STIR-FRY PEPPERS AND PANEER

Nothing can cure your evening hunger better than this quick and easy batch of stir-fry peppers and paneer.

Whenever I don't feel like cooking or spending an hour in a kitchen I always make a small snack for myself. Last weekend, I made a batch of stir fry peppers and paneer. It's a 15 minutes recipe. I was so surprised when I tried this easy, quick vegetarian snack. It turned out really delicious. It's my perfect go-to recipe. It can be served as a starter or a nice main course dish if you have a big enough bowl. It's colorful and loaded with fresh tastes. It's an incredibly appetizing and a delicious side dish that goes well with steamed rice, vegetable platter or any of your favorite dish.

This snack is quick and easy to make and sure to wake up your sleepy taste buds. You can also make this recipe on a lazy weekend or for thanksgiving. It's a great party appetizer to serve your guests. The paneer in the recipe provides with a lot of protein and calcium and the crunchy bright colored bell pepper provides with a lot of vitamins, folate and antioxidants.

It's an Indo - Chinese dish, inspired with Asian sauces using Indian ingredients. It's quite an easy dish to make. You just need 3 veggies and few ingredients to make this delicious starter. If you don't have the Indian spices available near you, add salt and pepper and it'll taste exactly the same. I added the green bell pepper in this dish. Feel free to use your favorite bell pepper. You can add any of your favorite veggies in the snack, so just be creative and surprise yourself!!

Do try these lightly fried onions, pepper and paneer cubes mixed with Indian spices. Drizzle some red tomato sauce, vinegar and/or lime juice and you'll love it! I totally adore the combination of peppers and paneer. They add crunch, color and sweet flavor to the meal. I'm sure you'll love it too!!

STIR-FRY PEPPERS AND PANEER

Serves : 3-4 People

Preparation time : 5 minutes

Cooking time : 15 minutes

Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS 

250 grams - Indian cottage cheese (paneer), cut them into 1/2 inch cubes

2 medium size - Bell peppers or capsicum, cut them into  1 inch square pieces

2 medium size - Onions, sliced

2 tablespoon - Olive oil

1/2 inch - ginger, peeled (grated)

5-6 - garlic cloves, finely chopped

2 green chillies, chopped

1 teaspoon - Salt or as per taste

1/4 teaspoon - Turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon - Red chili powder

3/4 teaspoon - Coriander powder

1 tablespoon - Vinegar

1 tablespoon - Red tomato sauce

1 tablespoon - Lime juice (optional)

chopped coriander leaves

METHOD

1. Heat olive oil or butter in a non-stick skillet. Add grated ginger followed by chopped garlic cloves over medium to high heat. Cook for 40-50 seconds.

2. Add a sliced onion and sauté it for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add all the spices - salt, turmeric powder, red chili powder and coriander powder. Mix it well.

4. Next, add capsicum and chopped green chillis and toss it. Stir occasionally for 3-4 minutes on high/medium flame.

5. Add Paneer cubes and reduce the heat of the skillet. Toss it for 2-3 minutes. 

6. Drizzle some red tomato sauce, vinegar and/or lime juice. Stir fry to combine!

7. Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and transfer immediately to a serving bowl. Serve it hot!

NOTES

1. If you don't have the Indian spices available near you, add salt and pepper and it'll taste exactly the same.

2. Feel free to use your favorite bell pepper in the dish.

DAHI VADA ON A PLATE

Dahi vada on a plate! Couldn't resist sharing all the yumminess we gobbled up! This is my first post of 2018 so I think I should start it with something sweet and savory, so what's better than Dahi vada.

Dahi vada is an Indian street food that is usually served in stalls but can be easily made at home. It's a popular chaat in North India served along with mint and tamarind chutney. There are different versions of this snack made in the other parts of the country as well like dahi bhalla in Delhi, thayir vadai in Tamil Nadu, perugu garelu in Andhra Pradesh and many more.

These deep fried lentil balls, made from urad dal batter are bathed in thick beaten yogurt with a drizzle of mint and tamarind chutney. They are so light, fluffy and melt in your mouth so good.

My Mom makes this traditional dahi vada on special occasions as my family is a die-hard fan of this snack. It's one traditional dish that always grab attentions from our guests.

You need just a few ingredients to make these delicious vadas. Soaked urad dal, ginger, green chillies, salt and cumin. Simply add all the ingredients, and blend the soaked urad dal to a smooth batter and deep fry over medium flame. Let it cool down a little, and put them into a large bowl of water and squeeze out the excess water and transfer to thick beaten yogurt. Drizzle mint and tamarind chutney over it and enjoy....!!

DAHI VADA ON A PLATE

Soaking time: 3-4 hours
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 40 minutes
Serves: 4-5 people
Author: The Food Root

Ingredients

1.5 cup - urad dal
1 cup - yogurt
1 inch ginger, grated
2 green chillies, chopped
1 teaspoon - salt or as per taste
1/2 teaspoon - cumin powder
1 cup - water
1/2 teaspoon - baking soda
Oil for deep frying

Method

1. Soak urad dal : Wash 1.5 cup of urad dal under running water. Add water, preferably 2 times of the volume of the beans. Cover and place it in a bowl and soak it for atleast 3-4 hours. Drain the soaking water and rinse it with fresh water.

2. Grind into a smooth batter : Add dal, ginger, green chillies, salt, cumin powder, 1 cup of water into a grinder and make a smooth batter. Remove the batter to a bowl. Add baking soda and mix well. Let it rest for some time.

3. Beat until it's smooth : Beat the batter until light and fluffy. If the batter has thin consistency, adjust by adding couple of tablespoons of semolina.

4. Whisk yogurt : Meanwhile take fresh yogurt. Whisk it till it gets smooth. Keep it in the refrigerator.

5. Fry the vadas : Heat the sufficient oil in a deep pan for frying the vadas. Once the oil is hot, spoon in the small sizes of the mixture, spaced apart. Fry over medium heat on both sides, until golden brown about 2 minutes. (You may need to do this in 2-3 batches). Spread the vadas on a sheet and let it cool on a room temperature.

6. Soak the vadas in water and squeeze out the excess water: Take a large bowl of water and soak these vadas into them for 5-10 minutes. Then, take each vada in your hand and gently squeeze out the excess water.

7. Pour the whisked yogurt: Place these vadas in the serving bowl and pour the whisked yogurt.

8. Garnish and Enjoy: Drizzle mint and tamarind chutney over it and enjoy! I don't like to add sev to this, as I prefer it to be simple but you are free to add if you like it.

 
NOTES

1. Add baking soda in the urad dal batter to increase the fluffy texture.

2. If the batter has thin consistency, adjust by adding couple of tablespoons of semolina.

3. Before pouring whisked yogurt on the vadas, soak the vadas into the water and gently squeeze out the excess water.

4. You can make it sweet and spicy by adding sev and chutneys.

MEDU VADA - THE INDIAN SAVORY DOUGHNUT

Mornings get so much better when Mom pampers with piping hot Medu Vadas aka The Indian Savory Doughnuts with coconut, coriander and tomato onion chutney.

Medu vadas are one of the most famous breakfast item across South India. They are made by split black lentils (urad dal) batter and deep-fried in a doughnut shape savory fritters. They are crunchy and crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Medu vadas are an extremely delicious recipe for a breakfast, lunch or any kind of occasion. They can be enjoyed with variation of dips, lentils based vegetable stew (sambar) or even a cup of hot tea!

I grew up eating Medu vadas and nothing can supersede it. It's a staple food in our family. As a kid, my parents took me to 'Indian Coffee House', quite frequently and now we have a weekend ritual of dining out to the nearest 'Sagar Restaurant'. I have fond memories of gorging on idlis, utthapam, dosas but medu vadas remains my favorite. Yesterday, my Mom surprised us with these delicious medu vadas. It was raining most of the weekend here, so we enjoyed it even more.

Medu vadas are made by split black lentils (urad dal) batter. Wash the urad dal, soak them into the water for about 2-3 hours and grind into a coarse paste. Add the spices and veggies just 10 minutes before frying the batter and enjoy your crunchy and delicious medu vadas with coconut, coriander, tomato onion chutney and hot tea!

Do try this recipe, I would love to hear how it turns out for you!

Click the link on other South Indian dishes like:

Rava Dosa

Sambhar

Coconut Chutney

Mint chutney 

Peanut chutney 

Onion-tomato chutney

MEDU VADA - THE INDIAN SAVORY DOUGHNUT

Serves: 5-6 people
Soaking time: 2-3 hours
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - split black lentils
2 cups - water
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 medium size capsicum, chopped (optional)
few curry leaves, chopped (optional)
1 tablespoon - rice flour (optional)
1 inch - ginger, grated
2 green chillis, chopped
1/2 teaspoon - cumin seeds, roasted
1/2 teaspoon - turmeric powder
1/3 teaspoon - garam masala
1/3 teaspoon - red chilli powder
1 teaspoon of salt or as per taste
coriander leaves, chopped
Oil for frying

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse and wash a cup of split black lentils under the running water. Soak 1 cup of split black lentils in 2 cups of water for 2-3 hours.

2. Drain the excess water, if any, and add the soaked lentils in the grinding jar. Add enough water into the jar and grind it into a smooth paste.

3. Transfer the paste into a big bowl and add all the spices and chopped veggies (onion, capsicum, curry leaves, rice flour, ginger, green chillis, cumin seeds, turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, salt and coriander leaves) in the batter and mix it well.

4. Let the batter rest for 10 minutes.

5. Meanwhile pour sufficient oil in a deep pan, to a depth of atleast 2 inches and start heating your oil.

6. Take water in a small bowl, wet your hands, place some batter between the palms of your hands and lightly flatten it. Make a whole in the center of the batter to give it a doughnut like shape and gently transfer it in a pan and start frying until it turns golden brown.

7. Place them on a paper napkin to absorb excess oil.

8. Serve these delicious medu vadas with coconut, coriander, and tomato onion chutney and a cup of hot tea!

NOTES

1. Pour sufficient oil in a deep pan, to a depth of atleast 2 inches and start heating your oil on medium flame for first 5-6 minutes and than gently increase the flame, to the normal deep frying temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit (177 C).

2. You can fry atleast 4 medu vadas at a time, but it depends on the size of the pan.

3. You can add a tablespoon of rice flour and chopped veggies in the batter to make your vadas more crunchy and crispy.

4. Add the ingredients just 10 minutes before frying the batter and enjoy your crunchy medu vadas with your favorite chutneys!

JEERA ALOO

Awaken your senses with the exotic flavor of Jeera Aloo. The stir-fried potatoes are tampered with the flavors of cumin seeds, asafoetida, mango powder and other dry spices. It's an excellent side dish that goes well with poori, roti or parantha. It's a real treat for all potato lovers!!

This fabulous dish can be made for breakfast, lunch or dinner. You can also prepare this for fasting. It's a delicious recipe and can be prepared in minutes. It's definitely a lunch that you can put together in a tiffin, when you are in a rush and don't have much time in the morning.

The secret ingredient of this recipe is cumin seeds. While these light brown cumin seeds are small but enough to provide plenty of flavor. To infuse the entire dish with the cumin goodness, fry them in hot oil until they make crackling sound, but don't cook for a longer time, as they can burn easily. They are added at the beginning of the dish. Cumin has a deep and warm aroma with a complex profile and a unique property of enhancing the flavor of the dish.

This dish is usually prepared with boiled potatoes but I choose to use uncooked potatoes to get the nutty and crunchy flavor of the dish. I love eating Jeera Aloo with a bowl of fresh yogurt. I know, it's a weird food combination but it taste really good!! I think I really like this dish and I'll be making this one again soon.

Oh before I sign off, I want to thank you all for following me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest. Thank you for all the love I keep receiving. It really motivates me a lot. Thank you once again.

Have a wonderful weekend and stop by again as next few weeks are shaping up to be good with few posts in a pipeline!
Much love
Anshika
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Jeera Aloo

Serves: 2-3 people
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10-15 minutes
Author: The Food Root


Ingredients

4-5 medium size - Potatoes, cut them into thin circular slices

2 tablespoon - Olive oil or clarified butter
Pinch of asafoetida

1 teaspoon - Cumin seeds

1/4 teaspoon - Turmeric powder

1/4 teaspoon - Red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon - Coriander powder
1 teaspoon - Salt or as per taste
1 teaspoon - Mango powder
1/4 teaspoon - Garam masala
2 green chillis, chopped

Chopped coriander leaves

Method

1. Wash the potatoes under the running water. Place the potato on a chopping board, than slice them into thin circular slices, using a sharp knife. Soak them into water so that they don't turn black.

2. Heat olive oil or clarified butter in a non-stick skillet. Add a pinch of asafoetida and cumin seeds. Sauté the cumin seeds until they crackle.

3 Now, lower down the heat and add all the dry spices (salt, turmeric, red chili and coriander) except mango powder and garam masala and stir it for few seconds.

4. Add the sliced potatoes, followed by chopped green chillis and toss it for 5 minutes on high medium flame, stirring constantly to prevent burning.

5. Mix in the mango powder and garam masala. Sauté it constantly. Cook until potatoes are tender but still crisp.

6. Garnish them with chopped coriander leaves and transfer immediately to a serving bowl. Pair it hot with roti, parantha or poori.

7. Enjoy!!!

Notes
1. You can boil the potatoes if you want but for not more than 5 minutes.

2. Cut potato slices into desired shape and thickness.

3. If you don't have mango powder, you can substitute 2 tablespoons of lime juice for 1 teaspoon of mango powder.

MOONG BEAN FRITTERS

Treat yourself and your family to these crispy and delicious moong bean fritters!!

No fancy restaurant or a street food vendor can beat the taste of Mom's homemade fritters!!! Last weekend, my Mom fried a batch of crispy and golden Moong Dal Fritters for the entire family. They were so good that I ate the entire first batch myself. These crunchy and delicious fritters are great eaten hot with a cup of tea or coffee.

It's a quick snack and can be enjoyed at any time of the day. If you are craving for a taste of autumn, do try them. It may not be the most nutritious, but who cares? Ideal as a side dish, these moong dal fritters are fried to crispy perfection. Serve them with coriander chutney or ketchup and a cup of tea or coffee. It's a bliss specially during a monsoon season.

These fritters are made from moong dhuli dal (skinned and split green gram beans). Soak it in the water for few hours (2-3 hours) so the green skin of the gram comes off.

It's unbelievably easy to make. Wash the moong dal and soak it in the water for about 2 hours. Grind it into a coarse paste. Add a little water and whisk to ribbon like consistency, keep it aside for 2 hours. Add the spices just 5 minutes before frying the batter and enjoy your crunchy and delicious fritters with mint chutney and hot tea!

MOONG BEAN FRITTERS

Soaking time: 2 hours

Prepration time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Serves: 4 people
Author: The Food Root

INGREDIENTS
1 cup or 200 grams - Moong Dal (skinned and split green gram beans)
1 piece or 1 inch long ginger, grated
2 green chillis, chopped
pinch of asafoetida
handful of chopped coriander leaves
1 teaspoon - fennel seeds, lightly crushed
1/2 teaspoon - chili powder
1 teaspoon - salt or as per taste taste
- and your favorite veggies (optional)
boiled peas, lightly mashed
1 medium size potato, chopped
1 medium size onion, chopped
Oil for frying

METHOD
1. Soak 1 cup of Moong Dal for 2 hours. Drain the water and put the soaked moong dal in the grinding jar and coarsely grind it. If the batter looks thick add a little water but do not make a smooth paste.

2. Take the moong dal paste out from the grinding jar and keep it aside for 2 hours.

3. Next, add grated ginger, green chillis, pinch of asafoetida, chopped coriander leaves and other spices in the batter - lightly crushed fennel seeds, red chili powder, and salt to taste. Mix it well.

4. You can also add some yummy veggies of your choice in the batter. I added mashed boiled peas, chopped potato and chopped onion in the batter. Add little water if required.

5. Now, heat the sufficient oil in a deep pan. Once the oil is hot, spoon in the small sizes of fritter mixture, spaced apart. Cook for over 3-4 minutes on both sides, until they turn golden brown. You may need to do this in 2-3 batches until they become golden brown.

6. And, the Moong Dal Fritters are ready! Sprinkle some chaat masala on top and serve them with coriander chutney or ketchup.

NOTES
1. Make sure you chop your veggies really small otherwise you'll get stuck with crunchy fritters.

2. I recommend frying a test fritter to begin with and to check that you have the right consistency.

3. Theses crunchy fritters are made from moong dhuli dal (skinned and split green gram beans). Soak it in the water for few hours (2-3 hours) so the green skin of the gram comes off.