taste. The existing measurements mentioned will give mildly spicy croquettes.

8. Then add the bread crumbs and flour (maida) and mix it well.

9. Now moisten your palm with bit of oil and make roundels.

10. Place a wok on the gas stove and add oil to it for frying.

11. One by one add the croquettes to the oil and deep fry and monitor the flame by alternating between low and medium.

12. Flip the croquettes when one side is golden and sieve them out when cooked well from both the sides.

12. Sprinkle chaat masala on these croquettes and serve hot with your favorite tomato ketchup or any dip/chutney of your choice.

Variation:-

1. Switch your oven to bake mode and preheat the for 20 mins at 170 degree celcius

2. Place a parchment paper on the cookie tray and lay the croquettes onto them and brush them with a tsp of oil on both sides.

3. Bake in two batches for 10-15 minutes, turning every time until both sides are well cooked and appear goldenish brown in color.

Corn & Spinach Canapes...a burst of flavors!

Morning rush at my house is crazy! Believe me that's the hour of the day when i am busiest and literally hopping from one area to another...Maddening it is! 

Hmm..guess by know you would have assumed that there would be kids around who create such a ruckus! ha ha ha..Trust me, there are just two of us in my home, my dearie husband and me...ofcourse! Still a havoc...is what you would be wondering now!!!??? Just lots of work, all of which i want to do by myself. I know, i know, i am bit finicky!

So, my day starts early and is followed by a few rigorous rounds of Surya Namaskar & then i a peaceful meditation which completely de-stresses me. Aahh! Keeps me sane even in times of utter commotion.

Once i am through with my exercise regime, my real work begins!..Phew! Prepare breakfast, get the lunch ready, pack the tiffins, get the house cleaned, see off my husband and finally leave for my work.

Lunch is usually simple affair for which i do some basic preparations an evening before. But i dread breakfasts coz i am never able to think differently for this meal of the day, perhaps, the hectic schedule and my panic stricken state being the reason, which doesn't let me think beyond the regular stuff. Poha, parathas, sabudana khichdi, chilla or cornflakes with a fruit bowl or sprouts are usual. Yet nothing exciting!

My husband is an avid food enthusiast yet has never complained about mundane breakfasts served to him. Was it just a guilty wife's confession or my husband never really had any concerns. Well, i am absolutely clueless till date. Nevertheless, my take is on the former, so that i constantly aim for something new. 

Little did i know that today morning was the day of a miracle. I stumbled into some frozen corns and 6-7 slices of bread. Looked around in my fridge a bit further and caught hold of a pack of cream. Strange, but i knew all had been done. I just happen to utter to myself, 'Viola!! Wonderful, i'll try some corn canapes today' ..unaware of the recipe, just concocted by me a seconds ago, i was confident enough that i would be able to conquer a delicious experiment. So just followed my gut feeling & i nailed it!

He was astounded with the pleasure & joy at the sight of my invention. Needless to say, he gorged on them and finished all in no time. What a feeling it was!! A victorious wife in me just smiled with contentment and happily saw dearie hubby off at the building elevator...

So if you feel to impress your some loved one, bang on, NOW is the time! Win all the hearts with this sumptuous creamy corny-spinachy dish.

Moral of my story: Just follow your heart and you will succeed!

Ingredients:-

5 - 6 slices of bread (preferably white bread) 

100 gms sweet corn

5 tbsp heavy cream (I used Amul one)

1 tbsp finely chopped green chillies

1/4 cup chopped Spinach

1/2 cup chopped onions

1 tbsp butter

1-1/2 tbsp chipotle sauce (available in grocery stores)

2 tsp honey
1 tsp grated ginger

Seasonings required - 

Oregano, Garlic bread herb seasoning , red chilli flakes (From the brand Urban Flavors)

black pepper and salt (as per taste)

Steps to Follow:-

1. Microwave the corns with some water in a microwave safe bowl for 3 mins (at 100% power)

2. Once they are soft & supple, and strain them, ensuring all the water is drained.

3. Transfer the corns to a microwave safe bowl and throw in the following - chopped onions, green chillies, butter, heavy cream, chipotle sauce, grated ginger, chopped spinach

4. Throw in the spices for flavor as per your taste (I added more quantity of red chilli flakes as i like it to be HOT!)

5. Thoroughly whisk the misture once or twice and microwave again for 3 mins

6. Now add honey and give whisk one more time.

7. Cut the bread slices into squares with the help of a cookie cutter.

NOTE: You could play around with the shape of the canapes. Instead of squares, you could simply remove the edges of the slice and cut into two triangles. That would work too or may be have roundels!! Just need to be creative!

7. Pre-heat the oven at 150 degree celcius for 15 mins

8. Line an aluminium tray and brush it with slight oil.

9. Place the square shaped bread on the tray and now top mixture on the bread and spread it well. 

9. Bake for 10-15 mins, till you see the crust browning.

10. Garnish each canape with some coriander 

NOTE: 

1. You have to roast/grill the roundels only on one side. Do not flip them.

2. To check the doneness of the roundels, you may touch them and see if they appear crispy and crunchy.

3. When they are ready, arrange them on a platter and serve hot! Not necessarily with a dip coz its already spicy and sweet.

Variation:-

1. Incase you do not have a oven at home

2. Heat a pan/tava/griddle on the gas stove and spread some butter and let it melt.

12. Once the pan is hot, carefully arrange the canapes on the pan (Do not overcrowd)

13. Ensure the flame is on medium else all will burn. 

14. Let the canapes toast on the pan for a sometime while you regulate the flame from low to medium as needed.

Corn is high in Vitamic C and Spinach has good amount of Iron, so this forms a sumptuous and indeed a wholesome and appetizing breakfast. You could accompany these yummy finger food with your choice of mocktail and you will be transported with pleasure!! 

Coconut Fudge Pops with Dulce De Leche Filling...Laddoos re-incarnated!

I am an insanely emotional person. I believe in care. I believe in Love & Solidarity. For me all of they form the main traits of my personality. Though these feelings are somehow fading away gradually from our society yet i can never ever let go off them. I have been brought up in a family where sentiments, morals are valued more than any of there other hostile counterparts. Most of this has been carved out from my mom's teachings and guidance. I hate to be amongst the crowd, and detest a stereotype way of living and carrying a typical perception for things! Well, its not the way i have ever lived or ever aim to follow ever in future. I am backed by profound values that guide me and i can never compromise on them. My values, my thoughts have been engrained in me since my childhood while some came across as an experiences of life.

Time change, so do people and their outlook. Agreed. But then the change is needed only if its a desirable one. Every minutes life's transforming and so the temperament of people who are around. Some for good and some for bad..not knowingly though. Yet change is inevitable. In their on way they accept it as a development for better. Life has a purpose for all. A few chase it, a few live totally unaware of it and few don't bother. The latter is the case of today's world. But i am still stuck at the former one and my hunt continues. Only when we look beyond the banality of life, do we really get close to the essence and significance of it. All of this sounds a bit bizarre but yes a few of us still live up-to it.

Accepting a change coz thats a trend and promises an attractive life (with many hidden compromises)...is not my way of living!

A Change that conforms to my principles, my ideologies and has a betterment stored for me and for those around me is welcome and appreciated.

Coconut Fudge Pops, my today's post is my dedication to the idea of change!! A change for good..guaranteed. So take some time off from the regular nariyal laddoo and for this festive season, let it be the beginning of a change, a change for good, a change for growth, a change for new learnings! These gorgeous beauties are new-aged nariyal laddoos but with a contemporary drift to match the urban & chic lifestyles.

The pops have been filled with the caramel - Dulce de leche and the outer covering has been dusted with the four types of flavorings - Pistachios, Chocolates, Rose and Saffron. Doesnt it sound DROOLSOME..yes it was indeed..What say? Isn't it a change for good without parting ways with something essential.. :)

 Ingredients:-

2 cups freshly grated coconut
1 ltr full cream milk
200 gms sugar
1 tsp cardamom (elaichi) powder
1/2 cup roasted semolina (sooji)
1 tbsp ghee

For The Filling
100 gms Dulce de Leche

For Garnish
 

Green Color effect - 50 gms Pistachios lightly pan roasted and finely blitz in a blender 
Pink Color effect - fresh rose petal, washed & dried for a day or two and then very finely chopped
Brown Color effect - 50 gms grated dark chocolate
Yellow Color effect - dessicated coconut & saffron dipped in 2 tsp of warm milk and vigorously mixed to ensure the color is deep yellow

100 gms dessicated coconut (packaged one)

Steps to follow:-

1. Heat a wok and add some ghee
2. Since its a freshly grated coconut, we need to roast is lightly till it releases its aroma.
3. Once the aroma is released, pour in the milk and add sugar and cardamom powder.

NOTE: i have kept the sugar quantity a bit on a lower side since the filling be added in the center which itself will be sweet.

4. When the mixture becomes thick, reduce the flame and cook for more minutes.
5. When the mixture becomes a bit semi-solid,add the sooji and mix well.
6. Let it cool for sometime.

Your laddoos are ready!

Now for my contemporary twist, you need to add the caramel in the center of the laddoo and then cover it up. The caramel ingredients and process are as below:-

Ingredients:-

1 Can of Condensed Milk
3 ltrs capacity pressure cooker

Steps to follow:-

1. Fill a pressure cooker with water to almost full capacity, just leaving a few inches from the rim.
2. Immerse the can into the pressure cooker and close the lid. Switch on the gas on high and then put on the weight.

3. After the first whistle, simmer the flame and let it cook for 30 minutes on low flame.
4. Switch off the gas and let it cool down to room temperature. DDL is ready!!
5. Wait for the jar to cool down. Let it cool completely and refrigerate if not using immediately.

The making of Pops

1. Take a small portion of laddo mixture onto your palm and spread it well like you flatten an atta dough ball

2. In the center add 1 tsp of DDL (Dulce de leche), covering the caramel well ensure nothing oozes out. Now make a perfect ball, pressing well each time between the two palms. Complete all the balls following the similar process.

3. Now to the pistachio powder add handful of dessicated coconut and roll the balls in this to get green colored fudge pops.

4. For pink pops, add the dessicated coconut to the dried & chopped rose petals and roll the balls in them.

5. For brown one, to the grated chocolate add some coconut and roll the balls in them.

6. In the saffron mixture, add handful of dessicated coconut and mix vigorously ensuring all the milk is absorbed and the coconut takes up a lovely yellow color. Leave it to dry.

7. Roll the remaining balls onto yellow colored coconut and there you go, yellow balls are ready.

8. While all the the laddoos are ready, take some wooden skewers and cut them into halves.

9. Since the laddos are still a bit warm, they will be pliable so pierce the skewers right in the center of the laddoos and firmly hold the laddoos so that they don't fall apart.

NOTE: This is THE most crucial step here. As laddoos need to be proper pressed against the skewers to ensure its well stuck.

10. Refrigerate in the fridge and serve when set.

The revamped look of traditional coconut laddoos is my portrayal of the modern living. So Celebrate this festive season in a new spirit with new idea of fun yet restoring the vintage philosophies.

Pineapple & Corn Chaat Verrine

Lately, my days have been super super busy. Both work & home. Work is usual but home is a bit coz of festive fervor. Guess its not just me, Diwali is round the corner and everyone in my neighborhood and in my family/friends circle seem to busy with the festive planning. 

Oh yes! Diwali, is a big big celebration in India. It’s a very prominent Indian festival which span up to four days. Family, friends and lots & lots of food is the idea of enjoyment. Trust, in today's world of  the illumination of homes with lights and the skies with firecrackers is an expression of obeisance to the heavens for the attainment of health, wealth, knowledge, peace and prosperity.

So, i was talking about my busy schedules these days! Too much of cooking-shooking happening in my kitchen. My preparations for Diwali party are on! Any family get together is a perfect time for feasting!  Honestly, my work schedules don't  permit me to call for a big feast on a weekdays and Sundays mostly get engaged in boring household queued up errands! So i compensate when there are festivals. I always look forward to hosting such fun parties. Gives me an opportunity to share my love for food with my loved ones. What can be a better idea than this!

A typical dinner gathering at my place starts with some mocktails and this time some cocktails will also be on the menu, to satiate the quench for liquor for the men population. And also, any Diwali cards party is incomplete if there are no drinks served to the gentlemen. Adds to the fun! (Not my words, but feedback from the 'so called' men) So drinks and mocktails are followed by some starters and then the finally, dinner table is laid with variety of food with 4-5 choices for the guests. Finalising the items for this time's party has been a bit tough. I have been thinking aloud for the starter menu and somehow didn't wish to go by a regular paneer or chicken servings. They would indeed top my list for dinner but appetizers NO...

Chaat, the famous Indian street food had been in my mind for quite sometime now and after enough brainstorming i settled on for some of those sweet-tangy savories. An unusual combination of ingredients was my idea of chaat for 2014 diwali bonanza! So before serving to the guests on the D day, i did some experiment yesterday with a few items handy and trust the end result was marvelous! 

Corn and pineapple perfectly blends in my invention and have rendered diverse flavors to the chaat. Tanginess from pineapple and creaminess of the corns delivered a new dimension to this much acclaimed street food!

Its a must must for this Diwali coz this dish has all the traits of a winner!

                                

Ingredients:-

For Potato Crisps

3 big potatoes 

Oil for Frying

For Corn Masala

100 gms sweet corn

few sprigs of fresh coriander

2 tsp chaat masala

Black salt for taste

1 tbsp finely chopped ginger

1/4 tsp red chilli powder
1 onion (finely chopped)
Juice of lemons (adjust it as per your taste)  

Oil 

For Pineapple & Cucumber Dip 

1 small sized cucumber (Peeled and finely cut)

3-4 slices of  pineapple (cut into small sizes)

1-1/2 cups curd (not watery at all)

2 finely chopped green chillies

finely chopped coriander leaves

2 tsp sugar

Black salt for taste

2 tsp of roasted cumin powder

6-7 fresh mint leaves (crushed in mortar & pestle)

Green Chutney
1 cup Coriander leaves
1/2 cup Mint leaves
2 or 3 (If you like it to be spicier, you may add more) Green chillies
1/2 tsp Cumin seeds
Salt to taste
Juice of 1 lemon

Sonth (Tamarind Chutney)

2 cup tamarind pulp (soak dried tamarind overnight in water and then mash it next day and pass the fluid through a seive to get the pulp)
2 tbsp roasted cumin seeds powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 cup sugar or as required - adjust as per your taste
rock salt or black salt as required
1/4 cup kishmish
Handful of ginger cut into julienne

For Garnish

Pomegranate seeds

Coriander leaves

Pineapple wedge for decoration

Steps to follow:-

 For Potato Crisps

 1. Peel the potatoes and cut them lengthwise into thin rectangular stripes 

2. Rinse the potato juliennes under run water very vigorously.

3. Soak them in cold water for sometime.

4. In the mean time, heat oil in a wok.

5. While the oil is getting hot, drain the potatoes and remove the excessive moisture by patting them well with a dry kitchen towel.

6. Now simmer the flame and add the potatoes in batches.

7. Keep the flame on medium now and constantly monitor the potatoes.

8. Once they appear crisp and light brown in color, with the help of a slotted spoon, seive them out of the oil and put on a napkin.

For Corn Masala

1. Place a griddle pan on a medium-high heat and add 1 tbsp oil.
2. Once hot, carefully add the ginger and saute well.
3. Now add some finely chopped onions.

NOTE: You do not have to roast ginger and onion.Just saute till the point they smell aromatic.

4. Now add corn to the mix
5. Add chaat masala, black salt, red chill powder and toss well.
6. Lid the griddle for 2-3 minutes allowing the flavors to completely seep into corn kernels.
7. Unlid after 3 minutes and squeeze in lemon juice and stir thoroughly and add chopped coriander
8. Transfer to a bowl and allow it to cool.

For Pineapple & Cucumber Dip

1. Whisk curd in a bowl ensuring its smooth and has no lumps

2. Add chopped cucumber, chopped pineapple, green chillies, black salt, sugar, roasted cumin powder, and chopped coriander leaves.

3. Now add freshly crushed mint leaves and whisk thoroughly.
4. If you feel the dip is too thick add milk. But ensure it does not have thin consistency

4. Refrigerate for sometime.

  

Green Chutney

Blend all the ingredients mentioned for green chutney and squeeze in the lemon juice once all has blended well.

Sonth or Tamarind Chutney

1. Place a wok on the gas stove and let it warm up.

2. Pour in the tamarind pulp in the wok and let it come to a boil.

3. Bring down the flame to medium and now add roasted cumin seeds powder, sugar, ginger julienne, red chilli powder and kishmish and salt as per taste.

NOTE: The tamarind pulp will reduce in quantity so add the spices accordingly
 
4. Stir continuously and would observe the mixture would start to thicken
5. When cooled, store the saunth chutney in an air-tight dry jar or container. refrigerate and serve the sonth chutney whenever required with chaat or snacks.
 

Final assembling of the chaat

1. Grab a glass (small in height wold be the best, a V shaped glass or a martini glass would work wonders)

2. Place the fried potato crisps at the bottom of the glass covering 1/3 of the space.

3. To the next layer add the corn masala covering 1 inch of length.

4. Now spoon in a big dollops of cucumber pineapple dip and spread properly till the circumference covering the remaining space.

NOTE: Just ensure that you do not over load till the rim else while eating. Leave a few cm below the rim to allow you to mix while eating else it would create a mess when you dig into it.

5. To this concoction, add the the green chutney, sonth and sprinkle some pomegranate seeds.

6. Place a coriander leaf at the center and arrange a triangular shaped pineapple wedge on the rim of the glass.

Serve it immediately coz else it will become soggy. 

This tangy-creamy beauty is filled with the crunch & the munch in every bite. The taste will leave you tongue tickling and will make you go bonkerzzz!