VEGETABLE CUTLETS

I have always wanted to make picture perfect cutlets. The kind you get in restaurants that cause you to drool over them! My previous attempts were good in taste but just not too great to look at. I used to shallow fry them in few teaspoons of oil, trying to keep it healthy.

So, this Sunday, I threw caution to the wind and decided to deep fry the cutlets. Another improvement from past attempts was to first dip them in a flour water paste before rolling them in breadcrumbs.

The result – nice looking and great tasting cutlets!

Cutlets can be made from just about anything – a whole lot of veggies thrown in together, veggies and ground meat or just meat. As long as you throw in binding agents in the form of boiled potatoes, pieces of bread soaked in water , squeezed and torn into pieces or even egg , cutlets should turn out just fine. I have used potatoes.

Hope you like the recipe!

Ingredients:

• 5 medium sized potatoes
• ¼ cup of chopped carrots
• ¼ cup of chopped French beans
• ¼ cup chopped Broccoli
• Make sure chopped veggies are evenly cut .They should be finely cut, but not too fine.
• 1/3 cup peas
• 2 tsp. finely chopped ginger
• 1tbsp. finely chopped green chilies
• 2 tbsp. finely chopped cilantro

Seasoning:

• 1tbsp. aamchur powder or dried mango powder
• 2tbsp. garam masala powder
• Salt to taste
• 1tbsp. cumin seeds
• Bread crumbs to coat
• Oil to fry
• 4 tbsp. all purpose flour and water paste

Method:

1. Pressure cook potatoes or boil them in the microwave for about 8 mins. or until tender.
2. Steam carrots, beans, peas and broccoli in the microwave for 5 mins. Make sure that they are not completely cooked and retain their bite.
3. Peel potatoes. Mash gently. Make sure it doesn’t form a lump.
4. Drain water from veggies and add the mixed veggies to the potatoes. Do not mash veggies.
5. Add the above seasoning and combine. Check for taste and make necessary adjustments.
6. Make a watery paste of all purpose flour (maida) and water. This acts as a binding agent for the breadcrumbs.
7. Heat oil. Temperature of oil is very important. It should be hot but not fuming hot. If you see a slight ripple in the oil, it is ready
8. Make medium sized slightly flat patties of about ½ inch thickness of the potatoes and vegetable mixture.
9. Dip the patties in the flour paste and then roll them in breadcrumbs.
10. Make sure that patties are evenly coated.
11. Fry until golden brown. Roughly 3 mins. on each side.

BANANNA ALMOND CAKE

BANANA ALMOND CAKE

I love the trio:- ripe happy yellow bananas, evenly browned almonds and cake! I don’t bake a lot or let’s say this is the first time I actually baked since I left India! I wanted to make a cake which was easy to make, did not have too many complicated steps and ingredients so that I wouldn’t feel bad if it did not turn out right.

To make this cake one can use any kind of nuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pistachios.Adding dates are also a good idea if you want it to be a bit chewy.

I want to try a cake made out of whole wheat flour and see how it tastes. For this particular cake I have used unbleached all purpose flour.

This cake turned out nice and moist and dense. It definitely satiates your pang to eat something sweet but at the same time is not overbearingly sweet. Bananas and almonds add a health factor to cake eating! It can sit nice and fresh in an airtight container for up to 5 days provided it is not over first!

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup softened unsalted butter
• ½ cup baker’s sugar
• 1 large beaten egg
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 level tsp. baking powder
• 4 ripe mashed bananas
• ½ cup chopped almonds (or nuts of your choice)
• 1tsp vanilla extract

Method

1. Grease a 9” x 13” inch cake tin. Set the oven to 350F/180C.
2. Whisk together butter, sugar and egg. Sift in flour and baking powder. Whisk again to combine. Always add dry ingredients to wet ones.
3. Add mashed bananas, vanilla extract and almonds to the above mixture and combine well.
4. Spoon the mixture in the cake tin and bake for approximately 40 mins.
5. To check whether completely done, the cake should spring back when gently pressed and should look nice and brown and leave the sides of the cake tin.
6. Let cake cool completely before turning it onto a plate.

It is difficult to say for how many people this cake is meant for. Well, depends on how big a cake lover you and your family size!

I would say this cake is sufficient for 4 people.

AUTHENTIC SOUTH INDIAN SAMBAR

Authentic South Indian Sambar

Welcome to our blog Spice is Nice.
Today we debut our food blog by writing an authentic Sambar recipe (spicy south indian curry) that tastes wonderful with idlis, wadas or just plain white rice.

Ingredients (6 people serving)

• 1tbsp coriander seed
• 5 red chilli pepper
• 1 tsp pepper corn
• 1 tbsp cumin
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tbsp rice
• 1 tbsp chana dal
• 1 tsp fenugreek seeds
• 4-5 cloves
• 2 inch cinnamon stick
• 10 curry leaves
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• 3 big flakes garlic
• 1 inch ginger
• 1 tsp turmeric
• 2 tomatoes (medium sized)
• 2 long green chillies (cut)
• tamarind date sauce
• 1 large onion sliced as medium pieces
• You may use different vegetables like okra, potatoes, carrot, cauliflower, bottle gourd(lauki), drum stick, green beans for sambar
  

Directions

1. On medium flame, first dry roast,
   1 tbsp coriander seed
   5 red chilli peppers
   1 tsp pepper corn
   1 tbsp cumin
   1 tsp mustard
   1 tbsp chana dal
   1 tsp fenugreek
   4-5 cloves
   0.5 strip cinnamon
2. After dry roasting these ingredients, set it aside in a blender.
3. Now add some olive oil to your pan, add garlic (3 big flakes) and 1 inch garlic sliced to the oil, add 1 tbsp grated coconut and part of cut tomatoes. Sauté it a bit and put this in a blender to the dry roasted mix already in it.
4. Add water and blend the masala mix and set it aside.Separately, cook tuvar daal ( 2 cup measure) with 4.5 cups of water in a pressure cooker.
5. In a tall cooking pot, add 3-4 tbsp oil and put on medium flame.When oil is warmed up, add mustard, cumin seeds, and fenugreek(methi) seed as they pop.
6. Add cut onions, some turmeric and some green chilies and sauté until the sweet smell of the onions disappears.
7. Add all the veggies, tamarind sauce, masala mix and lots of water and let the veggies 3/4th cook.
8. Add the cooked dal to this and some more water to dilute the sambar.
9. Add salt, brown sugar and/or tamarmind sauce as per your taste.
10. Enjoy!!