So readers, how are you planning to spend your New Year? If you are among those who want a quiet family time, then here are some healthy and yummy recipes for snacks and meal. For those who are throwing a small but jazzy party the night before the New Year can also try the absolute desi recipes. They are easy to make as well as digest. Check your stock and get the missing ingredients now. And start 2020 on a delicious note with Toshali Mandal.
Corn samosas
Ingredients
For the dough
1 cup all purpose flour/maida
Salt to taste; 1 teaspoon of oil
Water for kneading
For the filling
1/2 teaspoon of jeera
1 cup of boiled sweet corn
2 medium sized boiled potato
1/2 teaspoon each of red chilli powder, cumin seeds powder, coriander powder, black pepper powder, garam masala powder, chaat masala
1/2 teaspoon of green chillies (chopped)
1-1/2 tablespoons of oil
Salt as required
Oil for deep frying
Direction
In a pan, heat half tablespoon of oil and add whole jeera, boiled sweet corn, boiled potatoes and mash them roughly. Add red chilli powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, garam masala, black pepper powder, chaat masala, chopped green chillies and salt to taste. Mix well and keep aside until cooled completely.
For dough, mix salt, flour/maida, oil and knead into a soft dough using water as required. Cover and set aside for about 20 minutes.
Roll medium-sized chapattis of dough and cut it into two from the middle to get two half-moon shaped chapattis. Fold each half into a hollow cone and stuff the filling and fold the ends.
Heat oil in a wok for deep frying. Drop the samosas into the oil and fry them until golden brown on medium flame. Remove them and place them on a tissue paper. Serve the samosas with tomato sauce or any sauce/chutney of your choice.
Healthy potato tikkis
Ingredients
4 medium-sized boiled potatoes
Crumbs of two slices of brown bread
Bhurji of one egg
1 medium-sized onion, chopped
1/4th cup of chopped spring onions
4 chopped green chillies – 4 , 7)
1/4th cup of chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon of salt
1 easpoon of red chilli powder
1 teaspoon each of jeera powder, dhania powder, garam masala
powder, black pepper powder, corn flour,
1/4th cup of kishmish/raisins
Onion rings, coriander strands, pickle, tomato sauce, coriander-mint chutney, red chilli chutney for garnishing
Oil (white oil/olive oil ) for brushing the tray before baking
Direction
Take a mixing bowl and add the boiled potatoes, egg bhurji, chopped onion, spring onions, green chillies, coriander leaves, salt, red chilli powder , jeera, dhania, garam masala powder, black pepper powder, corn flour and raisins and mix everything well to form a dough. Rub a bit of oil in between your palms and make small tikkis from the dough. Cover the tikkis with brown bread crumbs.
Heat a non stick pan/tawa, brush a bit of oil and shallow fry the tikkis on both sides , serve hot with the chutneys, pickle and sauce and garnish with some onion rings and fresh coriander strands. Onions can be fried a bit before adding to the mixture.
Instead of egg bhurji, boiled eggs/paneer/boiled and shredded chicken/boiled and shredded nutrela granules can also be added. Ginger-garlic paste can also be added. Instead of corn flour, rice flour or arrowroot can also be used in the same quantity as a binding agent. If using a microwave then brush the tray with oil and bake them in a pre heated oven at 180C for 12-15 mins , Add a small cheddar /mozzarella cheese cube inside the tikkis and you can rename the dish as ‘baked potato cheese burst tikkis’.
Rohu/Rui paturi
Ingredients
4 medium pieces of fish (rohu)
3 tablespoons of mustard paste
1 tablespoons of poppy seeds paste
2 green chillies, 4 green chillies to wrap, 2 tablespoons of grated coconut, 1 lemon,
2 teaspoons of turmeric powder,
Salt to taste
½ cup of mustard oil
Banana leaves to wrap
Direction
In a grinder put mustard and poppy seeds. Grind them till they turn into a coarse powder. Now add oil and green chillies and grind them until you get a super smooth paste. Check by nabbing a little of the paste in between two fingers for its consistency. If it feels even a little bit coarse, grind again.
Pour the entire paste in a bowl and stir in some water to make the paste of medium consistency. Also, add two tablespoons of mustard oil, salt, turmeric powder and a generous squeeze of lemon.
Prepare your banana leaf. Take a sharp knife and cut the leaf in a sharp and smooth motion along the stem. The strong stem should be cut off nicely. Make sure not to tear the leaf at any point.
Observe the leaf to measure how much portion you will need to wrap one fish. Then select a line according to that measurement and gently tear the leaf along that line. It should come off easily and smoothly. Follow this step to create other wrappers from the leaves. It is convenient to prepare them before you start wrapping rather than doing each one of them at a time.
Place one fish in the middle of the banana leaf. Spoon in one tablespoon of the mustard paste. Rub it well all over the fish. Drizzle half teaspoon of mustard oil over it and place some grated fresh coconut and one green chilli on top. Now wrap the leaf with the help of a thread.
Take a roasting pan and drizzle some mustard oil into it. Pour in ¼th cup of water. Mix it well and spread the oil and water all over the surface of the pan. Take some of that mix and brush that on the upper part of the envelopes of fish as well.
Place the wrapped fish into that pan one beside the other. Do not stack. Cook the wrapped fishes in it until the banana leaf starts to char. Do it in small batches and once done, take them out of the pan and keep aside.
Serve hot with steaming rice and a generous drizzle of mustard oil.