Corn Vada | Mokkajonna Vadalu | Mokkajonna Garelu

Corn vada (Mokkajonna Vadalu) is a popular snack item in Andhra pradesh, it is even served as a breakfast at few households.I have heard about these vadas from my MIL and she also shared me the recipe once to try.But I somehow kept forgetting to try it and when I got a couple of fresh corns during my shopping last time I wanted to try it and the vadas turned out delicious.One should use aged corns instead or tender and young corns as the tender corns turn to a paste when ground and hence it cannot add texture to the vada.

A slight hint of sweetness from the corn with the freshness from the herbs and crunchy onion bits made the vadas taste delicious.The preparation process of these vadas is very much similar as the masala vadas but is made with major portion of corn.I have used chana dal as a binding agent but one can use even the besan flour and rice flour for the binding.I have prepared it like masala vada but one can even make these vadas with the hole like how we do for medu vada.These vadas are very tasty,try these vadas for the coming Sankranti festival.

Check out few vada recipes in my blog:

• Alasandula(Lobia) Vada, Masala Vada/Chana dal Vada
• Mixed Dal Ambode(Vada), Medu Wada/Garelu
• Maddur Vada
• Mosaru Ambode/Dahi Dal Vada, Perugu Aavdalu | Mosaru Vade

Corn Vada | Mokkajonna Vadalu Recipe:

Yields:12-15 Vadas | Author: Prathibha Garre

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:30 mins

Cuisine:Andhra | Category:Snacks

Ingredients:

1 big Corn or 2 cups Corn Kernels

1/3 cup Chana dal 

1 Onion,finely chopped

3-4 Green Chillies

3/4" Ginger,chopped

2-3 tbsp Coriander leaves.chopped

2 tbsp Mint leaves, chopped

a sprig of Curry leaves,roughly torn

Salt to taste

Method:

• Soak Chana dal for an hour and keep it ready.
• Cut the corn from the edges using a sharp knife as shown in the picture or you can even remove the corn kernels carefeully but it is time consuming.Reserve 1/4 cup cut corn or kernels.

• Grind soaked chana dal, green chillies,salt and ginger once until it is mixed.Do not grind for long.

• Now add cut corn(reserve 1/4 cup corn for later use) and grind to a very coarse paste.
• Keep it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
• Heat oil in a deep kadai over medium flame.

• Add finely chopped onions, coriander leaves, mint leaves, curry leaves, reserved corn kernels and mix well.
• Grease a milk cover(or zip lock cover) and keep it ready.Also keep a bowl of water handy to dip in your fingers in between.

• Dip your fingers in water and take a small lemon sized ball of the mixture and pat it on the greased cover and slowly remove the patty(vada) from the paper and drop into the oil carefully.Repeat the process and fry 3-4 vadas at a time.You can even put a hole in the vada like how we do for medu wada.

• Deep fry those vadas over medium flame until they turn golden brown and drain them on the kitchen napkin.

Serve them hot with Nimmakaya Karam or Allam Avakay.

Notes:

1. You can add besan flour and rice flour instead of chana dal in the recipe.In that case add the flours to the corn mixture along with onions, just before frying.
2. Add onions just before frying as it will leave water and make the batter thin.If the batter becomes thin add a tbsp of rice flour to the batter and mix well.
3. You can add 1 tsp cumin seeds or saunf while grinding the vadas for extra flavor.
4. You can avoid adding onions during festivals,still it tastes good.
5. Do not use very tender corn for making vadas , slightly matured corns are better for vadas.The tender corns turns to a paste and does not add texture to the vada, hence it is not prefered.
6. If you do not find them you can use frozen corn/sweet corn for making them.Increase the quantity of green chillies if you are using sweet corn.

Technorati Tags: corn vada, mokkajonna vadalu, mokkajonna garelu, makai ka vada, bhutte ka vada, corn recipes, vada recipes, monsoon recipes, snacks recipes, festival snacks recipes

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Oats Tikki | Oats Cutlet Recipe

I have been getting few requests for Snacks using Oats from my readers and hence I had come up with an Oats Tikki recipe which is an easy and healthy snack. I have included oats in my breakfast in many interesting options and now slowly started to include them in various varieties other than breakfast. I have earlier posted Oats pakoda recipe which is a deep fried version but a very good snack and today let us see a low fat version of  Oats Cutlet. I have prepared it like any other cutlet but included oats in a large quantity and also gave a coating of oats for the crust. As oats itself is a nice binding agent when it is moist you don't need to add any other binding agents like bread or corn flour to the mixture.If you have boiled potato ready you can prepare this snack in less than 20 mins.You can send this for your kids tiffin box too, it stays good!!

Check out other Snack options with Oats in my blog here:

• Chewy Granola Bars-step by step recipe
• Oats and Fry fruits Ladoo -Sugar free and Fat free
• Oats Pakora
• Instant Oats Paniyaram(Ponganalu/Paddu) 

If you are interested to check other oats recipes, click here.

Oats Tikki | Oats Cutlet Recipe:

Yields 12-14 Tikkis

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:30 mins

Cuisine: Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups Quick cooking Oats (Kellogs/Quaker)

2 medium Potatoes

1/4 cup grated fresh Paneer

1 small Carrot, grated

2-3 tbsp chopped Coriander leaves

2 Green Chillies, finely chopped

3/4 tsp Chaat masala

1/2 tsp roasted Cumin powder

1/2 tsp Garam masala

1/2 tsp Amchur powder

juice of 1/2 Lemon

Salt to taste

3 tbsp Milk or Water,to coat cutlets

2 tbsp Bread Crumbs,optional

2-3 tbsp Oil,to shallow fry cutlets

Method:

• Dry roast oats until they turn slight brown and reserve 1/2 cup of oats aside and use the remaining 1 cup of oats in the cutlet mixture.

• Boil the potatoes in pressure cooker for 3-4 whistles or microwave it for 5-6 mins.Peel the skin and when they are still warm mash the potatoes nicely.
• Add chaat masala, cumin powder, Garam masala, amchur powder, salt, lemon juice, grated paneer, carrot and chopped green chillies, coriander to the mashed potato mixture and mix nicely.

• Now add roasted 1 cup oats to the potato mixture and mix nicely. Oats give enough binding for the tikkis, if you feel you need more binding add 1-2 tbsp roasted oats to it and slightly knead it again.

• Divide the mixture into 12-14 equal portions and shape them into rounds of 2" diameter and 1/2" thickness. Prepare all the cutlets and keep them ready.
• In a plate spread 1/2 cup roasted oats and mix it with 2 tbsp bread crumbs(if you are using).

• Dip each cutlet in a bowl of milk or water quickly on both sides and drop them into the oats mixture and coat the oats and bread crumb mixture on all sides by moving the tikkis all around and keep them on a plate. 

• Repeat the same process for all the cutlets.You can refrigerate them for half an hour or prepare them immediately.

• In a wide non stick pan heat 2-3 tbsp oil and place the cutlets and fry them on low- medium flame until they are roasted to light golden brown in color. Turn them and add a tbsp of oil from the sides if needed and roast until crisp on both sides.Drain them on a kitchen napkin.

Serve hot with Green Chutney, Imli Chutney or Tomato Sauce. Sprinkle Chaat masala over the cutlets for extra taste.

Notes:

1. Roast the oats nicely to avoid the stickiness of oats in the cutlets.
2. The addition of bread crumbs is optional, but it makes the crust crisp and hence I recommend you to add it. You can even use rusk powder if you do not have bread crumbs in hand.
3. Initially mix all the spices in the potato mixture which helps the potato mixture in absorbing the spices nicely and then add rest of the ingredients and mix nicely.
4. You can make the cutlets in various shapes like hearts, ovals etc.
5. You can refrigerate the prepared tikkis for 2 days and shallow fry when needed.
6. If you like you can add few chopped cashew nuts or raisins into the mixture before making tikkis, they add a nice bite to the tikkis.

Technorati Tags: oats recipes, oats tikki recipe, oats cutlet recipe, healthy oats recipes, snacks with oats, indian oats recipes, oats aloo tikki, easy oats recipes

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Babycorn Capsicum Soup | Clear Soup Recipes

A bowl of hot Soup with warm garlic bread or a bowl of pasta is always a comfort food for me in the monsoons. Though I prepare soups often they never find their way to my blog as I usually prepare it for dinner and I find it difficult to click photos in the night. Few days back, I had prepared this soup along with pasta for a quick weekend lunch and hence I got the opportunity to click the soup !!

I love any kind of soups like thick, clear or rich milk based ones where as DH prefers clear soups or vegetables shorbas and hence I prepare mostly thin soups according to his preferences. Baby corn and capsicum makes an amazing combo in various forms such as Stir fry, curry , gravy, pulao or soup. I just love this combo and never get tired of it. This is a very easy clear soup which can be prepared in a matter of minutes.Try this and enjoy the hot soup with your family.

If you are interested check out other Babycorn-Capsicum combos like Babycorn-Capsicum Stir fry, Babycorn-Capsicum Gravy.

Also check out other Soup recipes:

• Creamy Broccoli Soup
• Creamy Cauliflower Soup
• Pumpkin-Carrot Soup
• Spinach-Orange Soup

Babycorn Capsicum Clear Soup Recipe:

Serves 2-3

Prep time: 10 mins | Cooking time: 15 mins | Total time: 25 mins

Cuisine: International | Category: Soups- Appetizers

Ingredients:

3-4 Baby corns, thinly sliced into rounds

1 small Capsicum, seeded and finely chopped

2-3 small Garlic pods, finely chopped

1 tbsp Corn flour

3-4 cups of Vegetable stock or 1 veg Maggi soup seasoning cube

1 tsp Vinegar

1 tbsp Coriander leaves, finely chopped

juice of 1/2 Lemon

1/2 tsp Pepper powder(or to taste)

Salt to taste

1 tbsp Olive oil/Butter

Method:

• Heat olive oil/ butter in a deep bottomed pan and add finely sliced garlic and saute it for a minute.

• Add thinly sliced baby corn pieces and fry for 2 mins and then add chopped capsicum and fry for a minute.

• Add 3-4 cups of vegetable stock to it. If you are using seasoning cube add 3-4 cups of water and add the seasoning cube along with it.
• Mix corn flour in 2-3 tbsp of water nicely with out any lumps in it.
• Bring the stock to a boil and then add corn flour mixture and stir continuously while you are adding the corn flour mixture.

• Boil it for 3-4 mins until it thickens and the color of the soup turns transparent.
• Add vinegar, salt and pepper powder and mix it.Switch off the flame.Adjust the seasoning according to your taste buds by tasting it if necessary.

• In the individual bowls add 1/2 tsp lemon juice and 1 tsp chopped coriander leaves and divide the hot soup equally into those bowls.

Serve the soup hot with Garlic bread / Pasta/ Salad. Add more seasoning to the soup if required.

Notes:

• Do not add lemon juice to the soup pot directly as it might make the soup bitter. Hence add it to the bowl directly before you ladle the soup into the bowl.
• You can replace baby corn with fresh corn or sweet corn and follow the same process.
• You can even prepare the soup in a similar way with mixed vegetables like finely chopped carrots,beans,cabbage and follow the same process.
• If you do not have vegetable stock or seasoning cube you can still prepare the soup in the same manner with out using them but the vegetable stock(or cube) adds more flavor to the soup.
• You can use even knorr seasoning cube instead of maggi cube.

 

Technorati Tags: babycorn capsicum soup, clear soup recipes, easy soup recipes, veg soup recipes, baby corn recipes, baby corn capsicum recipes, various soup recipes, monsoon recipes, quick soup recipes

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Mangalore Buns Recipe | Banana Buns | Sweet Banana Pooris

I didn't knew about these Mangalore Buns until a decade back. I vaguely remember that I heard this name from one of my aunts when they were discussing about recipes but my mom never gave a thought to prepare it and we ignored it. When we had gone for a family trip to a few places in Karnataka, I finally got a chance to taste these Mangalore Buns for the first time. Do you remember my Bonda Juice recipe which I posted long back(almost few years back), even that recipe is inspired from my Mangalore trip.

Though Mangalore cuisine is predominantly non-vegetarian, it has various breakfast and snack options which tastes really good and I am kind of addicted to them. Few of my personal favorites from Mangalore are Goli Baje, Buns, Neer Dosa, Churmuri, Kadubu, Bonda Juice to name a few.                 

The word 'Buns' associated with Mangalore Buns is quite misleading if you are hearing it for the first time, do not get confused with the regular baked buns. These buns are deep fried and made of mashed banana mixture and flour which is kneaded to a dough and fermented for a few hours. The fermentation process helps in getting these banana buns(pooris) a different bun like texture unlike the regular pooris. These are prepared mildly sweet and it tastes best with a very spicy Coconut chutney, they both complement really well.

Even TH loved these Mangalore Buns when he tasted for the first time and approved it as a regular breakfast item at our place.He does not like the deep brown color of it and hence I do not let them deep brown in color and remove them while they are light brown and cooked well.You can serve them for breakfast or a snack with a cup of tea or coffee.I hope I have tempted you enough to try this recipe, what are you waiting for?? try these delicious Mangalore Buns for a snack or breakfast in this rainy season and enjoy!!

Mangalore Buns Recipe: 

Yields: 8-9 Buns

Prep time:10 mins | Cooking time:20 mins | Total time:30 mins + 5 hrs fermentation
Cuisine: Karnataka - India | Category: Snack/Breakfast

Ingredients:

1 1/2 All purpose four(Maida)

1 medium sized ripen Banana

3-4 tbsp slightly sour Curd

2-3 tbsp Sugar

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds(optional)

a fat pinch of Cooking Soda

2 tsp Oil

Salt to taste

extra flour, for dusting

Oil,to deep fry

Method:

• Peel and cut banana into pieces and grind it along with sugar.You can mash the banana nicely if you want. I prefer to grind it.The pulp should yield 1/2 cup approximately.(Make sure your sugar is fine variety like castor sugar,otherwise if it is granular grind it in mixer to a powder).
• Keep aside 1/4 cup flour and take the remaining flour(maida) in a bowl and add salt and cooking soda to it and mix well.

• Add curd, cumin seeds and gradually add banana puree and mix.Do not add all the pureed banana mixture at once,add slowly the required portion and mix.The mixture would be slightly sticky by the time you mix all the banana mixture in the dough.Do not add water while mixing,the moisture from the banana puree and curd is enough to bind the dough.Now add the remaining 1/4 cup flour which is kept aside and mix well.If the dough is sticky add 2-3 tbsp of extra flour and mix to get a fairly thick dough.Remember that the dough would loosen up a bit after the fermentation process.
• Now add the oil and gently knead the dough for 2-3 mins.

• Cover and leave it aside for 4-5 hrs. As I usually prepare this for breakfast I leave it overnight in the fridge and remove it in the morning and keep for 1-2 hrs outside.
• Heat oil in a deep curved pan and let it become hot.If you put a small pinch of dough it should raise to the top immediately,which indicated the oil is hot and ready for deep frying.

• Slightly knead the dough and divide the dough into 8-9 big lemon sized portions.
• Roll each portion by dusting it with flour into a 3-4" diameter thick disc,it should be thicker than the regular poori. Remove the extra dusting of flour by gently patting on the discs.

• Gently slide the rolled discs(pooris) into the hot oil and after few seconds try to press the middle portion of the disc gently with a slotted spoon,which helps to fluff up the bun(poori) nicely.

• Turn to the other side and fry until brown.These buns usually turn to dark brown in color very quickly,you can remove them when they are puffed up and light brown in color like I did or you can continue frying until they turn dark brown.

• Remove them with a slotted spoon on to a kitchen napkin.Follow the same process with the remaining buns,I usually fry only one at a time.

Serve them hot with spicy Coconut chutney and a cup of tea/coffee. You can even serve it with Sambar but for me Coconut chutney and Buns are best preferred combo.

Notes:

• Ideally Mangalore buns are prepared with plain flour(maida).If you like, you can even prepare the same with wheat flour or a mix of maida and wheat flour in the ratio of 2:1(maida:wheat flour) and prepare the dough.
• Use ripened bananas for this,you can use long variety or even smaller variety like Yelakki banana.
• You can even use freshly ground pepper powder to spice up the buns.I usually do not add it.
• If you like you can even add a pinch of cardamom powder while making dough.Cardamom complements the banana nicely,but I prefer buns very simple.
• Always prepare the coconut chutney extra spicy as the mild sweetness of banana buns tastes great with the spicier version of coconut chutney.
• It is ideal to leave it aside for 4-5 hrs for fermentation of dough which makes the buns get a nice texture.Alternatively you can refrigerate the dough overnight and take it out 1-2 hrs before in the morning you prepare them.
• Do not add water to the batter,the moisture from banana mixture and curd is enough to bind the dough.
• One can alter the amount of sugar according to your taste buds,but it tastes best when it is midly sweet.
• Mangalore Buns can be stored for up to a day or two. I usually finish it off by evening if I have left over buns, they taste even better by evening and makes a nice combination with a cup of tea or coffee.

Technorati Tags: mangalore buns, banana buns, how to make mangalore buns ,deep fried buns recipe, snacks recipes, monsoon snacks, breakfast recipes, ripen banana recipes ,tea time snacks

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Moong Dal Corn Dhokla Recipe | Gujarati Snacks

I love Gujarati snacks for the fact that most of them are low calorie recipes. Dhokla falls under that category.There are many versions of Dhokla like Khaman Dhokla, Khatta Dhokla, Sooji Dhokla, Moong dal Dhokla, Corn dhokla, Sandwich Dhokla, Palak Dhokla etc and  I absolutely love all the versions.The most common one is Khaman Dhokla which I would like to post it some time later.

Moong dal Corn Dhokla is also known as 'Mexican Dhokla', though I am not sure why it is given that name. Usually in Mexican Dhokla, a layer of potato slices are arranged on the batter and is steamed together which adds a nice look to the Dhokla and is a nice variation from the regular one.I have not added potato slices to it as I was in a hurry as I prepared this for DH's breakfast box.The addition of corn adds a slight hint of sweetness and also a bite in between as we add the whole corn kernels in the batter.If you are looking for healthy options for Kid's Tiffin box, I would definitely suggest you to try this once as it is a healthy and protein packed snack.

Check out few low fat Snacks recipes for Kids Tiffin box:

• Bread Besan Toast/Eggless French Toast
• Cabbage Muthia
• Maggi Noodle Cutlet/Noodle Tikki
• Masala Cocktail Idlis | Milagai Podi Mini Idlis
• Mooli Muthia/Steamed Radish Dumplings
• Vegetable Chops | Stuffed Beetroot Cutlets
• Tadka Bread Snack with Yogurt Dip

Moong Dal Corn Dhokla Recipe:

Serves 3-4

Prep time:15 mins | Cooking time:15 mins | Total time:30 mins + soaking time

Cuisine: Gujarati-Indian | Category: Snacks

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Moong dal(yellow lentils)

1/2 cup fresh Corn kernels

2 Green chillies

1 tsp Ginger,grated

1 tbsp Chickpea flour(Besan)

1 tbsp Oil

2 tbsp Sour Curds,beaten

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Eno (Fruit Salt)

1/4 tsp Citric acid crystals

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

1 tbsp chopped Coriander,to garnish

2 tbsp grated fresh grated Coconut,to garnish

Salt to taste

to temper:

2 tsp Oil

1/2 tsp Mustard seeds

1 tsp Sesame seeds

1 Green chilli,slit

a sprig of Curry leaves

a pinch of Asafoetida(Hing)

Method:

• Wash and soak moong dal for 2-3 hrs.Rinse and drain the excess water.
• Grind soaked moong dal with 1/3 cup corn kernels, ginger and green chillies to a fine batter.
• Take the mixture into a bowl and add besan(chickpea flour), rest of corn kernels(roughly 2 tbsp), sugar, beaten curd, citric acid crystals, turmeric powder, salt, sugar and oil and mix nicely.The batter consistency would be some what similar to idli batter.
• Just before steaming add eno to it and mix nicely.The batter would be frothy.Immediately pour into a greased flat steel vessel or dhokla container to 1 inch thickness and steam it for 12-15 mins after the steam starts coming out.I use my pressure cooker to steam it and I remove the whistle from it.
• Cool it a bit and run a sharp knife in the edges and carefully unmold the dhokla into a plate.
• Heat oil in a small tempering pan and crackle mustard seeds and sesame seeds.
• Add green chillies, curry leaves and asafoetida and fry until the chillies wilt and spread the seasoning all over the dhokla.Garnish with grated coconut and chopped coriander leaves.
• Cut it into squares or triangles of required size.

Serve it with Green Chutney and Meetha Chutney.

Notes:

1. You can avoid corn kernels in the recipe and make it with just moong dal. Increase the dal quantity to 1 cup in that case.
2. If you want you can arrange a layer of thinly sliced potato slices on the batter before steaming.It is called Mexican Dhokla if prepared in this way.

Technorati Tags: moong dal dhokla, dhokla varieties, easy snacks recipes, gujarati snacks, low fat steamed snacks, corn dhokla recipe, corn recipes, monsoon recipes, kids recipes, kids tiffin box recipes

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