Aloo Paneer Koftas- Paneer Kofta Recipe-A Quick Snack

It's been a while since I shared a paneer recipe. I always have paneer in my freezer and keep adding it to random dishes to thicken it or make it look more enticing to TH (who loves paneer!).

Since Malai Koftas have been on my mind for a while, I decided to take the plunge one day. It took me a long time compared to how long I usually take to make something. Those are not my favourite kind of recipes. But I had to try malai koftas and I did. Will share the complete recipe when I've sorted the pictures out, but for now, here are the aloo paneer koftas that I dunked in the gravy to turn these into malai koftas.

These make for a very yummy and a (relatively) quick snack for a party or just to treat your family on a weekend evening.

Aloo Paneer Koftas

Makes about 15-18 koftas
Preparation time: 20 mins
Cooking time: 20 mins

Ingredients:
1 cup of paneer, crumbled fine
1 potato, peeled and boiled
1 carrot, peeled and boiled (optional)
2 cloves of garlic, minced
A small piece of ginger, grated
1 tsp of red chilli powder
2 of green chillies, sliced into thin discs
A generous pinch of hing
8-10 cashew nuts, broken into small pieces
1 tsp of coriander powder
A generous bunch of coriander leaves / cilantro
1/4 cup of cornflour for dusting (optional)
Oil for deep frying
Salt to taste

How It's Made:

1. Mash the boiled potato and carrot together until there are no lumps.

2. Add the rest of the ingredients to this mixture (except corn flour and oil).

3. Mix well with fingertips until it's a homogenous, damp mixture. The moisture from the potato and carrot should be enough to bring it together. Don't add any water.

4. Roll into small lime-sized balls.

5. Dust with corn flour. This is an optional step because I didn't find much difference in texture between these and the ones I didn't dust. Also, if you leave them plain, the oil stays clear and doesn't leave a white layer on the koftas.

6. Heat a pan and add enough oil to submerge the koftas half way. You can deep fry the koftas but it's really not necessary. You can also use a paniyaram pan to do the frying. Gently place the koftas in the hot oil.

7. Turn gently when golden brown on one side. Keep the fire medium low to ensure the inside is cooked too.

Drain on to paper towels and serve hot with ketchup or mint chutney. Tastes fabulous on it's own or you can go on to make malai koftas with them (recipe coming soon!)

What's your most favourite quick snack recipe for evening tea?

Podalanga Masala Recipe-Podalangai Curry Recipe

Podalangai (Padavalanga / Snake Gourd) is one vegetable I always pick up from my vegetable-shopping trips to Little India. More than our love for the vegetable, the mere fact that it's not available in the supermarkets near our place makes me reach out for it each time.

The last time I bought it, I forgot another major ingredient that's required to make podalanga kootu. Coconut! I wasn't prepared to give up the texture of the channa dal either. Here's what I ended up. Something of a kootu with snake gourd but without the coconut and no need for any grinding. All hail lazy, quick recipes.

Snake Gourd / Podalanga Masala Recipe

Makes ~ 3 cups 
Serves 2
Preparation time: 10mins
Cooking time: 30 mins

Ingredients:
2 cups of snake gourd, peeled, cleaned and cut into small squares
1/2 cup of channa dal / kadala paruppu
1 small of onion
1 tsp of jeera / cumin seeds
1 tsp of red chilli powder
1/4 tsp of turmeric powder
1 pinch of hing / asafoetida
1 tbsp of oil
1/4 tsp of mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies
A few curry leaves
1 tsp of garam masala (optional)

How I Made It:

1. Add the chopped snake gourd pieces and the washed channa dal to a pan with 4 cups water. Bring to boil, add turmeric, and simmer until the snake gourd is cooked soft and the channa dal is firm yet crushes between your fingers. This will take about 10-15 mins. Ideally, let all the water evaporate while cooking. I don't like draining this water because you lose all the nutrients that way. If you still have excess water after the ingredients are cooked, just keep flame on high and let it evaporate while stirring constantly.

2. Heat oil in another pan and add the mustard seeds. When they pop, add the cumin seeds and let them sizzle for 5-6 seconds. Then add the red chillies and chopped onion. Cook until the onion pieces turn soft and transparents - about 3mins.

3. Now, add the red chilli powder, hing, curry leaves, and the cooked snake gourd / channa dal mix. Add salt, mix well, and cook on low fire until the ingredients come together, nicely roasted. If using, add garam masala and mix well before removing from fire.



Serve hot with rice and some kozhambu of choice.

Chena Vanpayar Erissery Recipe-Onam Sadya Recipes

I have been baking a lot lately and realising how much I enjoy it. But that doesn't mean I should give up on my roots and stop making these amazing Kerala recipes. Nothing can transport me back home virtually like a good Kerala sadya.

The last time I posted Erissery, I got a few comments asking for chena vanpayar erissery. Clearly, pumpkin is not a very favourite vegetable to most. But vanpayar is not easily available here and I couldn't find it in Mustafa Stores which practically means its non existent in Singapore.

So I did what any self-respecting food lover cum food blogger would do. I brought a bag back from my last trip to Kottayam. So today, I can share the authentic Erissery recipe with you. Howzaaat?

I absolutely love chena / elephant yam btw. If you are in Singapore and didn't know this yet, Mustafa stocks frozen cubed elephant yam now. No more buying a huge yam and wasting majority of it or trying to rub oil on your itching palms after cutting up a yam. Hooray!

Authentic Chena Vanpayar Erissery Recipe

Ingredients:

3 cups cubed elephant yam / chena
1 cup cow peas / vanpayar
Salt to taste

Grate together:
1/2 cup grated coconut (frozen will work but not dessicated)
1 tsp minced fresh garlic
1/4 tsp pepper powder
A large pinch of turmeric powder
1/4 tsp chilli powder

For tempering:
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
2 dry red chillies, torn into small pieces
A few curry leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil (anything else would make it taste less authentic!)

How to Make Erissery:

1. Wash the vanpayar and sift out any stones that may be there. I found two decent-sized ones in my 1 cup of vanpayar. Transfer to a pan with 3 cups water and cook on a low fire until semi-soft. This will take about 20 mins or so. Add the yam to the vanpayar and cook until both turn soft and almost mushy. (I took the easy route and dunked everything into a pressure cooker and cooked for 2 whistles. The vanpayar was done perfectly but the yam became too soft. You can do this if you don't mind the consistency of erissery seen in the pictures)

2. Once the vanpayar and yam are cooked, add the grated coconut mixture and mix well, cooking on low flame until well combined and the coconut loses its raw smell - about 3-4 mins. Add salt. Mix again. Remove from fire.

3. Heat oil for tempering and add all the ingredients mentioned in the list. When the mustard seeds pop and the red chillies glisten, remove from fire and dunk into the cooked mixture. Mix well and serve hot with rice and pulissery.

I've also made a variation of this dish without the coconut - Yam and Black Eyed Peas Curry without Coconut

Supporting the Fund Drive for Vaidehi Ashram of Desitute Girls, Hyderabad

When Siri reached out to tell me about her fund drive for the destitute girls in Vaidehi Ashram, it brought back memories of the weekends I used to spend in a facility in Hyderabad that took care of orphaned kids with AIDS. I would go there every Saturday for a few months, hold the kids, play with them, paint, teach, and all the rest of the stuff that you would normally do when you volunteer at a place like this.

Then I would come home and mope around the house all weekend, not interested in going out, not willing to talk to happy people and generally being a pain to be around. That's the main reason I stopped going there. In a way, I guess that's selfish, but the more time I spent with those kids, the more depressed I became until one day I realised I am of no use to them or to me if I continued this way.

Photo by Siri

I then switched to to sending them a sum of money every month for their washing detergent (which was one of the most expensive things on their shopping list because they used about 6 washing machines every day, donated by a kind soul). Then I got married, relocated, and that was the end of that.

Shame on me.

I should thank Siri for this opportunity though. I am helping her raise money by contributing to the list of raffle prizes. Mine is probably the most cryptic item in the list mainly because I am not sure exactly what will go into this "Oriental Gift Basket" I am offering, but I am happy to work with you on this if you bid for my item. We could throw in some nice spices, herbal teas, pretty coasters, food photo props, cushion covers, feng shui items, and I will most definitely send you a small poster with your name in Chinese characters. That's a promise. Interested?

Here's how to take part in this raffle:

Step 1. Buy Raffle Tickets

Each raffle ticket is worth $10 (or Rs.500). You can increase your chances of winning the giveaway by buying more than 1 raffle ticket.

For Example, a donation of $20 will fetch you 2 raffle tickets which can be used to choose on any of the raffle prizes. You can use all your raffle tickets on one prize (in turn increasing the chances in the lucky draw) or on different prizes. To see the entire list of available items, check Siri's post. The items also make great gifts so keep an eye on the shipping countries and make a call.

2. How to Buy the Raffle Tickets

Click on the "Chip In" button below and you will be able to pay through PayPal or your credit card.

Once the donation process is completed, please forward your payment confirmation message to info(dot)siri(at)gmail.com and clearly mention the raffle item you would like to opt for. Eg: to choose the item I am contributing, include this info in your email "RU10 - Oriental Gift Hamper."

Within 24 hours, your name and contributed amount will be added to the �Fund Drive Supporters List� at the very end of this post. If you want to stay anonymous, please let Siri know in advance. You can also email her with any questions or confusions in the donation process.

The fund drive ends on Feb 25th, 2012.

I know we keep hearing that our time is more valuable to people rather than money or things, but the way I look at it, when getting even the basics in life is a struggle, any kindness you show them is appreciated. I am sure the time I spent with those kids back in Hyderabad was in no way more valuable than the money I donated later. They accepted both with equal gratitude.

Photo by Siri

Act as if what you do makes a difference.  It does.  ~William James