Thursday, August 31, 2017

Cauliflower 65 | Gobi 65 | Evening Snacks

Cauliflower 65, a Indian deep fried snack made from the cauliflower and mix of spices.
It's one of the popular vegetarian starter recipes in the restaurants across the country. 
I have been making this cauliflower 65 for years now as a side dish for biryani or as a snack for an evening tea. It's one of our family favorites ! 

Actually, it's one of the recipes that I had tried many times before I actually got the knack of it. No, it's not a difficult recipe but to get that crispy cauliflower without too much drunken oil, there are few steps to be taken care of which I will explain below. 


Why is it called cauliflower 65 ?

Cauliflower 65 is a vegetarian version of Chicken 65, a famous Indian chicken fry. The spices used in both the recipes are so similar and hence it's named as cauliflower 65. To know the reason behind the "65", check out my chicken 65 post :-)

Tips for crispy cauliflower 65 

  • Make sure to pat dry(spread it on a paper towel to absorb extra water) the cauliflower well before adding it into the marination.
  • Corn flour is the key to get that crispy texture.
  • Add corn flour just before frying the cauliflower.
  • Here in the ingredient list, i have mentioned 3 to 4 tbsp of corn flour, start with 3 tbsp of corn flour and test fry a single piece of cauliflower, if it's still soggy, then add the extra 1 tbsp, give a good mix and try again, but don't add more than the mentioned quantity, it won't taste good and also it has thick flour coating on the cauliflower which we don't want for tasty cauliflower 

 

Related: How to make Cauliflower Masala Dosa

Serving Suggestion 

I would highly recommend serving the cauliflower 65 immediately. The cauliflower loses its crispiness after a while however it still tastes good. For best taste and crispy texture, fry the cauliflower right before serving. 

You can marinate the cauliflower ahead of time and keep it in the refrigerator for a day or two. Bring into room temperature before frying and follow the rest of the instructions in the recipe.

Food Color 

Food color is totally optional. In order to recreate the restaurant style cauliflower 65, I have added it in the recipe. But most of the time, I don't prefer to add it when I'm making it for  our daily meal. 
If you're making this for a party or try to impress your guest, add a pinch of food color :-)

Now, let's check on how to make the restaurant style cauliflower 65.







Cauliflower 65

Preparation Time : 20 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsServes :
Recipe Category: Snack | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
cauliflower 65,gobi 65,snacks,deep fried, evening snacks Cauliflower 65/Gobi 65, a deep fried snack/side dish made from cauliflower.
Ingredients
Cauliflower florets - 1&1/2 cups
Curd - 1/4 cup
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Ginger garlic powder - 1 tsp
Red food color - 1 pinch
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 1 tsp
Corn flour - 3 to 4 tbsp
Curry leaves - few
Oil - for deep frying

Procedure
Cut the cauliflower into florets, wash,pat dry and keep it ready. In a vessel, add curd,spices(turmeric ,chili,garam masala powder), food color, ginger garlic paste & salt . Squeeze the lemon juice.Mix it well and then add the cauliflower and mix well in the marination.Keep covered and set aside for 15 mins, then add the corn flour and mix well with the cauliflower.Heat the oil in sauce pan for deep frying, add few pieces at a time and fry till it becomes crispy and golden brown. Remove from the oil and place it on tissue paper. Do the same for the remaining cauliflower.Finally add few curry leaves on oil and fry till it crispy and take it out and add into the fried cauliflower.Tada, Delicious Cauliflower 65 is ready. For more tasty snacks, check out my collections.

Related : Low Calories Cauliflower manchurian / Pan fried Gobi Manchurian 

Related: How to make Cauliflower Peas Curry 

Notes:
  • I have used fresh curd here, if your curd has more sourness, then reduce the amount of lemon juice.
  •  Here i have used 3 tbsp of corn flour, depends on curd consistency, you may need more or less of corn flour.
  • If you're worried about worms in cauliflower, then put it in hot water for few mins, then drain and place it on tissue paper to absorb the moisture and then use it.
  • Cook in medium flame will make sure that cauliflower is well cooked.
  • Fried curry leaves gives great taste to cauliflower.
  • Use thick curd for better taste.
  • Taste best when it's hot. 
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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Karupatti Kaapi | Palm Jaggery Coffee | Karupatti Coffee

Karupatti Kaapi/ Palm Jaggery Coffee , a black coffee sweetened with palm jaggery instead of sugar. In my school days, when we were in Villupuram, we used to visit my grandma's place at Tirunelveli on summer holidays, in those days, both in my grandma's place and my periamma's place(next house) used to prepare karuppati coffee on mornings and i was big fan of that coffee back then and now also. Particularly in my periamma's place, she was kind of addicted to this coffee, so they prepared in big pot on mornings and whenever needed, just reheat and have it. I still remember the way how effectively &  quickly they used to reheat the coffee, if it was around noon time and the water was boiling for rice on stove, then simply pour the coffee in half of the tumbler and float it on the boiling water, within mins, the coffee would be hot and ready to have !!!. Always i remember this whenever i make karupatti coffee. Good old memories !!!. 

As i had bought some good karupatti on my recent trip to India,now i have been preparing this often for our evenings. You can have this with or without milk. I personally like to have this without milk,but you can make either way and it tastes so delicious with wonderful karupatti flavor.Now let's see the recipe !!!

Karupatti Kaapi/Coffee

Preparation Time : 2 mins | Cooking Time : 10 minsServes : 2 to 3 
Recipe Category: Coffee | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
Karupatti/ Palm Jaggery - 1/4 cup(heaped)
Water - 2 cups
Coffee Powder - 1& 1/4 tbsp

Procedure
Take the karupatti and roughly break into pieces using motor & pestle, measure and keep it ready. Bring 2 cups of water into boil.Add the coffee powder into the boiling water and let it boil for 2 mins.Then add the karupatti and again boil for 2-3 mins or until the karupatti dissolves.Switch off the flame. Let it sit for few mins(to settle down the coffee powder) and strain it.Tada, Your Karuppati Coffee is ready.
Notes:
  • Depends on the quality of karupatti, you may need more or less of it and also adjust as per your sweet preference.
  • I have used regular narasus coffee powder here, not the instant ones.
  • The mentioned quantity of coffee powder gives strong coffee, if you want mild, then reduce the amount as per your liking.
  • If you would like to add milk, reduce the water quantity to 1 cup and prepare the coffee as mentioned above, in the end, add 1 cup of hot boiled milk,mix well and serve.
  • As karupatti is the only flavoring agent,use good quality of karupatti.
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Saturday, August 26, 2017

Mini Uttappam Variety | 5+ Uttapam Varieties | Breakfast Ideas

Mini Uttappam Varities , a delicious thick savory pancake made from dosa batter with various toppings.Actually with idly and dosa batter, you can literally make 100+ variety easily with the available ingredients in your pantry. I make this kind of variety uttapam or dosa often for our breakfast/dinner. Here in the recipe, i have shared the ideas on how you can make different varieties of uttappam with the veggies and simlarly you can make set of uttappam or dosa with the sauces/spice powder in your pantry like idli podi dosa, schezwan dosa & so on. Even in sometimes, i like to make them with different oil  like using sesame oil,ghee, butter and it tastes amazing with each flavor.If you haven't tried that way yet, do give a try and i'm sure you would love it.

Name

Preparation Time : 5 mins | Cooking Time : 10 minsMakes :
Recipe Category: Breakfast/Dinner | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
Dosa Batter - 1 & 1/2 cup
Peal Onion - 2(thinly sliced)
Tomato - 1 tbsp(chopped)
Carrot - 1 tbsp(grated)
Coriander leaves - few
Capsicum - 1 tbsp(chopped)
Oil - as needed

Procedure
Keep all the veggies and dosa batter ready, heat the tava and pour 1/4 cup of dosa batter, on the top add thinly sliced onions and on the other add the tomatoes.Smear the oil over the edges of the uttappam.Gently flip the uttappam with the spatula and cook on other sides too. Tada, your uttappam is ready.Next add grated carrot on one and capsicum on another, finally make coriander uttapam and with the all the leftover veggies, make one mix veg uttapam.Within few mins, 5+ variety of uttapam are ready to serve. Serve it with tiffin sambar and/or chutneys.
Notes:
  • Keep the dosa batter thick and don't spread the batter with ladle, let it spread itself.
  • Instead of oil, you can use ghee for extra flavor.
  • I have used yellow capsicum here, but you can use any color of capsicum
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Friday, August 25, 2017

Egg Kathi rolls | Mix Veggie Egg Wrap

Egg Kathi rolls, a simple wrap with egg and mixed veggie stuffing . I make them often for breakfast with the leftover chapathi from the previous night, it's a very good option for quick breakfast yet very delicious.But here in the recipe, i have prepared the  fresh dough and chapathi for the wrap. With fresh ones or with leftover chapathi, either way it tastes amazing.
For the dough, i have used equal amount of maida/all purpose flour and wheat flour. Maida/All purpose flour helps to roll the dough into thin sheets, but you can use wheat flour alone and it doesn't make much difference in taste. In addition to the cooked veggies and egg, i have added some raw onions and tomatoes in the wrap, as like the crunchiness from the raw onions and juiciness from the tomatoes,that makes the wrap even more delicious.


Egg Kathi Rolls

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 20 minsMakes :
Recipe Category: Breakfast | Recipe Cuisine: Indian
Ingredients
*Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup
Onion - 1 
Eggs - 2
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chili powder - 1/2 tsp
Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/2 tsp
Salt - to taste
Cherry tomato - few(optional)
Oil - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - few
Curd - 1/4 cup
For the dough
Maida- 1/2 cup
Wheat flour - 1/2 cup
Oil -1/2 tsp
Salt-to taste
*i have used cabbage, carrot,beans and capsicum

Procedure
Cut the vegetables and onions into thin stripes, heat a pan with oil, add onions and saute them till it becomes translucent.Add the carrots and beans and saute in the oil for 2 mins, then add the capsicum and cabbage.Add the spices(turmeric, chili,coriander,cumin powder and garam masala) & salt. Mix it well with the veggies and saute in the medium flame until the veggies are soft.Crack open the eggs and add into the veggies, stir them. Once the eggs are cooked, add the coriander leaves and switch off the flame.Stuffing is ready.Now for the dough, add the maida, wheat flour,salt and oil into bowl, mix well and then add water, knead well to form a dough. Cover it aside for 10 mins.Make 4 equal size balls from the dough and roll into thin sheets. Heat the tava and place the rolled sheets and cook on both sides. Do the same for the remaining dough.Now for the spread, take the curd in a bowl, add chopped coriander leaves and salt, mix it well until it becomes creamy. Keep some sliced onions and diced tomatoes ready .Take one chapathi, take a tbsp of curd mixture spread it evenly on it.Place the egg stuffing at one end,add few onions and tomatoes, squeeze some lemon juice.Roll the chapathi from one end tightly with the sides closed inwards.Cut & Serve.
Notes:
  • Instead of using curd as sauce for spreading, you can use any of your favorite sauce like ketchup,mayonnaise.
  • You can use tomato slices instead of cherry tomatoes. 
  • If you're vegetarian, instead of eggs, you can used paneer, it works well. 



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Thursday, August 24, 2017

Strawberry Pancake with Strawberry Sauce | Strawberry Pancakes

Strawberry Pancakes with strawberry sauce is my recent favorite pancakes. One month back, while browsing through pinterest, this pancake recipe caught my attention,as strawberries has been in season for a while, immediately i tried this with little modification in the recipe as suit to our taste and we loved it.The original recipe uses egg, but we both cannot stand egg smell in pancakes, so i used my  eggless buttermilk pancakes  as guidance and make it as eggless, still it's so fluffy and spongy.
This pancakes taste best with strawberry sauce, pour the sauce over the pancakes and let it sit for few mins and allow the pancakes to soak with syrup and then have it. Really yummy on every mouthful. As the sauce has enough sweetness, i have used very less sugar in the pancake batter,but you can add more if you wanted. Ok, now, let's see the recipe. 

Strawberry Pancakes

Preparation Time : 10 mins | Cooking Time : 15 minsMakes : 8 or 9 
Recipe Category: Breakfast | Recipe Cuisine: American
Ingredients
Strawberry - 1/2 lb
Wheat flour - 1 cup
Butter milk - 1 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup
Baking soda - 1/4 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/8 tsp
Melted butter - 2 tbsp + extra for grease the pan
Sugar - 1 tbsp
Honey -1/4 cup
Water - 2 tbsp

Procedure
First let's make the sauce, in a pan, add roughly chopped strawberries(reserve few tbsp for batter),honey and water and mix it well. Turn on the heat and let it comes to boil, then simmer the sauce for 5-7 mins in medium flame. Switch off the flame. That's it, your strawberry sauce is ready.Now for the batter, add flour,baking soda, baking powder, salt & sugar, give a good mix with whisk, add the butter.Then add the buttermilk & milk and mix it well until the batter is smooth. Add the remaining strawberries and mix well. Heat the pan, grease with butter, pour the batter on the pan, cook on both sides on medium flame or until it becomes golden brown.Stack the pancakes, pour the sauce over it and it's ready to serve.
Notes:
  • I have used whole milk here, but you can used reduced fat milk too.
  • Buttermilk helps to get fluffy pancakes.
  • For additional flavor, you can use cinnamon or vanilla flavor in the batter. But i want strawberries flavor predominantly, so leave as it is.
  • Depends on the flour quality, you can need more or less liquid. 

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