Healthy Saag Paneer with Tofu

Whenever I ask people, "what is your favorite Indian dish?", they say Chicken Tikka Masala. I'm so tired of hearing that. I mean, it's not even Indian. At times, I do hear Saag Paneer. Now, that is a good answer. Saag paneer is paneer (Indian cheese) cooked in a creamy spinach sauce. What can be better than that?

The answer is Saag Tofu! You get the creamy spinach sauce but with a healthy twist of adding tofu instead of cheese. It's a vegetarian's delight. We hope you enjoy this dish as much as we enjoyed making it and eating it with our families. 

Tofu and mushrooms in Spinach sauce

Ingredients

- 2 lbs Fresh Spinach leaves, washed and chopped

- 14 oz Extra firm Tofu, cut into 1" cubes (Please make sure to drain water and gently press to remove more water)

- 3 white button mushrooms, cleaned and thinly sliced (optional)

- 1 medium onion chopped finely

- 4 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped

- 1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

- ½ tsp chili powder or per your taste

- ½ tsp garam masala (optional)

- ½ tsp salt

- 1/3 tsp cup Heavy cream or half & half (alternately use coconut or nut milk)

Ingredients for seasoning

- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil

- 1 tsp whole cumin (jeera)

- 2 to 3 Bay leaves (optional)

Cooking Instructions

1) In a blender, add the chopped spinach and a little bit of water and blend into a coarse thick sauce consistency. Set it aside. 

2) In a saucepan, heat oil on low/medium heat, add jeera and when they sizzle follow it with bay leaves and stir for 10 seconds. Later add chopped garlic, onion and ginger-garlic paste. Stir for 1-2 minutes. Add chili powder and garam masala and stir for another 10 seconds.

3) Add tofu pieces into the pan and allow the cubes to turn golden brown by stirring intermittently and lightly for 5-6 minutes. When tofu is slightly browned, add chopped mushrooms and cook them for 2-3 minutes under closed lid. When mushrooms are soft, add the spinach blend and salt and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes. Adjust the salt and chili powder if needed. In the end add the heavy cream or half-half and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4) Remove from heat and serve it with rice, quinoa, chapati, or naan.

Diwali with a Millet Twist - Bajra Ki Halwa

 Happy Diwali from my family to yours!

Holidays/ festivals are better with family and friends. This year is the first time in a while that I was home with my parents on Diwali. We ate pheni, drew rangoli, lit diyas, made sweets, and did fireworks. We're continuing the celebration into the weekend when my sister and husband join us too. Check out the 'sweet' recipe we made today. Hope you enjoy it! 

Bajra ki Halwa (Pearl Millet Flour Halwa) - Gluten Free

Pearl Millets are rich in fiber, protein, and essential minerals; above all, they are gluten-free. 

Ingredients

• ½ cup (80 g) Bajra flour
• 2 Tbsp less ½ cup (80 g) sugar
• 5 Tbsp Ghee (Clarified butter)
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 1 Tbsp coconut powder (desiccated)
• 10 to 12 cardamom pods, seeded and powdered
• 8 Roasted cashews, coarsely chopped
• 1/8 cup sliced almonds

Preparation

1) Heat ghee in a small skillet and add bajra flour and stir constantly until the ghee is mixed in. Roast the flour in ghee until a nutty aroma is felt (3-5 minutes), stirring all the time to avoid over roasting or browning. 

2) Add water and sugar and keep mixing until the water is absorbed (2-4 minutes) and the flour thickens into halwa. Continue on low heat and mixing as the halwa thickens further and forms a silky smooth lump without sticking to the walls of the skillet. 

3) Mix in coconut and cardamom powder and ¾ of almonds and cashews and stir for another 1 to 2 minutes and transfer the halwa into a bowl or a plate to cut into pieces. After transferring into a plate, using a spatula press the halwa flat and evenly. Sprinkle the remaining cashews and almonds and slightly press them in. 

4) Allow it to cool for 30 minutes and cut them into the desired shape of squares or diamonds.  

Alternately transfer into a serving bowl and garnish the halwa with the remaining cashews and almonds. Enjoy the warm halwa in the cold winter; it boosts your strength with nutrition. 

Carrot and Almond Kheer

There's just a week left of 2020! Who is ready to say Goodbye to this year and say Hello to 2021? 

We are going to take the next 7 days to reflect and think about our goals for next year. This year has been tough on everyone.  Thank you for your continued support. 

Check out this quick and easy kheer made with carrots and almonds. It is gluten-free and not much sugar. 

Ingredients

- 200g (or 7 oz) of carrots

- 1 cup of milk

- 25g or slightly less than 1/4 cup of granulated sugar

- 6 to 7 cardamom pods, seeded and powdered

- 2 Tbsp Almond flour (or use 7 to 8 almonds, soaked and skin removed)

- 3 drops of Vanilla extract

Instructions

• Wash and peel the carrots and then slice them into 1/2" thick pieces. Place them in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave for 4 minutes. Transfer the cooked carrots into the blender*, add milk, sugar, cardamom powder, almond flour, vanilla extract, and blend into a smoothie consistency.  

• Pour into a microwaveable bowl and heat it for 2 to 3 minutes depending on your microwave until the kheer (pudding) bubbles up. 

• Serve hot. 

Quick Tips

- We used the Vitamix blender and blended the ingredients on Smoothie mode; about 90 seconds. 

- For a creamier taste, you can use whole milk or 2 Tbsp of heavy cream. 

Gluten Free Diwali Sweets - Badam Burfi (Almond Treats)

Are you excited about Diwali as much as I am??

🪔 Diwali, the festival of lights, is just days away. Every year, we celebrate this holiday with family and friends, yummy dishes, and desserts. 🪔

🪔 This year, it will be a bit different because of COVID-19. We are only celebrating within our family and keeping the group small. However, I'm still planning to make yummy dishes to enjoy the festivities. 🪔

My sister and I 💓 classic Indian sweets like Kaju Katli or Kaju burfi which is made with cashews. I never thought 🤔 about making the nutty burfis at home. 

Almond Burfi

My mom decided to give it a try. Instead of making Kaju burfi, she made Almond burfi. She also wanted to make a sweet that is easy and requires few ingredients and calories 😀. 

Costco to the rescue 👍! She found Almond flour at Costco and made the sweet without making the flour herself. Read below to see how easy it is to make this yummy dessert. 😋

Ingredients

• 1-1/4 cups Almond flour (we used Kirkland brand)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/3 cup room temperature water
• 1/4 cup Mavva/Kova (milk powder) optional if not use 1&1/2 cups of almond flour
• 6 to 7 cardamom, seeded and powdered
• 1 tsp of ghee (clarified butter)
• 4 to 5 pistachios, finely chopped 

Procedure

1) Heat water and sugar and cardamom powder in a medium non-stick saucepan over low-medium heat. Stir until sugar is completely dissolved. 

2) Slowly add the almond flour, mavva, and ghee and stir continuously until the water is absorbed and the mixture is not sticking to the fingers when tested. It took about 9 minutes until the mixture came together. 

3) Remove from heat and immediately press the burfi dough onto wax paper evenly that is rubbed with ghee to help make it non-stick. Make sure there aren't any bumps. Use a rolling pin gently to press down and adjust to even sides to a rectangle shape.

4) Then, sprinkle the pistachios all over pressed burfi dough and press them down gently with the rolling pin. We evened out the edges so we could cut burfi dough into diamond shapes (as shown below). 

5) Cover the cut burfis with wax paper and put it in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to set. Then place the burfi pieces onto your favorite plate or serving dish and enjoy! 

🪔 From my family to yours...Diwali Mubarak 🪔

Poornalu - A Gluten Free Festival Sweet

Yummy Poornalu!

Today is Durga Ashtami. It is celebrated with great passion and fervor, all over India and especially in West Bengal. 

Ashtami marks the eighth day of the Navratri and on this auspicious day, devotees observe rigorous fast, feast, and worship Goddess Durga who symbolizes 💪 strength. A celebration of traditional culture and customs, massive idols of Goddess Durga are installed throughout India while enormous puja pandals are set up at various places for devotees to visit and worship.

 

Poornalu (or Boorelu, as known in Telugu-speaking regions) is a traditional Andhra sweet that is most commonly made for festivals like Dussehra, Varalakshmi Puja, Ugadi, etc, and also served at weddings. With the advent of milk-based sweets, the popularity of traditional sweets has dwindled in the past few years. Lately, sweets like Poornalu are making a comeback along with the interest in traditional cultural habits.

This Poornalu recipe was passed down to my mom from her mother who learned to make it from her mother-in-law. I love learning about these dishes because it is a way for me to learn about culture and family history. This year has been especially difficult because my maternal grandmother passed away at the end of March. She used to visit us during the festival season and shared stories about the festivals and the food. She was a vivacious spirit. 

Below is the recipe for this sweet. Hope you like it as much as I do. 

Ingredients for the lentil filling (this makes 22-25 lime sized balls)
- 1 cup channa dal or yellow split peas

- 1/3 cup grated coconut (optional)
- 1 cup grated jaggery 
- 10 to 12 cardamom pods, seeded and (powdered with a pinch of sugar)


Ingredients for the dough
- 3/4 cup urad dal (husked black gram dal), soaked for 5-6 hours or overnight, and ground to a thick fine paste
- 1/4 cup rice flour

- A pinch of salt

- A pinch of baking soda

Ingredients for frying

- 3 cups of vegetable oil

Procedure
1) Pressure cook channa dal with plenty of water until dal is soft but not soupy. Using a colander, drain the excess water. Transfer the dal into a flat container and mash well until it is in paste consistency.

2) Add the jaggery, coconut, and cardamom to the dal paste into a non-stick pan and keep mixing under low heat until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes together (approx. 10 minutes) without sticking to the walls. Transfer it into a container and cool it for 15-20 minutes. 

3) Grease a plate with 1/2 tsp of oil, and make lime-sized balls of the lentil mixture and arrange them on the plate without any of them touching each other. 

4) Mix the rice flour, salt, and baking soda into the ground urad dal paste and add water as needed to loosen it to a pancake batter consistency. 

5) Heat oil in the frying pan on medium heat, when heat it felt to your palm placed safely at a distance above the oil, drop a small amount of dough into the oil. If the dough rises up to the surface of the oil quickly, the oil is ready for frying. 

6) Take a lentil ball and dip in the coating dough well to cover all over and gently drop it into the oil. Continue this step with an additional 3-4 balls coated and gently dropped into the oil. After a couple of minutes when the oil bubbles subside on the Purnalu, turn them over and continue to fry them to golden brown color. Using a slotted ladle, collect them from the oil, and let the oil drain further by placing them into a strainer. In a couple of minutes, transfer them onto a flat serving dish. Continue these frying steps with the remaining lentil balls. 

7) Serve them hot to experience the crunchy coating. 

Quick Tips

- Brown sugar can be substituted for jaggery; if jaggery is not readily available. Keep in mind, it will have a slightly different taste. Adjust the brown sugar as per your taste. 

- Store-bought dosa dough can be used instead of making your own coating batter. 

- Cold Purnalu can be reheated in the toaster oven for a better taste; just dab the oozed-out oil after heating. 

- Dry coconut can be substituted if fresh coconut is not available. 

Pappuchekkalu - Gluten Free Indian Crisps

Boo to all those who think of celebrating one's birthday all month long is wrong! It's not wrong at all. 

This year, I've been lucky enough to be with my parents for my birthday and boy am I enjoying myself. It was much needed TLC. We've bonded over cocktails, wine, and yummy Indian food. 

Every year, my mom asks me what I would like to eat for my birthday and she makes those dishes. So far, I've enjoyed Sarvapindi, Double Ka Meetha (also known as Shahi Tukra), Onion Rava Masala dosa with Chutney Powder, sweet roti, and Pappuchekkalu. 

Pappuchekkalu are gluten-free crisps that are made with rice flour, lentils, and spices. They are fun, crackling, and crunchy...once I crunch into one, I can't stop crunching away. So addictive. I don't feel so guilty about eating 4 or 5 at a time because they are made with healthy ingredients. 

Aren't you dying to find out how they are made? I'm munching on some while typing up this post. MMMM, Pappuchekkalu! Me wants more! 

Ingredients for making the dough

- 4 cups Rice Flour                        

- 1 cup Roasted Chana dal (putnalu), finely powdered                         

- ½ cup  Chana dal, soaked in water for 3 hours                                            

- ½ cup peanuts, soaked for 3-4 hours and de-skinned                                                     

- ¼ cup Sesame seeds                                   

- 3 tsp Chili powder (or as needed)

- 5 tsp Salt (or to taste)                                               

- 15-20 Curry leaves, finely chopped (optional)                                                       

- 4 Tbsp Vegetable oil,  heat oil to lukewarm temperature to mix into the dough

- approx. 450ml (or 2 cups) of water

Ingredients for frying the Pappuchekkalu (or crisps)

- 2 to 3 cups of Vegetable oil for frying in a wok

Procedure

• Drain and de-skin the peanuts, coarse crush them in a food processor. If you do not have a food processor, you can finely chop them on a cutting board running the knife over them carefully. Drain the soaked Chana dal too.

• Add rice flour into a wide mixing bowl and the dry ingredients for the crisps (from the pappuchekkalu ingredients list). Mix well and adjust the salt and chili powder, by tasting a pinch of the mixture.

• Now add the remaining items, peanuts, chana dal, curry leaves, and mix well. 

Add the warm oil into the mixture and mix again. Slowly add water to the flour until it forms into a lump, soft and tight but not sticky.

 Take a handful of the dough and make a log and pinch off a lime size and make round balls.

• Place 8" by 10" size wax paper on the counter and spread a few drops of oil on it (can also use unfolded cereal bag). Fold the wax paper in half and place a dough ball on one half of the wax paper and cover it with the other half and press the ball to make a thin, round disk.   

•  Place these disks on a wide tray (as shown above) and cover it with a towel until you have made 20 or so to fry.

•  Heat the oil for frying in the wok at medium to high heat. Place your palm over the wok at a safe height to feel the heat. Test the heat by dropping a small ball of dough into the oil. If the ball sizzles and surfaces to top, then the oil is ready for frying the flattened dough disks. Slowly, insert 10 – 12 dough disks into the oil and fry them until they are golden brown, turning them over in between for uniform frying. Remove them from oil using a slotted ladle into a mesh strainer for the oil to drain further. Later transfer into a container.

•   Cool them for 10 – 15 minutes to attain the proper crunchiness to serve. Store them in a tight lid container after they have cooled for 1 hour. This recipe makes 65 crisps of 3” size. They can be stored and enjoyed for 15 -20 days. 

Have you tried this snack before? I love snacking on these pappuchekkalu or crisps because they are made with good wholesome ingredients. Happy Snacking! 

What snacks have you been enjoying during this current COVID-19 situation? We would love to hear from you. 

Chikkudukaya (Broad Beans) Stir Fry

Ingredients

- 1 lb Chikkudukaya* (broad beans), remove the fibers from the sides and snap into 1" pieces

- ½ tsp Red chili powder, or to taste

- ¼ tsp Turmeric powder

- 1 tsp brown sugar

- ½ tsp salt, or to taste

- 1 Tbsp Roasted Sesame powder (optional)

Seasoning ingredients

- 2 Tbsp Vegetable oil

- ½ tsp mustard seeds

- ¼ tsp whole Cumin

- ½ tsp Urad dal (Black gram lentil)

Procedure:

1. Heat oil in a pressure pan or saucepan on medium heat, add ural dal and toss it until it becomes golden brown. Add mustard and cumin seeds, when they splutter, add turmeric and chili powder and stir for 10 seconds. 
2. Immediately add the chopped chikkudukaya (broad beans), salt, and brown sugar. Sprinkle some water and if using a pressure cooker, place the lid and the weight and pressure cook under low to medium heat until to hear two whistles. 
1. If using a saucepan, cook under a tight lid until the beans are cooked (turns bright green to dull green and soft to touch), maybe 10 or more minutes. Sprinkle more water as needed. 
3. When the beans are cooked (pressure is released from the cooker), on low heat stir until any remaining moisture is gone and oil comes out. Add sesame powder and mix well and remove from heat. 
4. Serve hot with white rice. 

Quick Tip

- These beans are typically available at Indian grocers: Patel Brothers, Subzi Mandi, Delight Bazaar (in NJ). Search for local Indian grocers in your area. 

Go to Flavor-town with these Game Day Snacks!

I have to be honest...I'm not an avid American football fan but every year, I'm ready to watch the Super Bowl. It's more than a game; it's an event filled with funny and inspiring commercials, halftime show, and fun with the family. Regardless of who your favorite football team is, everyone comes together to watch the BIG GAME on that auspicious Sunday in February. 

Even my parents get in on the action on Super Bowl Sunday. We're not carnivores, so Game Day doesn't include the usual wings, meaty chili, sliders, etc. We prefer spicy, crunchy munchies and hearty entrees such as the following:

Crackling, Crunchy Cashews

This past December, my husband and I actually bought a lot of crunchy and nutty snacks at Dadu's Sweet shop in Hyderabad, India. One of the snacks is called Cashew pakoda. It looks and tastes similar to the crackling, crunchy cashews on our blog.  The snack is made with besan flour (chickpea flour) and spices.

Picante peanuts

You can also make it with peanuts as shown in the picture above. Other snack ideas that go well with beer or wine for game day are corn flakes mixture or chivda. You can make enough for the whole game and more because we use corn flakes cereal to make the snack. 

Similarly, you can make another type of mixture with rice crispy cereal. As you can see, we like spicing things up with our breakfast cereals. The spices really kick it up a notch. We also spice things up with pancakes. We love our spices.

If you want to get really creative and try an authentic South Indian snack for game day, then you should try making Pappuchekkalu:

Pappuchekkalu (Rice and Lentil Crisps)

Good news for people with gluten allergies, these rice, and lentil crisps are gluten-free; they're made with a combination of rice flour, urad dal flour (white lentil flour) and soy flour. You have to give them a try. 

We also make various raitas or yogurt dips on game day. The most common dips are artichoke or spinach dip. However, our raitas are so much more flavorful than any old dip. 

We make our yogurt dips with all kinds of vegetables: beetroot, long squash, bell peppers, spinach, eggplant, cucumbers, and even tomatoes and onions. You can make raita with any vegetables. It's easy and delicious. 

Beetroot Raita served with corn tortilla chips

My favorite is beetroot raita. It's a little sweet but not like candy-sweet and goes well with tortilla chips, pita chips, potato chips or mini naan. 

It's a new year! New flavors and experiences. Check out the above recipes for yummy and kickass snacks for the Big Game in a few hours. We're serious about SNACKING!

For the Love of Podis - Peanut Podi

In Andhra cuisine, bhojanam or meal is comprised of rice and a variety of dishes that are eaten with that said rice, including wet/dry vegetable curries, rasam, and plain yogurt. 

SOMETIMES, WE CRAVE FOR SOMETHING MORE YUMMY THAN JUST CURRIES. In those times, we eat rice with pickles or podis. These pickles and podis are usually pre-made and in large quantities, so they are always on hand for those CRAVINGS!! 

Tonight, I ate something I haven't eaten in 2 years, and it was so good. From the moment, the rice ball mixed with the PEANUTTY PODI hit my mouth, I was in podi heaven. 😋

You may be thinking, is she crazy?  I'm not.

I just love the simplicity of Andhra cuisine. Some dishes are super easy to make with very few ingredients. Below is the recipe for Peanut podi, which is my favorite out of all the podis and by far the easiest to make.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of peanuts
• 2 dry red chilies
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Vegetable oil
• Clarified butter (ghee), optional

Procedure

Shallow fry the dry red chilies with a few drops of vegetable oil and then add the peanuts. Then fry these together for 5 to 7 minutes on medium to low heat (or until you smell the roasted aroma). Remove from heat and let the mixture cool down. Grind the peanut and chili mixture together with salt in a blender (on medium speed) until you get a coarse powder. Adjust the chili powder and salt quantities as per your taste.

If you love peanuts, then you will love peanut podi. I add enough podi to the rice until I get the peanutty flavor. I also add a couple of drops of vegetable oil to the rice and podi mixture because it brings it all together and also enhances the flavor. You can add ghee instead of vegetable oil if you are not diet conscious.

For the Love of Podis - Putnala Podi

You know what I love about Indian cuisine, the fact that it's not just all curry. It's not tikka masala or some sauce-based cuisine. There's more to Indian cuisine because there are 29 provinces or states in India. We are all Indians but the dishes are as diverse as the people who live there.

I am originally from Andhra Pradesh which is in South India. We eat "curries" with rice. The curries can be dry or wet depending on our mood really. We also eat rice with pickles or podis.

Indian pickles are not pickled cucumbers. Pickles are vegetables or fruit which are cooked and cured/pickled in oil and spices. 

Podi is a Telugu word for powder. Powder sounds a bit odd because it's not like powder that you put on your face or even confectioner's sugar which is finely powdered sugar.  

Podi is a coarse powder. It is generally made with roasted lentils and whole spices which are then ground to perfection (consistency depends on you). 

Today, we're making Putnala podi or roasted chana dal powder. 

Ingredients

1 cup of chana dal (roasted chickpeas)

1 tsp jeera (cumin)

½ tsp chili powder

¾ tsp salt

Grind all of the above ingredients together in a blender until the chana dal is powdered. It is alright if
the jeera or whole cumin do not get powdered. Adjust the chili powder and salt quantities to your taste.

We like eating putnala podi with warm, white Basmati rice. Heat up some rice, add some ghee
(clarified butter) and mix in this podi. This mashup of rice and podi goes really well with vegetable fry
as well.

There are many podi varieties. Putnala podi is the well known amongst my family. There is also Peanut podi, Dry Garlic podi, Mint podi, Karvepaku (made with curry leaves) podi, Poppy seeds podi just to name a few. This post is first of many in a series about podis. Stay tuned for more.

Easy Dahi Vada aka Yogurt Doughnuts!

Dahi Vada garnished with Tamarind & Date chutney

Whenever we visit my parents, Michael puts his best foot forward...especially when it comes to eating. Of course, my mom loves that he wants to try everything. I'm not her favorite anymore...Grr! 

On our most recent visit, he asked my mom the following:
 
Michael: Aunty, "Do you have any more yogurt doughnuts?" 

My mom: "Yogurt Doughnuts? Oh, you mean Dahi vada. Yes, I made it knowing you and Jahnavi will be coming over."

Michael's response: "Thanks, aunty. I hope Jahnavi will learn to make this soon so we can enjoy at home too." He looks over to me and says with a smile, "Happy husband, a happy wife!"

Alas, he's right. It's a win, win for both of us. Dahi vada does make him happy and it doesn't have anything bad in it, so I'm happy to make it and enjoy it. 

Below is the "secret" way to make Dahi vada without actually making the wadas. Shhh! Don't tell anyone. 

Ingredients:
- 13 Frozen Medu Vadas (from Amma's Kitchen brand, 24 pack)
-  2.5 lb or 41 oz plain whole milk yogurt 
- 3 small green chilies, finely chopped
- 1" piece of ginger, finely chopped or grated
- ½ cup fresh coriander, finely chopped
- ½ Tbsp salt or per taste

For seasoning:
- 1 tsp urad dal (black gram lentil)
- 1 tsp mustard seeds
- 1 tsp whole cumin
- a pinch of Hing
- a pinch of turmeric powder
- a pinch of salt
- 1 Tbsp Vegetable oil or Canola oil


Procedure (for preparing the yogurt or dahi):
1) Transfer the yogurt (or dahi) into a large Pyrex container with a lid. Churn the yogurt with a big spoon or a churner to make it smooth, adding ½ to ¾ cup water (use ½ cup for homemade dahi and 3/4th cup for Desi dahi brand of yogurt).

2) In a small pan, heat oil on medium heat for seasoning and add urad dal and mustard seeds. When mustard seeds splutter, add in whole cumin and then add hing.

Stir for few seconds and then add chopped chilies and ginger and a pinch of salt.

Stir for 30 seconds and add the seasoning into the yogurt. Next, add chopped coriander and mix well and set aside.


Procedure (for preparing of Vadas):

1) Transfer frozen vadas onto a microwavable plate and microwave for 3 minutes to defrost and warm the vadas (depending upon the wattage).

2) Remove the vadas from the microwave, and immediately using a fork pierce into the vadas at three or four locations and put them into the prepared yogurt mixture for soaking.

Continue this step with all the vadas and ensure they are completely immersed in the yogurt mixture. Soak the vadas in the yogurt mixture overnight or at least 4+ hours.

Procedure (for serving the Vadas):

Serve 1 to 2 vadas with some yogurt mixture into a bowl and garnish them with Tamarind & Date chutney, coriander chutney, some sev and enjoy!!

Product Review

We bought this Amma's Kitchen Medu vada packet twice and thought the vadas in the packet were good for the most part. We ate them on their own and also enjoyed them in the dahi vada recipe. They were very tasty and would recommend buying it. One thing to note:  Sometimes, you may find a couple of them that fall apart or not in good shape. This may occur if the packets at the store weren't stored properly. If you do not mind that they are perfectly round, then you can still enjoy them. Just make sure that if you are not using all 24 pieces in one recipe, that you store the packet properly in the freezer so the vadas do not go stale or fall apart. We purchased this medu vada packet at our local Indian grocer, Delight Bazaar (Parsippany, NJ) 

Quick N Easy Bhel Puri

Aloo Tikki chaat, aloo papdi chaat, pani puri, bhel puri, and samosa chaat are popular Indian snacks. You can buy all of these cheap eats from the street vendors in all over India. One of my favorites is Bhel Puri. 

There are also many restaurants and cafes in the New Jersey/ New York City area where I can go to enjoy this snack, such as Hot Breads (Parsippany, NJ), Moghul Express (Edison, NJ), Sukhadia's (Edison, NJ), and most north Indian restaurants have it on the menu as well. 

However, I'm not in India right now and I don't feel like driving to go get this snack. What I can do?? No worries. 

Mom to the rescue! She always knows what to do when I'm craving snacks. 

She told me about Bombay Kitchen's Bhel mix. This mix is made up of puffed rice, sev, and spices. This mix is also gluten-free because sev is made from chickpea flour and puffed rice is made from, well, RICE. DUH!!

Making Bhel puri is quite easy once you have the two ingredients I mentioned above. The snack is typically made with puffed rice, sev, tomatoes, onions, fresh coriander, and sprinkled with tamarind sauce.

I was excited to see that my mom has multiple bags of this bhel mix. Now I can make and enjoy this snack to my heart's content.

Below are the ingredients I used:

 

- 1/3 cup of Bhel Mix by Bombay Kitchen (which is a mix of puffed rice, sev, and spices) 

- 1/2 to 1 ripe but firm plum tomato, finely chopped

- 1/4 cup of finely chopped red onion

- a few sprigs of fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)

- 1 to 2 tsp of tamarind and date chutney

- 1 tsp Coriander Chutney (optional)

Mix together all of the above ingredients in a bowl and enjoy! That's it. That's the recipe. Now, go make it. It's nice and easy. You can adjust the ingredient amounts above as per your taste. 😀

Word of caution: do not wait too long after you mix all the wet and dry ingredients together because it will get soggy. That's no fun. 😥

I would definitely recommend all to buy this bhel mix. It tastes good on its own or you can use it to make your favorite snacks. It's great for parties. And it is reasonably priced. 

Bombay Kitchen Bhel Mix is available at most Indian grocery stores. It is also available for purchase online, at www.patelbrothersusa.com