Davanagere Masala Mandakki / Nargis Mandakki

One more snack to satisfy by craving. For the first time in Germany I was surprised to see Mandakki puri/Mysore Puri being sold at the Indian grocery store. There are two types of puffed rice which I'm aware of; the one that is used to make puri unde (Sweet Puri-Jaggery balls), which is also offered to God during Ayudha pooja & other puffed rice used for making Masala Puri. Mysore puri / mandakki puri already has some amount of salt in it. But Bangalore puri is unsalted.

I got the recipe to make Nargis Mandakki here. After seeing so many photos of churmuri online, I was so much tempted to make it at home. I was imagining the taste of the masala puri mixed with vegetables! Hmmm yummy. I used to regularly have chaats on the road side in Bangalore, most of the time in Jayanagar 4th block. AmAr though was not such a chaat freak & would always advise on not eating out. :(

One can lightly saute the onion pieces & mix or use them raw. I like both though :)

Mandakki goes to Mahimaa's 15-minute cooking @ Spices.

Ingredients: -

2 lt Mysore puri

1 tsp mustard seeds

pinch of asafoetida

1/4 tsp turmeric powder

1/4 cup roasted ground nuts

1/4 cup roasted Bengal gram

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped

1/4 cup grated carrot [I dint have carrot at home :(]

2 green chilies finely chopped, else 2 tsp chili paste

curry leaves

coriander leaves, finely chopped

Salt

Sugar

Oil

Method: -

1. Heat 1 tbsp of oil in a pan & mustard seeds. When the seeds splutter add green chilies, asafoetida, curry leaves, turmeric powder, roasted ground nuts, roasted Bengal gram, salt & sugar along with the puffed rice.

2. Mix well & remove from flame.

3. Add onion & tomato pieces.

4. Garnish with grated carrot & coriander leaves.

5. Serve hot or cold.

Cucumber & totapuri mangoes can also also added.

Papdi chaat

Papdi chaat was on my to do list since a long time. I'd a relaxing afternoon today to give it a try. Papdi chaat is easy to make if one has green / coriander & tamarind chutneys readily available. I made the papdis fresh at home.

Another entry to Pallavi's Sunday Snacks - Chaats event.

Ingredients:-

For the Papdis: -

1/2 cup Maida

4 tbsp Rava

1 tsp ajwain (optional)

Oil

Salt

For the Toppings: - You can add different varieties of toppings. The list below is what I like the most at the moment. :)

1 medium sized potato, chopped

1 medium sized onion, finely chopped

1 tsp jeera powder

1 tsp chaat masala

1 tsp red chili powder

1/4 cup curds

1/4 cup kabuli channa, boiled

Green chutney

Tamarind chutney

Sev

coriander leaves

Salt

Method: -

1. In a mixing bowl, combine maida, rava, oil, salt with enough water to get a uniform dough.

2. Wrap the dough in a damp cloth & let it sit for 15-20 minutes.

3. Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat.

4. Divide the dough into 2 equal parts & roll them into big chapatis. With the help of a roller dough docker or a fork make small holes on top of these chapatis. This is done to prevent puffing of papdis like puris while they are being fried.

5. Cut small circles out of them with a cutter.

6. Wrap the small papdis in a damp cloth until they are going into hot oil.

7. Deep fry them in batches.

To serve: -

1. Place the papdis in a serving plate.

2. Top each of them with a potato piece, few onion pieces, chickpeas mixed with green & tamarind chutneys, chaat masala, little salt, red chili powder, jeera powder, curds & in the end with Sev.

3. Sprinkle coriander leaves as well.

Dahi puri

Oh my cravings have increased lately for eating sour & very spicy stuff. How in the first time in the last 4 years, I'm missing Bangalore for the first time! Poor me! We were watching some program about street food on the Television. I was about to cry seeing all those chaats! Well, I made this at home.

And Dahi Puri goes to Pallavi's Sunday Snacks-Chaats event.

Ingredients: -

For making puris: - Click here
For stuffing: -
1 cup boiled potatoes, diced
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 cup boiled chick peas
1/2 cup fine sev (I used boondi instead of sev)
few strands of coriander
For making green chutney: - Click here
For making tamarind chutney: - yet to post. I used the one which we'd bought.
For the dahi: -
1 cup thick yogurt, beaten.
One can add Cumin powder, Red chili powder & Chaat masala to the curds to make it a bit spicier.

Method: -
1. Make a hole in each puri.
2.Stuff each of them with a diced potato, onion pieces & chick peas.
3.Sprinkle red chili powder, chaat masala, cumin powder & salt in each of them.
4.Pour ½ tsp of both the chutneys along with the beaten curd.
5.Add sev & garnish with coriander leaves.

Onion Pakoras

Blogging after a long time. We are going to be parents soon & that is the reason for me not blogging all these days. I'd got aversion to lota food items & was hardly entering the kitchen to experiment during the first 3 months. I'm in my 5th month now & have got enough stamina to try something spicy & tangy.

It was lightly snowing today. Looks like the after effects of the snow storm that hit UK a week back. I hope it doesn't last for long here. We've had the worst winter in a few decades here already in the month of January with temperatures going below -15 Deg C. Anyway, wanted to try Onion pakoras which I was longing to eat after seeing it on a cookery show. I followed the recipe from Mane Adige. Some day when I've enough sour curds at home will try the Mangalooru bajji also.

Another entry for Pallavi's Sunday Snacks-Chaats event.

Ingredients: -
1 medium sized Onion (chopped lengthwise)
1 cup besan
1 tbsp rice flour (makes the pakoras crispy)
2-3 stands coriander leaves, finely chopped
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
few drops fresh lime juice or 1 tsp amchur
a pinch asafoetida
Salt
Oil

Method: -
1. In a bowl add chopped onions, chopped coriander leaves, chopped green chilies & salt.

2. Mix well & let the onion salt mixture stand for about 30 minutes. Onions will leave water.
3. Add red chili powder, baking soda, lime juice, besan, asafoetida & salt (if required) to mixing bowl with onions & mix well. Batter will instantly stick to the onion pieces because of the moisture.
4. Add very little water to prepare the final batter.
5. Heat oil in a kadai & drop small amounts of batter into it.
6. Deep fry the pakoras on both sides on medium flame. Pakoras are done when they turn golden brown in color.
7. Remove from oil onto a paper towel.

8. Serve hot with tomato sauce or green chutney.

Panipuri

One of the famous street snacks which we were often denied from eating as kids. Amma made them at home so that we don't eat it out & fall sick. Each of us at home would gulp as much as our tummies could take in. It was fun making & also relishing it.

Panipuri differs from region to region. Irrespective of the way it's addressed in different parts of India, taste also changes from place to place. Everything depends on the local culture & flavor used in the day to day cooking.In general, any form of Golgappa or panipuri is a hollow, puffed, round dough which tastes like a crunchy shell. The shell by itself is not tasty, unless it is stuffed with special spicy potato-based stuffing & dipped in a masala water to fill up the hollow inside the dough. Usually the stuffing needs to be prepared separately & a small hole is made in the top centre of the dough with a finger to allow filling the hollow with the potato filling. It is then dipped in the masala water & served.

I'm sending this post to the Pallavi's Sunday Snacks-Chaats event.

Ingredients: -

For the puris: -
1 cup rava
1-2 tsp maida
Salt, very little
Warm water
Oil

For the filling: -
2 medium sized potatoes boiled & mashed
1 medium sized onion, finely chopped
1 cup chick peas, soaked in water over night in Luke warm salt water
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp chat masala
coriander leaves
Salt

For the pani: -
2 tbsp tamarind juice or 1 tsp concentrated tamarind paste diluted in water.
2 tbsp jaggery
1 tsp black salt
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp dhania powder
1 cumin powder
2-3 green chili
a small bunch of mint leaves
1 strand coriander leaves
1 tsp pepper powder
Salt

3-4 tsp of Tamarind chutney diluted or Pani Puri masala can be used instead

Method: -
Puris: -
1. In a mixing bowl, combine to form a coarse mixture with rava, salt & little warm water.
2. Little moisture has to be left. Now add maida. Maida does the job of a binding material.
3. Knead the dough well.
4. Add few drops of oil & again knead.
5. Cover it in a damp cloth & let it sit for 15-20 minutes.
6. Keep oil in a kadai & heat on medium flame.
7. Divide the dough into two halves.
8. Roll out each half one at a time into a big thin chapati.
9. Either using a small cup or a bottle cap, cut out puris from the chapati.
10. Fry the puris in batches.
11. Cover the extra puris in the damp cloth.
12. Repeat the same with the other half of the dough.

Filling: -
1. Pressure cook the soaked chick peas & potatoes.
2. Mash the potatoes & add red chili powder, chat masala & coriander leaves & mix well.
3. Add salt to the chick peas.

Thick curds combined with red chili powder & black salt or Soaked boondi can be also used.

Pani: -
1. Combine all the ingredients & grind to a fine paste.
2. In a mixing bowl containing required water, add the paste & mix well.
3. Keep it in the fridge & serve chilled with the puris.

Serving the Panipuri: -
1. Puncture & make a hole in each puri.
2. Fill it with a small quantity of mashed potato, chick peas, onions, boondi & curds.
3. Dip it in mint or tamarind water / pani & relish it.

Award time! This is my first award in the blogger world. Thanks Vidya for giving me this award. I forward it to the following blogger friends of mine.

Sagari, Spandana, Divya, Amy, Ramya, Saraswathy, & Lakshmi. Congrats girls :)

Kachauri

A rainy & gloomy evening always craves for hot & crispy snacks with Tea. I decided to make Kachauries. Been travelling a lot since the beginning of the year so hadn't had time to blog. Now back home, trying new things every day. Made Samosas the other evening, but forgot to blog it. May be next time.

Another entry for Pallavi's Sunday Snacks-Chaats event.

Ingredients: -

2 cups Maida

1 cup yellow moong dal

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp red chili powder

1/2 tsp dhania powder

1/2 tsp amchur

1/2 tsp coriander seeds, crushed coarsely

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

Coriander leaves finely chopped

Salt to taste

2-3 pinches asafoetida

Oil for deep frying

Method: -

For the covering:-

1. Mix flour, salt & 3 tbsp of oil & knead into soft pliable dough.

2. Keep aside for an hour or so.

For the filling:-

1. Soak the dal with little salt for around 20-30 minutes.

2. In a heavy kadai, put plenty of water to boil.

3. Add the soaked dal.

4. Let the dal boil for 5 minutes.

5. Then drain the remaining water.

6. Let the dal Cool a little.

7. Heat 1 tbsp of oil & add all seeds (whole & crushed).

8. Fry for a minute & allow them to splutter.

9. Add asafoetida, garam masala. dhania powder, chili powder, amchur & salt.

10. Add the cooled dal to this mixture & mix well.

11. Care should be taken as to not to smash the dal.

12. Remove from fire & allow the mixture to cool.

13. Make small balls out of the filling.

To make the Kachauri: -
1. Take a small ball sized portion of dough.

2. Knead well & roll it into a circle of 4" diameter.

3. Place one ball of filling at centre.

4. Wrap the filling ball into the dough like a pouch.

5. Press the ball with palm, making it flat & round.

6. Repeat the same for left over filling balls.

7. Deep fry Kachauries in batches of 4 to 5 at a time in hot oil, on medium flame.

8. Turn the Kachauries on to the other side & fry till golden & crisp.

9. Small bubbles must appear over the Kachuries.

10. They should be served hot.

11. Can be served with green chilly & tamarind chutneys.