No-cook Dahi Vada recipe

For the life of me... I can't remember where I got this recipe from. It surely wasn't from my mom, for she was fairly amused the first time I made these dahi vadas for her.

However much I may love cooking, there are times when it's just too much of an effort to make everything from scratch. So right at the onset, I must confess, that this IS a cheat recipe... in that I use some ready made ingredients to reduce the time (not to mention the effort) of making the dahi vadas from scratch. Honestly they may not taste much like the traditional dahi vada made from udad dal batter - but I can guarantee that its an interesting and palatable version - worth a try! 

INGREDIENTS

For the Vada

A packet of butter biscuits (variously called Surti Batasa biscuit, Makhania biscuit, Namkeen Khari Batasa biscuit)

Some luke warm water

For the Garnish

Beaten Yogurt / Curd

Sugar and Salt to taste

Pinch of Red Chilly powder

1 tsp Roasted Jeera (Cumin) powder

Besan Sev (optional)

Fresh Coriander

Fresh Mint and Coriander Green chutney

Tamarind chutney

METHOD

Place the butter biscuits flat side down, in a shallow/broad dish. Slowly pour in the luke warm water till it fills the dish for about an inch. Let the biscuits soak-in the water. This may take around 5-10 minutes, depending on the size of the biscuits.

Lightly press the top of the biscuits to see if the water has been absorbed right upto the top of the biscuits. Now, slowly lift each biscuit and press very gently to remove some of the excess water.Take care not to press too hard or the biscuits will get crushed. Besides, some of the water content in the biscuits will make them lighter and moist. So don't try to press them dry.

Next, line up a flat serving dish with these biscuits. 

Add some salt and castor sugar to the beaten yogurt to make it sweet and tangy. Drizzle the curd to cover all the biscuits in the dish. Sprinkle some red chilly powder, roaster jeera powder, sev and fresh coriander as garnish. Lastly add some green chutney and tamarind chutney for that extra punch of flavour.

Let it rest in the fridge for atleast half an hour before serving!

Goan Sausages... as you like it !!

The only words you think of when you hear the name GOA -  beaches...beaCHES... BEACHES...!! Afterall, that's what Goa is known for. But as far as I am concerned, my experience of visiting a new place or travelling to a new destination is generally through my gustatory sense... afterall, I am and have always been 'crazy-bout-food'.

OK... so I'd heard people rave about Goa and its beaches and its night life not to forget the drinks and plethora of sea-food... but what I was most looking forward to during my short visit to Goa, was sampling the authentic Goan cuisine !

Well, you don't always get what you want and wish for... sometimes you get MORE...   :-) and I was lucky that that was the case with me; for I happened to meet two of my class mates, Ahva and Shikha, after 18 years. It was a memorable re-union made even more special by the serendipity of the meeting and it was a wonderful time I spent with Ahva, her husband and Shikha catching up and chatting up over food, drinks and the salty breeze. I tasted some of the most delectable Goan cuisine - Cafrael Chicken, Prawn Recheado and Golden friend prawns prepared by Octavio (Ahva's hubby) who as it turned out had worked as a professional chef  for many years!!.. and ofcourse, all the food was washed down with a few bottles of Goa's very own Kings beer. The scrumptious dinner culminated on a high crescendo of a heavenly chocolate mousse made by Shikha ! 

Then there was this awesome sea-food lunch I had with an office colleage... a lunch of the most exotic Balchao prawns, golden fried squid,  goan fish curry and rice. On my last night, Ahva and co. took me to this roadside "thela" (mobile restaurant), where we had an awesome meal of Sorpotel and pork stuffed buns... all washed down once again, with beer !! Well, didn't I say "you don't always get what you want.... sometimes you get MORE !!".... but then all good things must come to an end... and so did my wonderful trip !! 

On the return, I took back some unforgettable memories of the trip and some Goan food stuff  like the Recheado masala, Balchao masala, and some Goan sausages.

Back home I got down to preparing the Goan sausages. There are many ways in which they can be made, but I stuck to the simple method of sauteeing them with onions and tomatoes. So here goes my recipe -

Ingredients:
One string of goan sausages
3-4 medium size onions
2 medium size tomatoes (optionally you can use half a cup of tomato puree)
salt, sugar and vinegar (optional) to taste
2-3 tbsp oil

Method:

Dice and sautee the onions till they turn transparent.

 Meanwhile remove the sausage covering and put the meat into a separate bowl.

Add a bit of sugar to the onions and let it caramelize for a minute. Next add the diced tomatoes (or puree). Stir well to blend the onions and tomatoes. Add the meat to this mixture and stir again.

On low heat let it cook for 10-20 minutes, occassionally stirring. This enables the fat to be released and the sausages will be cooked well. Finally add the salt and if you find the sausages lacking in their tanginess, add a tbsp of vinegar.

The sausages are now ready to eat.... !

Serve them hot with rice and dal or store in refrigerator in an air-tight container - that way they can stay well over a week. However, if you find the preparation turning too spicy and hot as it seeps on longer in the masala and oil, you can add boiled potatoes to accompany them or use them as a filling for a yummy sandwich. Thats what I did!

For the sandwich, layer the sausages between slices of buttered brown (or any other) bread along with layers of sliced tomatoes and cucumber.  

Enjoy and GO...A...AAAHHH...!!! 

Aubergine Copper Coins

One of my favourite side dishes, aubergine copper coins go well with moong dal or masoor dal and roti.

Its quick to prepare and tastes really great when served hot. They can also be served as starters with tomato ketchup or green coriander-chilly chutney.

What you need:

5-6 medium sized Aubergines (Eggplant / Brinjal) sliced into roundels

2 tbsp besan (gram flour)

half cup curd

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

red chilli powder, turmeric, salt

2 tsps lemon juice

Chaat masala

Fresh coriander

Method:

Mix the curd and gram flour into a fluid paste, making sure no lumps remain. Add the ginger garlic paste, chilli, turmeric, salt and lemon juice. Mix well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a frying pan. Dip the aubergine slices in the gram-curd mixture and deep fry till golden brown or darker (copperish). When the aubergine slices are well done remove onto a paper napkin to remove excess oil. Sprinkle fresh coriader and chat masala, and serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

Sweetcorn Mushroom Tumble

This is a very simple yet delicious preparation, acts as a great side dish.

You'll need:
Sweet corn
Mushrooms
Butter
Salt, pepper (or Oregano)
Grated Cheese (optional )



Method:
In a pan saute the chopped mushrooms in butter. During the process, the mushrooms will release a lot of water. Tip in the sweet corn and let them saute with the mushrooms, till all the water evaporates (ofcourse, that will reduce your mushrooms to half their quantity).

After the water evaporates, turn off the heat and add a blob of butter , some salt and pepper. Stirr well and remove into a serving dish and serve hot.

For all those skinny beings who can afford to add cheese, after that sumptious helping of butter.... sprinkle some grated cheese as garnish.