Idly Chilly Manchurian

This is a great appetizer one could ever make with leftover tiffin items like idlies. Back home, when idlies were left, my mother in law used to slightly fry them on tawa and eat them with spicy gun/nut powder. This idea offcourse (little customised to my taste) sparkled in my mind when I had left over ravva idlies the other day. The result was great and my husband actually thought it was aloo manchurian until he scrutinized to figure it out:)
Ingredients to serve 3Idlies (leftover/fresh) - 4
Green chillies - 5 (vary as per spice preference)
Salt - 1 tspoon
Onions - 1 big sliced thin
Shredded carrots - 1/4 cup (optional)
Ginger garlic paste - 1 tspoon
Chilly powder - 1 tspoonPepper powder - 1 tspoon
Curry leaves - 3 sprigs
Garlic - 4 pods sliced
Oil - 2 Tspoons
Tomato ketchup - 2 tspoons
Chilly sauce - 3 tspoons

Procedure

Cut the idlies in to small cubes and place them in a microwave safe bowl.

Sprinkle little water and time cook them for about 2 minutes. This would make idlies little soft and fresh.

Take a non stick frying pan, add little oil and heat on a low flame.

Once oil gets heated, add onions, green chillies, curry leaves, garlic slices. Saute them well until onions turn translucent.

When onions turn little transulucent, add ginger garlic paste and stir them well. Now add the steamed pieces of idly.

Stir the mixture to coat the idly pieces with all the spices. Allow the pieces to fry for about 5 minutes.

Sprinkle salt, chilly powder and pepper powder and stir the mixture properly.

Now add chilly sauce and tomato ketchup and toss them. Stir well to coat the pieces well. Switch off the stove and transfer them in to a serving plate and serve hot!!

Desi Veg Bun Pizza (A great and quick dish with leftovers)

Very often I feel, programming in c/c++ would be easier than programming our daily food menu. Well hats off to my close friend who once told me about bread pizza and that idea saved my day. Desi bun pizza recipe was born in a critical scenario where I was just left with buns and ridge guard (beerakaaya) tomato curry. I have used buns as pizza crest and the curry as red sauce and the outcome was just great! (judged by my family)

Ingredients

Buns - 2 whole

Some Gravy curry (leftovers) / Pizza sauce - 1 cup

Toppings

Onions - as desired

Olives - Optional - as desired

Cherry peppers/Jalapinos/desi green chillies - as per spice levels

Mozarella Shredded Cheese - 1 cup

Chilly Flakes (optional)

Procedure

• Preheat the oven with baking temperature set to 450 F.
• Take a baking sheet wrapped with aluminium foil (saves your clean up time). Slightly greese the top of the sheet with little oil/butter.
• Split the buns and arrange on the sheet. Flat side of buns must face you.
• Now spread the curry/red sauce on top of the bun and add your desired veggy toppings and finally add shredded cheese on top.
  Handy Tip: If you are in to making pizzas very often, keep a stock of chopped jalapinos, onions and olives dipped in vinegar/lime juice and sealed in a tight container.
• Place the baking sheet inside the preheated oven and bake for 10 minutes. Your desi veggy bun pizza is ready!

Aloo Crisps Chatpata Style

I want to dedicate this item to my dad, sister and my son Anish. They love aloo and this is just the right dish to flatter them. Aloo crips dish by name is a dry, crispy and a spicy side dish or even can be an appetizer. It is a quick and a rich dish and is sure to be a great feast to all vegetarians and aloo lovers.

Ingredients

Aloo/Potatoes - 2 Big

Salt - 1 Tspoon

Chilly powder - 1 Tspoon

Chat Masala - 1 Tspoon

Oil - 3 Tspoons

Procedure

• Peal the potatoes and cut them in to medium sized pieces. Cut them in to long pieces if you just want to eat them as snacks.
• Now take a microwave safe dish and cook the aloo cut pieces in it for about 3 minutes. Once cooked, strain them and keep aside.
• Take a shallow and a wide non-stick frying pan, add oil and heat on a low flame. Once oil gets heated, add the cooked potatoes. Do not stir them as they are already precooked and tend to get mashed.
• On a slow flame, let the potatoes fry for 5 - 7 minutes or until they turn slightly golden brown.
• Remove the pieces and place them on a tissue to absorb the excess oil.
• Transfer the fried potatoes in to a serving bowl and sprinkle salt, chilly powder and chat masala. Hand mix them gently to make sure they all are coated with spices. Adding chat masala gives a blend of spicy and tangy chatpata taste.
• Tasty Aloo crisps chatpata style are ready! serve just as an appetizer or with rice accompanied by dal/lentil.