Tofu/Chicken Lettuce Wraps

'Lettuce Wraps' is one of my favorite things to order at PF Changs. Now that I have recreated this dish at home, I don't see a point in going to that restaurant any more. I guess it a good and a bad thing to recreate an iconic restaurant dish?

I have made the same recipe with both Chicken and Tofu and both versions are delicious. 

The secret ingredient are the Water Chestnuts. These add a lovely flavor and crunch to the dish and the Peanut Sauce is a must to amp-up the flavor profile.

Butter Lettuce is preferred here, since it is naturally shaped like a cup and makes for a pretty presentation. However, any kind of a lettuce can be used here. Romain, Butter Leaf or the Iceberg Lettuce. Iceberg is a little tricky to separate into cups, but it's doable. 

I have even made these with Cabbage leaves on days when I ran out of Lettuce at home. Since cabbage is a little fibrous and hard to eat when it's raw, it's a good idea to lightly steam or blanche it to make it soft and pliable.

Ingredients:
Lettuce (Butter leaf/Iceberg/Romaine)  - 1 head

Ground Chicken or Crumbled Firm Tofu - 1 lb
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Water Chestnuts - 1/2 Cup
Roasted chopped Peanuts - A small handful
Onion - 1 Small
Garlic cloves - 3 to 4
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Hoisin Sauce - 1/4 Cup
Garic Chili Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Rice Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Sugar - 1 Tsp
Black Pepper - 1 Tsp
Salt (only if needed after checking for seasoning)
Green Onions - 1 Stalk

Peanut Sauce:
Peanut Butter - 2 Tbsp
Black Pepper - 2 Tsp
Red Chili Flakes - 1 pinch
Soy Sauce - 2 Tsp
Rice Vinegar - 2 Tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Hot Water - a little to dilute the Peanut Butter
Honey - 1 Tsp
Whisk all the ingredients for the Peanut Sauce and pour into a serving bowl. Set Aside.

Finely chop the onion and garlic and water chestnuts.
In a wide bottom pan, heat the oil, add the onions and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add the ground chicken or the Tofu and Sautee till cooked through.
Add the Water Chestnuts and the Peanuts. Mix in all the sauces and the dry powders from Soy Sauce to the Black Pepper. Mix well and cook till it starts to get crispy at the bottom.
Top with Chopped Green Onions.



Split the lettuce into the shape of cups and serve with the hot Chicken/Tofu mixture with the Peanut Sauce.

It's best to make the wraps as and when you eat. Take 2 Tbsp of the mix onto the lettuce, drizzle with the Peanut Sauce and enjoy!

Easy Mini Pecan Pies

I had some leftover pie crust from the holidays and I wanted to make something new and interesting. I have made the whole pecan pie in the past and I have a fool proof simple recipe that I have reused here. 

Corn Syrup is a common ingredient for Pecan Pie. This gives it the sticky and gooey texture, but I really didn't want to use this. It's debatable that Processed Sugar is just as bad as Corn Syrup, but I would pick a known devil over the unknown.

I made these for a dinner party at a friend's place and I cut the pie crust into rounds and baked them in a Muffin Pan. They turned out really yummy and this recipe is a keeper.

Ingredients:
Pie Crust - I used Pillsbury
Pecans - 1 Cup
Flour - 2 Tbsp
Sugar - 1 1/4 Cups (White + Brown Mixed)
Butter - 1/2 Cup
Eggs - 2
Milk - 2 Tbsp
Vanilla Extract - 1/2 Tsp

Unroll the pie crust and use a bottle cap or any round cookie cutter/tin etc to make 8 small pie crusts. Gather the left over and keep rolling it back to not waste any dough.

Beat the eggs and add melted butter, vanilla extract and milk and mix. Mix all the dry ingredients separately and add to the wet ingredients and mix. Add the pecans and mix again.

Pre-heat oven to 400F. Place the crust in the muffin tin moulds and pour the filling 3/4 of the way. Bake for 10 minutes, reduce to 350F and bake again until set. about 20 more minutes.

Remove and serve with Whipped Cream.

Corn and Oozy Cheesy Rolls

Ingredients:
Crescent Roll Tin - 1
Grated Cheese - 1 Cup
Marinara Sauce - 1 Cup
Butter - 2 Tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 3
Dried Herbs - 1 Tsp
Red Pepper Flakes - 1 Tsp

Open the tin and spread the 8 triangles onto a flat surface. Add 1 tbsp marinara sauce and 1/5 tbsp cheese onto each triangle. Rolls into a circle and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Melt the butter and add the herbs, chili flakes and crushed garlic. Brush on top of the rolls.

Pre-heat oven to 375 and bake for 1o to 12 min until golden on top.

Serve hot as a side.

Asian Baked Spicy Wings and Potatoes

I am drooling here, just thinking about the flavor of these wings. They were delicious and this is a great Asian sauce for the coating. Its Sticky, Sweet and Spicy and Finger Licking Gooooood.

I always have a standard set of Asian Condiments in my kitchen and you can made a million dishes with variations of these ingredients. Ok not a million, but a lot of them.

Ingredients:
Marinade:
Dark Soy Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Rice Vinegar - 1 Tbsp
Hoisin Sauce - 2 Tbsp
Chili Garlic Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Honey - 1 Tbsp
Salt and Pepper - a pinch each
Sriracha Sauce - 1 Tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 1 Tsp

Salt and Pepper to Season the Chicken
Corn Starch -  2 Tbsp
Chicken Wings - 1lb
Potatoes - 2

Wash and clean the chicken Wings and Cut the Potatoes into Wedges.

Season the Chicken with the Corn Starch, very little Salt and Pepper.

Season the Potatoes with very little Salt and Red Chili powder.

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade. 

Pre-heat over to 425F. In a baking pan, line with foil and place the potatoes on the foil.
If you have a grilling rack, place this on the pan and place the chicken wings and place in the oven. If you don't have the rack, you can place these in the pan next to the potatoes.

The rack is the best for chicken, since the juices from the chicken would drip on the potatoes and make them really yummy.

Bake for 10 min, remove the chicken and brush with the marinade. Move the potatoes around.
Place back into the oven and bake for 5 more min.. Brush again, turn and bake on the other side for 5 more min. Remove and top with some sesame seeds and green onions.

Serve with Ranch Sauce and some Carrots and Celery.

Baked Bhakarwadi

I am always looking for substitutes to frying stuff. As evident from my blog, I bake a lot and I it's really hard to substitute frying with baking when it comes to Indian snacks that can be stored for longer. I tried baking chaklis and they are ok but they are nowhere close to the fried ones. 

The bhakawadi however, turned out amazing!. The combination of the filling and the thin outer layer of dough really held up for a few days and continued to remain crispy too.

Ingredients:
Besan/Chickpea Flour - 1 Cup
All Purpose Flour/Maida - 1 Cup
Salt - To Taste
Baking Soda - 1 big pinch
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tsp
Ajwain/Carom Seeds - 1 Tsp
Oil - 2 Tbsp

Stuffing:
Poppy Seeds - 4 Tbsp
Sesame Seeds - 2 Tbsp
Dry Coconut - 1/4 Cup
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chilis - 4
Cilantro - a small bunch
Red Chili Powder - 1 Tbsp
Salt - To Taste
Asafetida -A small pinch
Coriander Cumin Porder - 1 Tbsp

Tamarind Paste.

Mix the ingredients for the dough with some water into a soft dough.
Grind the ingredients from Poppy Seeds to Cilantro and then mix the rest in.
Break the dough into 2 and roll into a thin circle. Brush with tamarind paste and sprinkle half the filling and spread thin. Repeat with the other half.
Roll each circle starting from one end into a tight cylinder. Cut into 1 inch pieces and slightly press each piece to ensure the filling does not fall out.

Pre-heat the over to 375. Place the Bhakarwadi onto a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until the Bhakarwadis turn golden and are baked through.

Remove, cool and store.

Mediterranean Platter

Here's an elegant and clean meal that is satisfying, filled with protein and delicious. It's perfectly satisfying for the Vegetarians as well as the meat lovers.

It has most of our favorite Mediterranean dishes and dips including:

Hummus

Tzatziki Sauce

Tahini

Falafel Balls

Chicken Kebobs

Fresh Vegetables

Toasted Piza Bread

The recipe for the Kebobs can be found in my previous post. 

These are the fresh vegetables that work best with this recipe:

Cucumbers

Tomatoes

Onions

Lime

Cilantro

Jalapenos

Lettuce

Chop all the veggies, prepare the dips and make the Falafels and the Chicken Kebobs. 

Either of the Kebobs or the Falafels will perfectly work to make this a complete meal, but I was making this for friends, so I ended up making both.

 

Recipe For Sauces:
I added the recipe for the Dips in my previous post as well.

Falafel Balls:
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans - 1 Cup dry
Onion - 1 small or half big
Jalapeno/Green Chili - 1
Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Parsley/Cilantro - A small bunch
Salt - To taste
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Soak the Chickpeas overnight. All all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse ground.
Make golf ball sized balls and either fry or bake them.
I love to use the paniyaram pan to make these, since they come out really crispy, just like the fried ones.

Serve with Fresh Vegetables, Toasted Pita and the Sauces.

Cauliflower Wings - 3 Ways

We love chicken wings and I love to make them at home. But I also wanted to try an alternative to chicken wings that was vegetarian. Cauliflower is a perfect substitute and people who hate cauliflower must have never tasted the amazing Cauliflower 65 or the delicious Indo-Chinese dishes such as Cauliflower Manchurian or Chili Gobi. 

Since the Cauliflower is not as meaty, the best thing to do is coat it in a thin batter to bring that firm texture to the vegetable.

I used 3 different Sauces:

Buffalo Sauce

BBQ Sauce

Asian Sweet and Spicy Chili Sauce

You can fry the Cauliflower or bake them. I baked them, since I am not big on frying stuff. Left to me, I would bake every single thing. I think it's obvious looking at the number of baked recipes on my blog.

Ingredients:

Cauliflower - 2 small

Batter:

All Purpose Flower - 1/4 Cup

Corn Flour - 1/4 Cup

Rice Flower - 1/2 Cup

Salt - To Taste

Pepper Powder - 1 tsp

Mix all the ingredients for the batter with water. It shouldn't be too thin. Wash and cut the Cauliflower into florets. Heat the over to 400F and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.

Dip the florets into the batter and place on a single layer on the baking sheet.

Bake for about 15 to 20 min until slightly firm and crisp.

Meanwhile, have 3 bowls for the sauces. Remove the florets from the oven, dip into the sauce until well coated and place them back onto the baking sheet. Place it back in the oven and bake for an additional 10 min or so, until the wings are cooked through and the sauces are well coated and start to dry up.

Remove and serve with a ranch dip.

Sauces:

BBQ Sauce: 

Phil's BBQ Sauce

I used store bought BBQ sauce. Phil's Devil's spit. Fair warning, this is an extremely spicy BBQ sauce, but they have milder varieties as well.

Buffalo Sauce:

Frank's Red Hot

I used 4 tbsp of Frank's Red hot, mixed with 1 tbsp melted butter.

Asian Sauce:

Hoisin Sauce - 2 tbsp

Chili Garlic Sauce - 1 tbsp

Honey - 1 tbsp

Soy Sauce - 1 tsp

Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp

Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Mix all the ingredients, taste and adjust seasoning.

Falafel patties with Chickpeas and Black beans

This is a good protein dish for vegetarians and it tastes great as an appetizer or a light meal with a side of a salad.

Ingredients:
Chickpeas/Garbanzo Beans - 1/2 Cup dry
Black beans: 1/2 Cup dry
Onion - 1 small or half big
Jalapeno/Green Chili - 1
Red pepper flakes - 1 tsp
Garlic - 2 to 3 cloves
Parsley/Cilantro - A small bunch
Salt - To taste
Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp
Cumin Powder - 2 tsp

Soak the Chickpeas and Black beans overnight. Alternatively, use canned beans. Drain and wash before use.
All all the ingredients into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is coarse ground. Mix all the ingredients until well incorporated.
Make patties and bake them or pan fry using very little oil.

Serve with salad or in a pita with Tzatziki and Hummus.

Onion Pakoras

A very basic recipe for some fried Pakoras. I gravitate to baking these but an occasionally it's good to have the original fried version too.

Ingredients:
Onions - 2 big
Green Chilis - 2
Peanuts - a Handful
cilantro - a handful
Ginger Garlic paste - 1 tsp
Red Chili - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Gram Flour/Besan - 1/2 cup

Oil to Deep Fry
Slice the Onion into long thin strips and chop the chilis and cilantro. Mix all the ingredients except Gram Flour. The onions will start releasing some water. Add the Gram Flour little by little. There should be barely enough to coat and the onions should be the star. There should not be clumps of Flour. This will ensure that the Pakoras are crispy and not soggy after they cool a bit.

Heat a frying pan with oil on medium high. Once the oil is hot enough, use your hand or spoon to slowly distribute the mixture into the oil. Do not add in clumps but just randomly distribute into the oil. Fry until golden and remove onto a paper towel to absorb any extra oil.

Serve hot with sauce of your choice.

Chicken Kebobs

Ingredients:
Ground chicken: 1 pack (its usually 1 to 1.5 lbs)
Egg - 1
Green chili - 1
Salt - 2 tsp or to taste
Ground pepper - 1 tsp
Red chili - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Mint leaves chopped - 2 tbsp
Corn - 1/4 cup (thaw and squeeze or use fresh)
Almonds - chopped - a handful
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Onion - 1/2
Ginger garlic paste - 2 tsp

Fine chop the onion, green chili, mint. In a bowl, add the ground chicken, egg, the chopped onion, green chili, mint, corn, almonds and all the powders. Mix well.

To check for seasoning, take a small portion of the mixture and make a small patty. Cook in a pan with a few drops of oil. Should be done in under a minute per side. Taste and adjust seasoning.


Add this mixture to a ziploc bag. Cut a small corner and pipe this onto a baking sheet lined with foil sprayed with the non-stick spray.


Pre-heat oven to 425 and bake for about 20 to 25 min. Turn half way through the cooking time.
You will know these are done when they are firm and start to brown.

Baked Potato Fries

Who doesn't love fries? Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

I have tried several versions of baking these and this recipe is near perfect for a baked fry.
The trick is to cut the fries evenly, boil them for a short time and then bake them.
Add some toppings of your choice and it's a delicious even snack or an appetizer.

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 3 

Seasoning: Salt, Pepper/Cajun Seasoning

Olive Oil - 1 tsp

Toppings:

Shredded Cheese, Green Onions, Sriracha

Wash and cut the potatoes into 1/2 inch thick fries. Place a pot of water on the stove top and boil water in it. Add salt to the water when it starts to boil and blanche the sliced potatoes in the water for 5 min. Remove and drain and excess water.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450F. Once the potatoes are partly dry, add a tsp of olive oil and some salt and pepper, paprika or any seasoning you like.

Mix well and place on a baking tray in a single layer. I like to use parchment paper to avoid cleaning up. Spray or drizzle some oil on the pan to avoid the fried from sticking to the pan.

Bake the fries for about 15 min and turn them over half way through the cooking process.

They should start to get crispy and brown. If not, bake them for a few more minutes until they do.

Remove and sprinkle with the toppings of your choice. I used some shredded mozzarella and green onions. The heat from the potatoes should melt the cheese and no more baking is required.

If you prefer, you can put them back in the over for a minute or so for the cheese to melt.

Enjoy them hot and fresh!

Rice crackers/Chekkalu

Rice Flour - 1 1/2 cups
AP Flour/Maida - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch
Green Chilis - 5
Cumin seeds - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste
Chana daal - 1/4 cup
Curry leaves(torn) - few
Peanuts - handful
Butter - 2 tbsp
Oil - for frying

Grind the ginger and green chilis with some water. Soak the chana daal in some water for 1/2 hr. Break the peanuts into smaller pieces. Mix all the ingredients well except the oil. This should form a soft dough.
Spray some non-stick spray or add a few drops of oil on a plastic sheet or a large ziploc bag. Form gooseberry sized balls for the dough and place on one side of the plastic bag, fold over the other end and press to form flat discs. Alternately use your hands to do this. Heat a heavy bottom pan with oil and fry them until golden brown. Drain, cool and store in an air-tight container.

If you mix the dough to the right consistency and fry at the right temperature, they do not absorb more than a few tbsps of oil.

Vegetable Momos

Ingredients:
Filling:
Chopped cabbage- 2 cups
Carrot - 1
Red pepper - 1/2
Green onions - 2
Ginger - 1 inch
Garlic cloves: 2
Salt - to taste
Black pepper - a pinch
Soy sauce - 1 tbsp
Hot sauce - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbp

Wrapper:
All Purpose Flour - 1 Cup
Salt - a big pinch
Oil - 2 tbsp

In a pan, bring a cup of water to boil.
Add the veggies and close the lid.
Let them cook till the raw smell disappears, but still remain crunchy.

In a pan, heat the oil and add grated ginger and garlic.
Add the black pepper powder and the sauces and the vegetables and check for seasoning.
Add more salt if needed.
Saute for a couple minutes and turn off the flame.

 Knead the flour with salt, oil and water until it's soft. Make small round 1 inch balls and flatten into thin disks. Add the filling and keep pinching the ends until the entire momo is closed. (Refer to picture for shape). Make all the momos.
Heat the steamer or a pressure cooker with water and add the momos in a single layer. Steam for about 13 minutes.

Remove and serve hot with Garlic Chili sauce.

Dips: Tahini, Hummus and Tzatziki Sauce

My upcoming post is going to be a mediterranean platter and I am a fan of these sauces. Hummus is a must in our home and we use it in sandwiches, as dips, in wraps and just about anything we want to add some flavor to.

I love Sabre Hummus and if I don't have some on hand, I can quickly whip some up using canned beans.

Tahini:

Sesame Seeds - 1/2 cup

Olive Oil - 1 Tbsp

Water -  1 to 2 Tbsp

Salt - To taste

Black Peppe - 1 Tsp

Lemon  - A few drops

Dry roast the sesame seeds on medium heat until fragrant. Cool and grind with the rest of the ingredients. Add water as needed, based on how thick the sauce is.

Tzatziki Sauce:

Greek/Hung Yogurt - 1 Cup

Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Salt - To Taste

Black Pepper - 1 Tsp

Dill . - 1 Tbsp chopped

English Cucumber - Finely minced - 1/2

Beat the yogurt until smooth and mix all the ingredients.

Hummus:

I have the recipe for Hummus on my blog and adding the link here:                         

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

Salmon fry

I don't eat fish, and I can't stand the smell of fish when it's cooking. This dish was very easy to make, and I did not smell the fish while it was cooking. Also, it takes less than 10 minutes to cook, and does not require a lot of ingredients. My son loves fish, and I plan to make it often for him.

Salmon - 1 pound

Red chili powder - 1 tbsp

Salt - to taste

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tbsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Corn flour - 1 to 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 to 3 tbsp

Cut the fish into long strips or 4 inch pieces. Dust the fish with all the ingredients, except the oil and set aside.

In a flat bottom pan, heat the oil and add the fish. Do not crowd the pan.

Fry till golden brown and crisp on one side, turn and cook on the other side.

I fried the fish on all sides.

Serve with sliced onions and lemon wedges.

Bhel Puri

This is the 2nd post on Bhel on my blog. I noticed that that 1st one was a bit boring with no chutneys and just some ketchup and hot sauce. That's simple and good, but Bhel works best with Imli and Green Chutneys.

Ingredients:

Puffed Rice - 3 cups
Onion - 1
Tomato - 1
Cucumber - 1

Boiled and Peeled Potato - 1
Green chilis - 2
Cilantro - a few sprigs
Mixture/ Sev - 1/2 cup
Green Chutney - 3 tbsp
Hot sauce - 1 tbsp (Optional)

Date and Tamarind Chutney - 2 tbsp
Roasted Peanuts - 1/4 cup

Dry fry the puffed rice till it's crisp.
Chop all the veggies and mix together. Add the puffed rice, peanuts, the mixture and season with salt.
Add the chutneys and hot sauce and mix well.
Top with the cilantro and some more mixture. Serve immediately.

Onion Mini Samosas

 How many of you remember the small onion samosas that they used to sell at the railway platforms in India and in the train. The smell used to be intoxicating when the hawkers would pass by with their baskets filled with these yummy little treats.

 My mom was against us eating anything that was not sold by the railway canteens. There was this one time when she relented and got them for us and I still remember how crispy and amazing these little mini onion samosas were. The usual potato filled ones are great, but this is a good recipe to try for a different version.

I am very bad at taking pictures during the making of a dish, however I tried with this one and here are a few to show how to make these mini samosas.

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour - 2 Cups

Salt - To Taste

Carom seeds/Ajwain - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Red Onion - 1 big or 2 small

Salt - To Taste

Poha/Flattened Rice - 1/2 cup

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp

Cilantro chopped - 2 tbsp

Oil to deep fry

Knead the dough with water and rest for 10 min. Make thin rotis and add one on top of another and roll again. 2 into 1. Don't roll it too much, just until they stick to each other.

On a pan, fry them for 30 sec on each side until slightly cooked and remove. Now carefully separate them into 2 parts and keep aside. Cover with a damp towel until you are ready to make the samosas.

Slice the onion thin and saute till they are soft. Coarsely grind the Poha and add to the onion mixture.

Add the chili powder and salt and the copped cilantro and mix. Let is cool.

Cut the rotis into half and fold like a samosa. Fill 1 1/2 tbsp of the onion mixture, wet the edges with some water and seal the ends.

Heat some oil to deep fry the samosas and fry them in batches.

Tastes best with some Irani Chai, or so I heard:) Never had a cup myself. All the hyderabadis out there can relate.

Easy Dinner Rolls

I love fresh baked bread. The aromas are intoxicating and it's my weakness. I need to make these more often, since they are really easy to make and they fit the bill for fresh homemade baked bread. Spread some butter on them right out of the oven and it's bliss.

Ingredients:
All Purpose Flour - 3.5 to 4 cups

Water - 1 cup

Sugar - 2 tbsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Yeast - 2 tbsp

Salt - A big pinch

Egg - 1 (Optional)

Mix warm water, sugar, salt and yeast and let it froth for 10 min. Once the yeast is activated, add the flour, oil and the beaten egg and mix well. I have made the rolls with instant yeast too and it works just as well.

Knead with oiled hands and let it raise for 15 min. Knead again and make golf size balls and place on a parchement lined baking sheet for 10 more min until they raise a bit.

Pre-heat oven to 375F and bake for 10 to 12 min, based on how dark you like them.
Remove and brush with olive oil or butter if you like. Enjoy they warm.

Fried Indian Fritters: Potato and Mirchi Bajjis

This is a perfect snack for those chilly rainy evenings. Goes well with a cup of steaming masala chai.

Potatoes - 2

Big Green Chilis - 5 - Mild ones that are lighter in color

Oil - for deep fry

Batter for the Fritters:

Gram Flour/Besan - 1 cup

Carrom Seeds/Ajwain - 1 tsp

Red Chili powder - 1 tsp

salt - to taste

Baking Soda - 1 pinch

Water - required amount

Stuffing for Chilis:

Potatoes - 2 medium
Onion - 1/2 Red chopped fine
Ginger grated - 1 tsp
Green chili - 2 chopped fine
Citantro - few sprigs chopped
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Red chili powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Garam masala - 1 tsp
Amchur powder - 1 tsp
Oil - 1 tbsp
Shajeera - 1 tsp

Toppings:
Red Onion - 1/2
Cilantro - chopped
Amchur powder/Lime Juice

Boil the potatoes until soft, peel and mash.
In a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add shajeera, and the onions and green chilis. Cook till soft, add the potatoes. Mix the rest of the masalas and salt. Add the cilantro and cool.

Mix all the ingredients for batter.

Slit the green chilis and stuff with the potato mix. Peel and slice the potatoes into thin slices.
Heat a frying pan with oil to deep fry. Dip the chilis and potatoes into the batter and deep fry.

Slit the chilis and add the onions, cilantro and sprinkle with the amchur powder or squeeze some lime.

Serve hot with Masala chai.

Nachos with Avocado and Black Beans

Small Corn Totillas - 6

Black Beans - Cooked and Crushed - 1 cup

Red Onion - 1

Avocado - 1

Jalapeno - 1

Salsa - 1/2 cup

Shredded Cheese - 1/2 cup

Cilantro - few sprigs

Sliced Olives - 5

Tomato - 1

Lime and Cilantro Yogurt Dressing - 1/4 cup 

(In a blender, add 1/4 cup yogurt, pinch of salt, squeeze half a lime, a small piece of avocado and a few springs of cilantro, half a jalapeno and blend)

Cut the tortillas into 6 pieces each. Arrange on a single layer on a baking sheet and bake in a 400F oven for 8 to 10 min until crisp.

Top the tortillas with beans, salsa, cheese and bake for 6 more min or until the cheese melts. Top with chopped veggies including onion, tomato, avocado, olives, Jalapeno and cilantro. 

Drizzle with the cilantro and lime dressing.