Vegetable Cutlets (Baked)

As it was cold and cloudy outside, I decided to make Veg cutlets as an evening snack. Keeping calories in mind, I decided to bake them instead of deep frying in oil (the recipe uses only 1tsp of oil). I used simple ingredients to make these (no need for bread crumbs). This recipe makes about 20 medium sized cutlets.

Ingredients:

1. Potatoes - 2 big (peeled and cut into small cubes)
2. Mixed Vegetables - 2 cups (carrots, peas, beans, corn)
3. Salt - as required
4. Water - for boiling the vegetables
5. Red chilli powder - as required
6. Corn Flour - 4 table spoons (or as required to shape the dough)
7. Cilantro - 1/4 cup (chopped finely)
8. Amchoor powder - 1 tsp (optional)
9. Garam Masala - 1 tsp (optional)
10. Oil - 1 tsp

Instructions:

1. Pressure cook vegetables along with potatoes until they become soft.
2. Mash the vegetables lightly and mix with corn flour, cilantro, oil, salt and chilli powder as required.
3. Make a cutlet shape with the above mix and place these in an aluminium foil in a baking pan.
4. Set the oven to BROIL setting and bake the cutlets for 10 -15mins or until they turn brown in color. Flip them over and bake for another 5mins.
5. Serve hot with ketchup or tomato sauce.

Karapu Chekkalu

Here is another Andhra snack called karapu chekkalu/rice crackers. This is commonly prepared during festivals in South India. It's crispy nature makes it a perfect snack along with tea.

Ingredients:

1. Rice flour - 1 cup
2. Water - ~3/4th cup
3. Green chillies - 2 (or as required, can use red chilly powder too)
4. Salt - as required
5. Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
6. Moong dal + Chana dal (soak in water for an hour and drain) - 2 tsp
7. Ghee or butter - 2 tsp (optional)
8. Curry leaves - 1 stem (optional)
9. Oil for deep frying

Instructions:

1. Bring water to boil.
2. Grind the chillies, curry leaves and cumin seeds in a mixer along with salt.
3. Add the above paste, butter, and chana, moong dals to rice flour. Combine well with boiled water. Batter should be little thicker than murukulu batter. Check for salt/chilly taste, can add more if required. Cool this dough completely.
4. Heat oil in a heavy bottomed pan for deep frying.
5. Place the round ball (smaller than a lemon) size of the dough on an oil coated plastic sheet and using poori press or with hand make a 2″ circle.
6. Peel the round shaped chekkalu off the plastic sheet and fry in hot oil. Reduce flame to medium and deep fry the chekkalu till golden brown.
7. Place the fried chekkalu onto an absorbent paper and cool. Repeat the same process till the rest of the dough is done.
8. Cool completely and store in an air tight container.

Murukulu (Janthikalu)

Murukulu is my husband's favourite snack. These are made often during festivals at our home.




I used the tool below to make these. It's very easy to use and convenient, and it needs very little effort/strength. We can make different shapes using the appropriate plates that come along with this tool.


Ingredients:

Rice flour - 2 cups
Besan flour - 1/2 cup
Urad dal flour - 1/4 cup (Optional, I usually prepare this at home - fry the skinless urad dal till brown in color and powder them in a mixer)
Cumin seeds - 1 tsp
Ajwine seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - 1 table spoon (or as required)
Chilli powder - 2 table spoons (or as required)
Clarified butter - 3 tsp
Water - to make the batter (~ 1 and 1/2 cup)
Sesame seeds - 1/4 cup
Oil - for deep frying

• Mix the flours, seeds, salt, chilli powder, clarified butter into a batter using water (batter shouldn't be too thick, see the picture below). Adjust salt and chilli powder according to the taste.

• Heat oil in a pan.
• Fill the murukulu tool with batter and dispense the batter in concentric circles in the hot oil. Actually the shape doesn't matter as long as it tastes good :)).

• Flip the murukulu till both sides turn brown in color.
• Cool them over a paper towel to absorb oil. Store them in an air tight container.

Maida Biscuits

Ugadi is approaching and relatives are coming for weekend, so thought of making these sweet little treats for the festival. My Mom uses clarified butter for these but I am substituting the recipe with unsalted butter. I love the crispy nature of these biscuits.

This recipe yields 12 medium size cookies or 24 small ones.

Ingredients:

Maida /All-Purpose flour - 1 cup
Sugar - 1/2 cup
Clarified Butter / Unsalted Butter(melted) - 1/2 cup (or little more)

• Mix Maida and sugar in a food processor for 3min.s.
• Add melted butter slowly to this until the mix forms a tight dough, just enough to make round balls.
• Preheat oven at 325F and grease the cookie sheet with oil and line the sheet with parchment paper.
• Make small rounds with the dough and flatten them like a cookie/biscuit shape. Place these in the cookie sheet with enough gap between the cookies.
• Bake for 15-20 min.s , if the backside of the cookie starts brown in color, remove the tray from oven.

Cool for 5min.s and keep them on a 2-layered tissue paper to absorb the ghee/butter . Store these in an air-tight container for 1 week.