Crispy Palak Chaat / Spinach Chaat

One must include green vegetables in the diet. Some time children don’t want to have vegetables. We can always innovate Recipes with vegetables which will encourage the children to have vegetables without fuss. Spinach is a good source of iron.... Here I have made a healthy Chaat with spinach...

To make the crispy Palak 

Ingredients 

Few Fresh Palak /Spinach leaves around 12 whole leaves 

Oil to Drizzle

Salt to sprinkle 

Method 

Take a baking tin, spread the Palak leaves, drizzle oil and sprinkle some salt. Bake it at 200 degrees for 15 minutes. Half way in between turn the leaves. Bake till crispy. 

For the Palak Chaat 

 Ingredients 

Crispy Palak leaves

1 small Potato cut into cubes and boiled 

1 small Onion chopped

4 tbsp Beaten Curd 

3 tbsp Green Chutney ( Add 1/4 cup Coriander leaves, 1 Green chillies, 1 tsp Raw mango and Salt in a blender and blend it together)

2 tbsp Red Chutney ( Add few Garlic cloves, 2 Dry Red chillies and salt in a blender and blend it together with little water)

1 tbsp Sweet Tamarind Chutney ( 2 tbsp Tamarind pulp, 4 tbsp Jaggary, salt, 1/4 tsp  chilli powder, mix together and cooked it till the Jaggary melts and thickens up a bit)

1 tbsp Sev

Drizzle of Lime juice

Sprinkle of Chaat masala

Few Coriander leaves chopped for garnishing 

Few Pomegranate seeds for garnishing 

Method

On a plate first add the crispy spinach leaves, then one by one add the potatoes, onions, curd, green chutney, red chutney, sweet tamarind chutney, drizzle the lime juice , sprinkle the  chat masala, add the sev and then garnish with coriander leaves and pomegranate seeds... 

Instant Vermicelli Dosa served with Tomato Chutney

Instant Vermicelli Dosa served with Tomato Chutney 

Vermicelli Dosa
Ingredients
4 cups Vermicelli (Boiled in water and strained)
1 cup Idli Rawa
1 cup Rice Flour
1/4 cup Desiccated Coconut
1 cup Curd
1 Onion chopped
3 Green Chillies chopped
2 tbsp Coriander Leaves chopped
Salt to taste
1 tsp Eno
Ghee to Drizzle

Method
In a mixing bowl, mix all the above ingredients, except ghee. Add water little at a time to make a thin batter. Let the batter stand for 30 minutes. Heat a skillet. Pour 2 ladle of the batter on the skillet, spread the batter on the skillet, let it cook for a minute on low heat,  drizzle ghee on the dosa and let it cook till brown on one side.Flip over and cook on the other side. Serve hot  vermicelli dosa with tomato chutney.

P.S. Before making the next dosa, wipe the skillet with wet cloth, or else if the temperature is high, the dosa will not spread properly.

Tomato Chutney
Ingredients
4 Tomatoes chopped
1 Onion chopped
10 Garlic cloves crushed
1/4 cup Coriander Leaves
5 Green chillies
Salt to taste
Few Curry leaves
1/4 tsp Mustard seeds
1 Red Dry Chilli broken into pieces
2 Pinches of Asafoetida
1 tbsp Sesame Oil

Method
In a grinder, add tomatoes, onion, green chillies, garlic, coriander leaves and salt. Grind it into paste. Add little water. Take a pan. Add oil, let it heat. Add mustard leaves, curry leaves, dry red chillies and asafoetida. Let the mustard seeds crackle. Add the chutney. Let it simmer on low flame for 5 minutes. Serve hot for Vermicelli Dosa....

Aloor Chop / Potato Fritters Bengali Style

Aloor Chop / Potato Fritters Bengali Style 

Aloor Chop is a famous street food of Kolkatta. It is found in any Tele Bhaja shop (Shop which sales fried food) in any corner of the street. It is normally had in the evening with garm... garm.. chai ( hot... hot.... tea) and served with Muri (Puffed Rice).

For Stuffing.. 

Ingredients 

2 large Potatoes boiled and mashed

1 tsp Green chillies chopped

1/4 tsp Ginger paste 

1 tbsp Bhaja Masala (Roast Cumin seeds, Coriander seeds in equal portion and 1  Red Dry Chilli and ground it) 

2 Pinches of Garam Masala 

Salt to taste

Few Coriander leaves chopped 

Method 

Mixed all the above ingredients together properly. Divide the mashed potatoes into equal proportions. Make balls of each portion and flatten it. Keep it aside while the batter is made.

For the Batter and frying 

Ingredients 

1 cup Gram flour  (Besan)

2 tbsp Rice flour 

1/4 tsp Chilli powder 

1/2 tsp Turmeric powder 

Salt to taste 

2 Pinch of Soda bicarbonate 

Oil for frying

Method 

Take a mixing bowl, add all the above ingredients, except oil. Add water little at a time to make a thick batter. Heat the oil in a wok. Take the potato chop one at a time, dip it into the batter. Add the chop into the hot oil and fry till golden brown in colour. Serve hot with Muri (Puffed Rice)...

Muri (Puffed Rice)

Ingredients 

2 cups Puffed Rice

2 tbsp Fried Peanuts or Roasted Peanuts 

2 tbsp Chana chur / Bengali Mix Chewda (Optional)

1 Green Chilli chopped 

1 tbsp Aam Tel Or Mustard oil

Salt to taste 

1/2 tsp Murir Masala

Method 

Mix all the above ingredients in a mixing bowl together.

Murir Masala 

Ingredients 

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds roasted

1/4 tsp Coriander seeds roasted

1 Red Dry Chilli roasted

2 Pinches of Dry Ginger powder

1 cloves

2 Pepper corn

1small stick Cinnamon 

1/4 tsp Amchoor powder / Dry Mango Powder 

Rock Salt as per taste

Method 

Ground all the above ingredients together.

Aam Tel

It is made in summers, the raw mangoes are cut into pieces and sun dried with turmeric and salt. Mustard oil is heated up.... Asafoetida, Panch Phoran,ginger paste and mustard paste is add to the hot oil. Then the mangoes are added and then it is bottled up and keep in the hot sun for a week. It stays for a year.

Vermicelli Upma

Vermicelli Upma

Ingredients
Half Packet of Rice Vermicelli
1 Onion chopped
1/4 cup Carrot chopped
1/4 cup Green Peas
2 to 3 Green chillies chopped
Few Curry Leaves
Juice of half Lime
3 tbsp Peanuts
Salt to taste
1 tbsp Sugar
1/2 tsp Turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Mustard seeds
1/4 tsp Bengal Gram / Chana dal
1/4 tsp Split Black Gram / Urid Dal
2 tbsp Oil
Few Coriander leaves for garnish
2 tbsp Grated Coconut or desiccated coconut. 

Method
Take a big pot,add water and salt, bring water to a boil. Add the vermicelli to the boiling water and cook on medium high for a few minutes, until it is cooked. When done, immediately remove from the heat and drain the water out.Rinse in cold water and drizzle some oil, so they do not stick together. Take a wok, add oil, let it heat. Add Bengal gram and spilt black gram, saute it for few seconds, add the mustard seeds, let it crackle, add the peanuts. Saute it till brown in colour. Add chopped chillies and curry leaves, saute it for a few seconds. Add the onion, fry till translucent.add the green peas, saute for a minute, add the carrots and continue to saute for another minute. Add 1/4 cup water, simmer it on low heat. Add the salt, sugar and turmeric Powder, stir it and let it simmer for 3 minutes. Add the vermicelli and stir it well and cook for 2 minutes till all the spices are mixed well. Add lime juice and stir again. Remove it from the heat, garnish with coriander leaves and coconut.

Frozen Strawberry and Mint Chocolate Crust Pie

Frozen Strawberry and Mint Chocolate Crust Pie 

To make the Chocolate Crust

Ingredients 

1 bowl of Chocolate Cookie 

3 tbsp Melted Butter 

Method 

Add the chocolate cookies and the butter in a grinder and grind it into powder. Add the crumbs  into bottom of a 9" pie tin. Spread and press the crumbs evenly. Bake for 10 minutes at 180 degrees celcius in a preheated oven. Let cool. Add the pie filling.

For the Pie filling 

Ingredients

10 Strawberries cut into slices

5 whole Strawberries cleaned 

Few Mint leaves 
 2 cups Cottage Cheese Crumbs 

1/4 cup Cream

1/2 cup Condensed Milk 

1/2 tsp Vanilla Essence 

1/2 kg Vanilla Icecream  

Method 

In a blender, add the cottage cheese, vanilla essence, cream, whole strawberries and condensed milk. Blend it till smooth. Pour the mixture on the crust and spread it evenly. Scoop the vanilla Icecream on the top of the cottage cheese mixture. Spread it evenly. Decorated the top with sliced strawberries and mint leaves. Chill it in the freezer for 4 hours. Before cutting keep it out for 2 minutes.