This is that one snack in India which enjoys a legendary status. Loved by one and all, a Samosa is the first choice snack for all Indians, be it a school kid looking for a quick bite after school, an office worker who wants something tasty along with the ‘chai’ or a bunch of ladies who want something spicy along with their gossip, the humble samosa lives up to all their expectations. Enjoy it with some mint and coriander chutney and you will have found a best friend for your evening tea.

Samosa

Serving Size – Serves Four

Estimated Preparation Time – 5 Minutes

Estimated Cooking Time – 15 Minutes

Ingredients:

All Purpose Flour- 500gm or 2Cups

Potato boiled-2

Peas boiled- 1/2 cup

Onion chopped- 1

Turmeric powder-1/2Tsp

Cumin seeds- 1/2 Tsp

Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp

Chilli chopped- 2

Corriander chopped-1 Tbsp

Salt- 1 tsp

Vegetable Oil- 2 Tbsp(extra oil will also be needed for deep frying)

Preparation Method:

In a bowl take flour; add 1Tbsp oil and a pinch of salt. Knead the flour into soft dough along with some water. Keep refrigerated for 10 minutes.

Roughly mash the boiled potatoes, to it add the chopped onions, chopped chillies and boiled peas.

Heat some oil in a frying pan, add cumin and mustard seeds. When the seeds start crackling put the mashed potato mix into the frying pan. To the potato mix, add salt and turmeric. Mix well; sprinkle chopped coriander and keep aside to cool down.

To make the samosas, take a ball of the previously made dough. Roll it flat with the help of a rolling pin and cut the rolled out dough in the middle so that you have two almost equally sized portions in the shape of a ‘D’.

Make a cone out of each half. Fill the prepared potato stuffing into this cone and seal off the open portion by applying a little water and pinching the edges together. Repeat the process till all the dough is used up.

Deep fry the samosas in vegetable oil till they turn crisp and golden brown.

Enjoy them hot along with mint& coriander chutney.

Nutritional Value – Calories- 582 Fat 19 g, Carbohydrates- 27 g, Protein- 21 g

Tip: Try baking the samosas for a healthier option. The filling can also be changed to your choice you are only limited by your own imagination. ]]> http://quickasianrecipes.com/2012/05/17/prawn-thali-fried-prawns/ Thu, 17 May 2012 18:58:02 +0000 Quick Asian Recipes - Ashish Negi http://quickasianrecipes.com/2012/05/17/prawn-thali-fried-prawns/

First Prawn Masala, then Prawn Curry and now comes the recipe for some Fried Prawns… Enjoy

Fried Prawns (Served in the smallest bowl… above Indian Bread)

Also known as Prawn Koliwada, these prawns will make you ask for more. Serve with Mint Coriander Chutney or plain old tomato-chilli sauce

Recipe copied from here

Prawn Koliwada is a spicy Fried Prawn dish, relished as a starter in restaurants , can also be a star appetizer of your party. In contrary to the popular belief that this dish originated on the Konkan coast, it is actually a dish originated in the Sion fishing village, or koliwada in Mumbai by  a north Indian immigrant from Punjab. These deep-fried ,crunchy prawns can be identified by their signature red color because of the use of Kashmiri red chili powder. This recipe is inspired from Master Chef Sanjeev Kapoor‘s Khana Khazana show.

Preparation time : 20 minutes (One can marinate for 3-4 hours for better taste)
Cooking time : 8 to 10 minutes for deep frying, 10 to 14 minutes for broiling
Serves : 2 to 3

Ingredients :

• 12 medium sized prawns
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp gram flour/ besan
• 1 tsp all purpose flour
• 1tbsp yogurt
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• 1 tsp garlic paste
• 1 and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• Salt, to taste
• 1 tsp oil, used for marination
• Oil, for deep fry
• 1 tsp chat masala

• Peel and devein the prawns, wash thoroughly and pat dry.
• In a bowl, marinade the prawns with ginger garlic paste, 1/2 tbsp kashmiri red chili powder, coriander powder, 1 tbsp lemon juice, salt, keep marinated for 15 to 20 minutes.
• Once marinated, squeeze out the extra moisture, add all purpose flour, gram flour/besan, another 1/2 tbsp  kashmiri chili powder, rest 1/2 of the lemon juice, yogurt with 1 tsp of oil. Mix all the spices with the marinated prawns.
• Prepare oil for deep frying, make sure to maintain the temperature at medium high, else the outside of the prawns will get cooked faster ,while the inside will remain uncooked and raw. Add one prawn initially in the hot oil to check if it is sufficiently hot.
• Next add the marinated prawns in the hot oil in batches, fry till they turn a rich golden  brown color on both the sides.
• If you want to avoid deep frying, arrange the marinated prawns on an aluminium foil in a baking tray, drizzle a little oil on the prawns, BROIL on HIGH, 5 to 7 minutes on both sides or until they turn a light golden brown color on both sides.
• Sprinkle chat masala on top, serve with green chutney or ketchup.

Related Articles

• Prawns Rawa Fry (Semolina Batter Fried Prawns)

• Prawn Cutlet (meenuskitchen.wordpress.com)
• Cajun Prawn Fajitas (rgrull.wordpress.com)

As promised in my earlier post, here’s the recipe for the next dish in the plate served above.

Prawn Curry (Second from left).

Recipe copied from here

Serves – 4
Preparation time – 15 mins
Cooking time – 15-20 mins

Ingredients:

Prawns – ½ kg, shelled and deveined
Onions – 2, medium size, finely sliced
Ginger – 1/2-inch piece, finely chopped and crushed
Garlic – 3 beads, whole, crushed
Curry leaves – a sprig
Turmeric powder – ¼ teaspoon
Chilli powder – 1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder – 1 teaspoon
Green chillies – 4, fresh, medium size, medium hot, sliced length-wise
Yogurt/curd – 2 cups
Salt – 1 teaspoon or adjusted to taste

Method:

Heat oil in a fry pan and when very hot put in the onions, ginger, garlic, and curry leaves. When onions turns limp, add the turmeric powder, chilli powder, garam masala powder and fry for a minute. Add the prawns and yogurt along with half a cup of hot water and stir well. Bring slowly to the boil; toss in the green chillies and salt. Simmer and cook the prawns for approx 5 minutes or until prawns are well cooked. Serve hot and enjoy!.

Tip:This curry can be made even without Yogurt. Simmer and cook well in only water and you’ll still have a tasty curry

So here’s what I had for dinner a couple of days back. A spicy Prawns thali with Prawns Masala, Prawns Curry, Fried Prawns, Solkadi and Chapati. I might just put up my version of these recipes but for the moment, I am sharing a few recipes that I found on the internet… enjoy

Here comes the recipe for Prawn Masala. Will upload more recipes in the next post

Prawn Masala

Recipe copied from here

Serves: 6-8
Preparation Time: 15-20 mins
Cooking Time: 15-20 mins

Ingredients:

Prawn – 1kg
Onion – 5 large chopped
Tomato – 3 large chopped
Ginger-garlich paste – 3tbs
Oil – 6-7 tbs
Redchilli powder – 2tbs
Turmeric – 1tsp
Coriander powder – 1tbs
Garam Masala – 1/2 tbs
Lemon juice – 2tbs
Curry leaves – few
Salt – to taste
Water – 1 cup
Coriander chopped – 5tbs to garnish

Method:

1. Clean prawns remove the shell and marinate with salt, 1/2tps turmeric, 2tps redchilli powder, 1tbs ginger-garlic paste, lemon juice for 30mins.

2. Heat oil in a pan, add chopped onion and saute it. Add curry leaves, ginger-garlic paste and fry until golden brown.

3. Add all the powder masalas, tomato cook till the oil start leaving the edges.

4. Add the marinated prawns, mix well and cook for 4-5mins with lid on.

5. Add the water, mix everything and cook with lid on until gravy becomes very thick and oil comes on top.

6. Serve with paratha/rice or pulav.

Related articles

• Sungta kholu – Tangy and spicy prawns pickle (kirticookingclass.wordpress.com)
• Prawns with coconut milk and spices (Prawn Malai Curry) (thesublimepalate.wordpress.com)
• Prawns with Tomatoes (hobbitkitchen.wordpress.com)
• Vikram Vij’s boatman’s curry (Prawn Curry) (condofire.com)

That’s what you get when you disassemble a Fenugreek Stuffed Indian Bread (Methi Paratha). Eat it with Curd and Indian Pickle. Yum, Yum! Check the recipe for Stuffed Potato Indian Bread here.

To make Fenugreek Paratha, follow the same recipe with a little exception. Instead of stuffing the fenugreek into a dumpling, you need to chop the fenugreek and onion and mix all the ingredients with the dough. You can then make golf sized balls from this dough and roll them. All other instructions remain the same

Poha and upma from Instagram. Check out the recipe for Poha in my blog. The recipe for upma will come up soon

Widely eaten in the western parts of India, this light and fragrant dish is an easy one to make and is loaded with taste and nutrition.

Peanuts add a nice crunch to its otherwise soft texture and a squeeze of lime takes the humble Poha to a whole new level. It also can be enjoyed as a healthy snack.

Poha (Flattened Rice)
Serving Size- Serves Four
Estimated Preparation Time- 10 Minutes
Estimated Cooking Time – 20 Minutes
Ingredients:

Flattened Rice Flakes (available in all Indian grocery stores) – 150 gm
Onion chopped – 1
Tomato chopped – 1 (Optional)
Potato boiled and diced – 1
Mustard seeds – 1 Tsp
Green Chillies chopped – 1
Curry leaves – 5
Turmeric powder – 1 Tsp
Salt – 1 Tsp
Peanuts- 3 Tsp
Lime juice – 2 Tsp
Vegetable Oil – 2 Tbsp
Coriander chopped – 2 Tsp
Preparation Method:
Wash the rice flakes under running water. Drain the water and keep aside.

In a frying pan heat the vegetable oil, add mustard seeds when they start crackling add the curry leaves.

Add the chopped onion to the pan now fry till it becomes soft; add green chilies, peanuts and diced boiled potatoes.mix well. Cook for two minutes.

Now add the washed flattened rice flakes, put in the turmeric powder. Mix thoroughly so that the turmeric is evenly coated on all the rice flakes. Cook further for two minutes.

Pour lime juice over the Poha. Garnish with chopped coriander. Serve hot
Nutritional Value  – Calories- 524 Fat 24.7 g, Carbohydrates- 26.8 g, Protein- 28.3 g

Tip: Grated coconut can be added to the Poha to lift its taste further and add a nice texture.

Ever since I have started blogging about recipes, my mobile camera (mobile phone’s camera ) has been quite busy. I have been clicking pictures wherever I go. Not just that, but pictures that lay hidden in the darkest recesses of my computer, laptop and hard disk are suddenly springing back into life and manifesting themselves in front of me in all their glory and galore .

Here are a few pictures from one such Indian Lunch.

Typically, the regular Indian meal from Northern India consists of a Dal, Indian Bread (Chapati), some vegetarian recipe and rice (Steamed or cooked with cumin seeds). Cut fruits or vegetables can be served as salad and plain yogurt or a yogurt salad (raita) can be served along with the other recipes.

A friend had invited a few of us over for lunch and her mom quickly turned to the table the moment we set foot in her house. Yes we were famished. Mrs. Bhutani served us with a smile, coaxing us to eat more as soon as we finished each serving (a typically habit of every Indian parent I assume). She stopped only after assuring that we were about to burst from all that food . Luckily, none of us did actually burst

The table was all set when we reached my friends place. We looked at the items with greedy eyes. The spread was decent if not lavish.

On the table we saw

1. Salad (Sliced Cucumber, Onion, Tomato served with diced capsicum, onion and tomato)

2. Rajma ki Dal (Red Kidney Beans) (Besides rice and Raita)  – One favorite North Indian recipe that is just as nutritious and healthy as it could be. These kidney beans are a good source of proteins for the vegans.

3. Paneer Makkhani (Cottage Cheese recipe) (To the left of Rice)

4. Aloo-Corn-Capsicum (Bang in the center) – There is no name to this recipe. Just that it is made from Potato, sweet corn and capsicum. (I should post its recipe someday…)

5. Jeera Rice (Steamed rice that has been tossed with cumin seeds and a little ghee)

6. Indian Bread (phulka) – Not in the picture

7. Boondi Raita (My favorite )

That was a sumptuous lunch . The recipes will take time but I thought of sharing a simple recipe for Boondi Raita.

Preparation time – 5-7 minutes

Serving Size: Serves four

Ingredients:

Khara Boondi (Salted boondi) – 100 grams
Yogurt – 1 cup or 150-200 ml
Salt – to taste
Chaat Masala(Optional) – Two pinches
Roasted Cumin Seeds Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Red Chilli Powder – 1/2 teaspoon
Fresh Coriander Leaves (Optional) – 1/2 tablespoon chopped

Preparation Method:

Beat the yogurt till smooth. Add the boondi, salt, chaat masala, cumin seed powder, red chilly powder and mix well. Garnish with coriander leaves (if available else garnish with a pinch of red chilli powder and/or cumin seed powder). Keep to rest for 7-10 minutes. You can also serve it chilled. (Coriander is not used in the dish pictured above)

Tip: Since the Boondi is already salted, be a little cautious while adding salt. If unsure, you can add the salt after you mix the yogurt with Boondi.

This yogurt recipe is prepared in just a few minutes and is actually a favorite amongst many Indians. Give it a try and you might just end up eating it almost everyday

Since I can’t be posting a recipe everyday, that definitely should not stop me from cooking up one in my mind every time I see or eat a dish that I love. On this lazy Sunday, when I stepped out of my house with a few friends to taste some delicious Chinese food – the thought of blogging about Kung Pao Chicken crossed my mind. There are hundreds of recipes on Kung Pao Chicken and all one needs is access to Google. But nonetheless, the joy of documenting my creation of Kung Pao Chicken will be fabulous . Since I will dedicate this month to Indian Recipes, Kung Pao Chicken will probably have to wait till next month. Till then, I’ll just enjoy the dish with my friends

Kung Pao Chicken served with Vegetable Fried Rice, Khimchi Salad, Vegetable Spring Roll and Groundnuts roasted in salt and red chilly powder.

Click here to check a quick recipe for Vegetarian Stuffed Paratha (Stuffed Indian Bread)

After spending almost half a day with the Paratha Recipe – making the Paratha (20 minutes), clicking pictures (20 minutes), writing the recipe (30-40 minutes), figuring out how to use WordPress (30-40 minutes), positioning the pictures correctly in the blog (30 minutes) and finally beaming with pride (for whatever part of the day that was left); I figured out that it might be a good idea to share a few recipes that I might try out in the coming few days. Though I will update the recipes twice every week, I thought I might as well just give a hint of what’s up next

One of the dishes that can be prepared with a lot of Variations is the Biryani. Long grains of Indian Basmati Rice that has been cooked with as many or as few spices as one wants. Moreover, the Biryani can be a delicious treat for Vegans and Non-Vegans alike. In fact, if you are planning to cook this at home for a small gathering/party, you can cook Vegetarian Biryani. To appease the carnivores , this Veg Biryani can be served with a layer of cooked meat. Serve it with chilled cold drinks or a can of beer and your guests will be asking for a second serving. Well, I won’t give away the entire recipe here. Wait for the blog

A Summer Favorite across India – a glass of Sweet (or Salted) Lassi is a drink you can’t miss. One of the easiest drinks to prepare on the whole of earth I assume , a glass of tasty Lassi can be prepared in under two minutes. All you need is some yogurt, a blender and sugar.

A few more items that I plan to blog about this month -

Breakfast – Upma, Poha

Appetizers – Dhokla

Main Course – Malabar Chicken Curry, Kadhi Pakoda

Desserts – Phirni

So stay tuned!!!