mangode ( green split lentil fritters )

Mangode are very popular snack in Northern parts of India ,its made up of green split lentils and yellow grams,they are very crisp and lip-smacking fritters .Perfect with tea/coffee ,can warm you up easily in this foggy freezing weather.My family really loved this crispies in this comforting cold month.These fritters are kinda simple to make with our regular ingredients and are very inviting .One of my friends made these during our gals potluck ,she spiced up our gathering with these yummy and irresistible munchies as a starter .Thanx a bunch to my friend Poonam for this lovely recipe,i made this quite a few times now but i am posting it late as i didnt had good pic of it,we always pounce upon the mangode as soon as i fry them and hence till now didnt had enough chance to plate it up !

ingredients :
1 cup green split lentils ( hare chilke wali moong dal )
2 tbsp yellow grams (chana dal)
1 tbsp corriander seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds
2 tbsp finely chopped onions
2 tsps grated ginger
2-3 finely chopped green chillies ( add acc to your taste )
1 -2 tsps  red chilli pwd ( adjust acc to your taste )
salt to taste
handful of corriander leaves finely chopped
oil for deep frying
method :
Wash and soak the green split lentils and yellow gram together for 3-4 hrs .Strain the water and grind both the lentils together to a coarse form in to a grinder,if required add couple of spoons of water,the less water used the more crisp will be the fritters so try using less water.Add rest of the ingredients except oil and mix well.Heat oil in deep pan ,take a spoonful  of mixture and slide into the hot oil and fry on medium flame till dark in colour and crisp .Serve hot with ketchup .

chatpata chana and summer chickpea and feta salad

CHATPATA CHANA (CHICKPEA) :

Chatpata chana /chickpea ,is the best tea-time snack to munch,very spicy and crunchy ,i had bookmarked this long back at divya's dilse place but tried them yesterday only,its kinda easy dish and i was inspired by her to bake these chanas instead of deep frying them ,it was healthy and guilt free and low calorie dish,the taste was just Mmmmm...Mmmmmm, kurkure and chatpata.

ingredients :

1 cup chickpeas/kabuli chana

2 tsps olive oil (optional,or u can  use any oil )

1 tsp corriander pwd

2-3 tsp red chilli pwd ( adjust acc )

1 tsp garam masala-optional

1 tsp cumin pwd

salt to taste

lemon juice to taste

method :

Soak chickpeas overnight,strain all the water.Preheat oven at 425 F . Mix red chilli pwd,salt,cumin pwd,corriander pwd,garam masala  salt and oil (if using ) together and mix soaked chickpeas in this masala mixture,squeeze some lemon juice and mix well,spread chickpeas in baking tray and bake for 30-40 mins or till  crispy and crunchy.(pls keep an eye as the time may vary or else u may get burnt chanas ),let it cool down and store it in air tight containers for a week.

SUMMER CHICKPEA AND FETA SALAD :

I have adapted this recipe from Jamie oliver,the famous british chef  and offlate im just felling in luv with him and his creations :P,it was couple of months back when i was following australia's master chef ,i came to know about jamie oliver and since then i became his huge fan,i simply luv his vegeterain recipes and this one is my favourite salad from his website,i also have read his book "happy days with the naked chef ,Jamie oliver " and will sometime surely make those bookmarked vegeterian recipes.The original recipe you can find here.Even my daughter loved this salad very much and i was quite surprised ,she liked the combo of feta and chicpeas very much,it was quite flavourful and fresh.Just keep in mind to add salt only if required as feta cheese is very salty and even i had salt while boiling chickpeas.

serves 2 ppl

ingredients :

1 cup chickpeas/kabuli chana

2tbsp finely chopped tomato 

2tbsp finely chopped red onion

1/2 dry red chilli ,chopped finely

1 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves and basil each

2 tbsp roughly crumbled feta cheese by hands

1-2 tsp olive oil ,optional (i didnt add any oil )

salt to taste

black pepper pwd to taste

lemon juice to taste

method :

Soak kabuli chana overnight ,pressure cook with little salt till tender,drain the water and keep aside.Mix tomatoes,onions,red chiili,olive oil (if using ),salt,black pepper pwd,lemon juice,mint and basil all togther .Add this dressing in bolied chickpeas and mix well.When serving add the crumbled feta cheese and serve immediately.

Sending both the recipes to the following events :-

1. nithu bala for hosting this mth's  cwf -lb : chickpeas event started by kiran.

2.priya mitharwal for hosting this mth's "only" series low oil/low cal event by pari.

masala puri

These small hot puris are quite tempting and perfect snack with evening tea/coffee during winters specially,as many of may not know about the weather here in australia unlike other countries ,the autumn has already surpassed summer season and soon winter will be taking over ,and now a days autumn is also very chilled with 9-16 c everyday and therefore we are craving for some hot and spicy foods ,these puris are quite common but still i wanted to post as this time i added some crushed garlic and the flavour was awesomely yummy.This goes really well with tea/coffee but i like it with chundas/murrabas too and also we can make and keep for a couple of days and can be taken along during your long train /flight journeys.I remember my mom making these puris with rice kheer ,the combo is very tasty ,you can make circular/regular round puri shapes too but i found this shape very different and attractive..wat say guys ??

ingredients :

1 cup wheat flour/aatta ( regular chapati dough )

1/4th cup besan/gram flour

2 tsp red chilli pwd ( adjust accordingly if using green chillies reduce the quantity )

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

2 tsp green chilli -garlic paste ( optional )

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

handfull of finely chopped corriander leaves

1.2 tsp asafoetida pwd

salt to taste

1 tbsp hot oil + 1 tbsp oil

oil for deep frying

method :

Combine all the ingredients and knead into a firm dough with little water. Knead well and divide into equal portions. Roll out each portion into rounds . Cut the rounds into quarters .Deep fry in oil till both sides are light golden brown.Serve hot with tea/coffee or with pickes and sweet murrabbas/chundas.

shakarpare using rasgulla sugar syrup

Shakarpara is yet another favourite and common snack amongst all, we usually make this during diwali festival which can be stored for end number of days.I have the original recipe of shakarpare already in my archieve but i had to use my rasgulla sugar syrup and so i invented this easy method ,i remember whenever we use to buy rasagullas in india,we use to squeeze them completely and then consume,so all the leftover syrup i would give it to my maid and she use to happily take it away,but here i dont have any maids and on top of it i didnt wanted to waste so i thought of using it this way,this one is more or less the same except that instead of making sugar syrup i used directly the sugary syrup which i had in my hands.The quantity here is too much,i purposely made as we all love it with our tea/coffee and nothing like home made snacks,you can reduce half the quantity and try.This recipe is my last and final entry for the event " leftover delicacies "

ingredients :
1 cup rasgulla sugar syrup
3/4 cup ghee
21/2-3 cups plain flour / maida  (approx 500 gms )
method :
Heat sugar syrup and ghee together in a pan,let it come to boil,take off the flame and let it cool down for sometime ,but it should still be little warm .Mix in the flour and make a tight dough.Roll out the dough into half cm thickness,cut into diamond or square shape and deep fry on medium flame till brown in colour,let it cool down and store in airtight containers,serve with tea or coffee.

khakra

Khakras are one of the most common and favourite gujarati snacks  i ever had since my childhood.Its quite healthy and handy too,usually all kids and adults love the crunchy,munchy,crispy taste of it,its very tempting also.Generally khakras are made up of wheat flour adding lots of different varieties like masalas/spices (chiili pwd ,garam masala ),methi leaves,spinach paste ,pudina leaves etc but here i have just added carom seeds , very plain wheat flour khakra without using even a drop of oil ( totally fatfree ) as i had only 1 ball of dough left and wanted to finish that portion of dough,so i rolled them into carrom seeds and divided into 2 small portions and made 2 khakras out of it which we three finished after our meals in seconds just like we eat papads :),i had seen my mom doing this when we were small ,if 1 or 2 portions of the dough was remaining she use to make khakras and distribute among us, still we siblings use to fight over it,we all wanted to have some more of it.This leftover one ball of my chapati dough which turned into khakra flies to the event " leftover delicacies " hosted by dear Daisy. 

ingredients :
2 cups wheat flour  /atta/regular chapati flour
2 tsps carom seeds
1/2 cup kasthuri methi /spinach paste/finely chopped pudina leaves ( optional,can add for the flavour ,though i didnt use here )
1 tsp chiili pwd ( optional )
salt to taste
oil ( optional )

method :
Mix flour,salt,chilli pwd,kasthuri methi,carrom seeds together,add enough water and make the dough.Divide the dough into small equal balls ( half of your regular size chapati ball )roll the balls  very thin almost transparent chapatis using dry wheat flour very carefully so that it doesnt tear ,heat the tava/griddle,slap the chapati on it and roast both the sides till half done,then apply very little oil ( i usually dont put oil )on both the sides,flip over and with the help of clean kitchen towel press the chapati in circular motion moving on the tava on a low flame till it is evenly browned,this is very important step so that the chapati doesnt puff up and it will get more crisp and stiff,then turn over and roast the same way till it becomes crisp and brown.Let it cool down for few mins ,repeat the same process for all the portions of the dough and then you can stack it up and store in air tight containers.Khakras are usually eaten with pickles/ground peanut dry chutney/phutane chutney ,also i luv to apply little ghee/oil all over the khakra sprinkling little salt and red chilli powder and having with hot coffee/tea.

spicy biscuits

Biscuits are very addictives .The word  itself asks for the term baking.Biscuits cannot be made without baking them and what a wonderful idea to post one of these recipes for the "bake-off " event hosted and started by champa of versatilekitchen.blogspot.com.I am really not good at baking and have tried only few things till now but not biscuits till date and was really inspired by many of the bloggers who have great passion towards baking and when i landed on champas bake-off event page i thought why shouldnt i try my hand on baking,if it turns well will post the recipe and if not then will not post but still try hard to be perfect.So immediately i started hunting for some easy and palatable baked recipe so even if it dosent turn out good i wont regret much :P ,and there i suddenly remembered one of my friend in melbourne .Once i had been to her place and she gave me some spicy namkeen biscuits to eat which were quite different ,she made by herself and said that they were quite famous in bangalore bakeries .They were tasting just too good so i asked her to pass on the recipe,i must say ever since i met this young lady i get more enthusiasm for trying new dishes,whenever i go to her place i always land up eating something different at her place and immediately will ask for her recipes and will try them,i am a big fan of her cooking and have posted few of her recipes adding my own little variation in them.So these spicy biscuits recipe had been taken from my friend though i have made some variations in it.This is my first ever entry for some event ever since i started blogging so im equally excited ,here the recipe goes to the "Bake-Off" event hosted by champa..

ingredients :

1cup plain flour ( maida )

21/2 tbsp heaped soft butter

3/4 tsp baking powder

1 tsp sugar

1 tsp kasoori methi ( slightly crushed with ur fingers )

2 tbsp yogurt

2-3 finely chopped green chillies ( adjust according to your taste )

1 tsp grated ginger

2-3 curry leaves broken into small pieces

salt to taste

method :

Preheat the oven to 200 c.In a mixing bowl add all the above ingredients together and mix well and form a soft dough.Roll out dough onto a lightly floured surface and roll out to 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with small biscuit cutter/cookie cutter or any sharp edged lid to the desired size.Place biscuits about 1 inch apart on a greased baking sheet. Gather the trimmings and repeat forming and cutting.Prick all over the biscuits with fork so it doesnt get puffed up.Bake for 10-15 min or until it gets brown in colour.Please keep checking and if required can flip over and bake till it browns all over ( i didnt had to do that though ).Allow it to stand for few minutes or let it cool down completely and then it can be stored in air tight jars/containers for days.

note : the actual recipie calls for dry chopped pudina ,or cumin seeds or any italian herb as a variation though today when i started making i dint had any of those ingrediant and so i thought of using kasoori methi which is in dry form and also have a great aroma and flavour and is mine personal favourite,the biscuits still turned out super kewl which was already half finished with our evening tea and coffee :).you can also double the quantity and store for days and can have as and when required.

mangalorian chakli (muruku)

My friends parents were here in melbourne for few days and they had made this chakli which my friend happened to meet me and she brought few for me and they were so tempting that i finished immediately after she left ,soon i mailed her asking for the recipie and as soon as i got her recipie written mail i tried making this chakli which is having a mangalorian taste and is outstanding,thanks to my friend and her mom too for sharing such a fantastic chakli recipie.

ingredients :
1cup urad daal
4 cups rice flour
21/2 cup water
1tsp red chilli pwd
2 tsps sesame seeds
3-4 tsps ghee/butter
1tsp cumin seeds
1cup grated coconut
salt
method :
Dry roast  urad dal till it is light brown/red. Dont add oil. Now pressure cook this adding 2-1/2 C water and not more than that. Once done, cool and grind it along with  grated coconut to a smooth paste. To this add  rice flour, salt, sesame (til) seeds, red chilli pwd, cumin, butter/ghee . Mix all well. It should be like chapathi dough,if required add enough water. Knead it well. And press them through chakli moulds and deep fry.store in air tight jars & njoy with hot tea/coffee.

shakarpare

It was my first diwali without my family in australia and was really depressed as didnt know some good diwali snacks to make and suddenly one of my freinds over here encouraged me and helped me in making few of the yummeist and easiest snacks,this shakarpare is one of them,thanx to her..Here the quantity given is half but i made double of it and it was a large amount which i had stored and kept for nearly 15-20 days and also distributed some amongst my friends ;),they all liked it very much,it was basically a very good attempt.

ingredients :
250gms plain flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/2cup ghee
1/2cup water
oil for deep frying
method :
boil sugar,water and ghee together till the sugar dissolves completely.take the flour in mixing bowl and add this sugar syrup still its little warm.make a tight dough.take an orange size ball and roll a big chapati sized circle about 1/2 cm thick and cut into diamond shape or square shape.deep fry in medium flame till brown in colour.let it cool and store in air tight jars.

chakli ( muruku)

ingredients :
2cups rice flour
1 cup gram flour ( besan )
1cup butter
2tsps sesame seeds
1tsp cumin seeds
1tsp asafoetida pwd
salt
2tsp red chilli pwd
luke warm water
1tsp carom seeds
oil for deep frying
method :
heat butter till it melts.mix all the other ingredients together ,add hot melted butter into it and adding luke warm water  make a soft dough.put some dough in chakli mould and make chaklis out of it and deep fry till brown in colour.cool and store in air tight jars and eat as you like.