Hors d'oeuvre / Appetizers - Vinaya's Culinary Delights

Potatoes and Peas Grilled Sandwich Recipe

Posted on December 31, 2017 by vinaya

A favourite with the family, this potato and peas sandwich doubles up not only as a snack but as a meal as well. You can add cheese too if you like it, but it tastes good as it is!!!

Ingredients :

6 large potatoes
3 large onions
100 gms shelled peas
2 inch piece of ginger
10 green chillies
1/2 tsp Garam masala
Coriander leaves
Salt
1tsp mustard
3 tbsps oil
Butter
A loaf of Bread

Method :

Pressure cook the potatoes. Deskin and mash them well. Boil the peas in salted water till done. Chop the onions and green chillies fine. Grate the ginger. Heat the oil in a pan. Add the mustard. After it splutters add the ginger, green chillies and the onions. Tip in salt and roast till the onions turn translucent. Add the Garam masala and toss for a couple of minutes. Add the mashed potato and mix well. Drop in the cooked peas and heat thoroughly. Add the chopped coriander leaves. Mix thoroughly and keep aside. Butter the slices of bread on one side each. Place the buttered side towards the toaster. Pile a tbsp of the potato and peas stuffing and spread it evenly over the slice. Cover it with another slice of bread, with the unbuttered side facing the stuffing. Clamp the toaster shut and roast over a medium flame till golden brown and crisp. Serve with chutney or tomato ketchup.

Bruschetta Al Pomodoro Recipe

Posted on December 18, 2017December 18, 2017 by vinaya

The very name of Bruschetta gets the taste buds tingling and when it is Al Pomodoro it can only leave one asking for more. The one thing that I love about making this is that it can be made without a grill or an oven. So go ahead and enjoy making it on a skillet. Here I have added green peppers and sweet corn too to make it more interesting.

Ingredients :

1 loaf of French Bread or multi grain bread
Amul Butter
Tomatoes
Capsicum
Onions
Sweet corn
Cheese
Pepper
Mixed Herbs
Garlic cloves
Green chillies
Salt
Tomato ketchup or Peri peri sauce

Method:

Chop the onions, tomatoes and Capsicum fine. Grate the garlic. Mince the chillies. Butter the slices of bread on both the sides. Grate the cheese. Heat a tsp of butter. Drop in the garlic and green chillies and saute for a minute. Add the onions and a pinch of salt. Saute for a minute and then add the boiled sweet corn. Add the tomatoes and Capsicum, the pepper powder and the mixed herbs. Saute, switch off and keep aside. Heat a skillet. Arrange the buttered slices and toast on one side till crisp. Remove and apply the ketchup or sauce on the roasted side. Pile some of the sautéed mixture on it. Top it with grated cheese and place it back on the skillet. Roast it on an extremely gentle flame till the side is roasted and the cheese has melted. Serve Bruschetta with added ketchup or with a soup.

Coriander leaves fritters/Kothimbir Vadi Recipe

Posted on December 16, 2017December 16, 2017 by vinaya

The highly fragrant Kothimbir Vadi is a Maharashtrian delicacy. A batter of Gram flour is flavoured with coriander leaves and spices, steamed, cut and then either deep fried or shallow fried as per preference. It can be enjoyed either with a green chutney or with tomato ketchup. My personal preference is Peri peri ketchup or a Tandoori flavoured one which has a distinct smoky flavour to it.

Ingredients :

200 gms Besan/ Chickpea flour
50 gms rice flour
1 cup coriander leaves
2 green chillies
5 flakes garlic
1 inch piece ginger
1/4 tsp chilly powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp Garam masala
1 tsp sesame
Salt
2 tbsps oil
Juice of one lemon
1/4 tsp Soda bi carb
Oil for frying

Method :

Heat a pan. Drop in the sesame and dry roast it till it splutters. Keep aside. Mix the Besan and rice flour with a little water at a time to make a batter of pouring consistency. It should be as thick as Pakora batter. Grind the garlic, ginger and green chillies and add them to the batter. Drop in the finely chopped coriander leaves, roasted sesame, lemon juice, chilly powder, turmeric powder, salt, Garam masala and the oil. Mix thoroughly. Keep aside.

Grease a plate or vessel with oil. Place it in a pan in which the water is kept boiling. Add the soda bicarbonate to the batter. Whisk well and pour it into the plate. Lower the heat and cover and cook for 15 minutes. Insert a knife to check if it is done. The knife should come out clean. Switch off the gas, remove the plate and place it aside to cool thoroughly. Cut into desired shape. Heat oil in a pan. Fry the Kothimbir Vadi four to five at a time till golden and crisp. Enjoy with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

Mix Veggies and fruits Salad Recipe

Posted on December 16, 2017December 16, 2017 by vinaya

A healthy salad that one can make a meal of!!! The fruits in it add to the sweetness and tang. One can even sprinkle it over Puffed rice and enjoy it as a Bhel.

Ingredients :

100 gms Moong/ Green Gram sprouts
1 small carrot
100 gms Sweet corn
A big fistful of pomegranate seeds
Juice of one lemon
10 grapes
Coriander leaves
1 green chilly
Salt
A pinch of sugar

Method :

Boil the sprouted Moong in salted water till three fourth done. Drain. Allow to cool thoroughly. Boil the sweet corn and cool it too. Grate the Carrot. Halve the grapes. Chop the coriander leaves fine. Mix the Moong sprouts, boiled corn, pomegranate seeds, grapes and grated carrot together. Mince the green chilly and crush it with salt. Drop it into the salad. Drizzle with lemon juice and a pinch of sugar. Serve chilled.

Yam fritters Recipe

Posted on December 7, 2017December 7, 2017 by vinaya

Try out these wonderful fritters made from Yam/ Sooran . Melt in the mouth and so delicious that you will keep asking for more. Pieces of Yam are boiled in salted water, marinated and then fried which gives them their awesome texture.

Ingredients :

1/2 kg Yam
Chilly powder
Salt
Hing/asafoetida
Besan/Chickpea flour
Rice flour
Oil for frying

Method :

Deskin the yam and wash it throughly. Chop it into bite sized pieces and boil it in salted water till three fourth done. Drain the water and sprinkle chilly powder and hing. Allow to stand for half an hour. Mix Besan and rice flour in the proportion of 2:1. Dust the pieces in this mixture. Heat oil in a pan. Deep fry the pieces to a golden brown and crisp.

Cauliflower Pakora Recipe

Posted on November 26, 2017November 26, 2017 by vinaya

Cauliflower Pakora is an all time favourite with the family after the Gobi Manchurian. Florets of Cauliflower are dipped in batter and deep fried to a golden brown. Great as appetizers or even as a side dish with Dal and rice, they are delicious!!!!

Ingredients :

500 gms Cauliflower
200 gms Besan /Chickpea flour
100 gms rice flour
2 tsps chilly powder
Hing as required
1/4 tsp ajwain / Carom seeds
A few sprigs of coriander leaves
Salt
Oil for frying the Pakora

Method :

Break the cauliflower into florets. Wash thoroughly and sprinkle a little salt on them. Mix well and keep aside. Mix Besan, rice flour, ajwain, chilly powder, hing, salt and the finely chopped coriander leaves. Add just enough water to make a thick but free flowing batter. Heat the oil. Dip the cauliflower florets in the batter and drop them into the oil. Deep fry till golden brown and crisp.

Capsicum/ Bell pepper Fritters Recipe

Posted on November 24, 2017 by vinaya

One of the easiest and tastiest of fritters that are a hit during get togethers and buffets, are the Bell pepper Fritters. These fritters are generally made from the green ones which are found in abundance as compared to the yellow, red and orange ones. They may be served with a dip but are best eaten without any accompaniment.

Ingredients :

3 Bell peppers
200 gms Besan/Chickpea flour
100 gms rice flour
2 tsps chilly powder
1/4 tsp ajwain/Carom seeds
Salt
Coriander leaves
A large pinch of Hing/asafoetida
Oil for frying

Method :

Wash and cut the Bell pepper vertically into half. Core it. Remove the seeds. Cut it lengthwise into 1 inch long slices. Chop the coriander leaves fine. Mix the rice flour, Besan, chilly powder, salt, ajwain, coriander leaves and hing. Add a little water at a time and make it into a thick but runny batter. Tip a few pieces into the batter. Heat the oil. Check that the pieces have been coated well by the batter. Drop them into the hot oil. Fry to a crispy golden brown. Serve with dip or chutney of your choice.

Cabbage Pakora Recipe

Posted on November 23, 2017September 30, 2018 by vinaya

Cabbage Pakora or Cabbage Ambado as the Konkani community calls it, is a tea time snack or even prepared as a side dish for lunch. I have innovated by grating a small potato and adding it to the usual Pakora batter. It adds to the texture and can be fried or even shallow fried. Here I have deep fried it as that is where the real taste lies!!!

Ingredients :

3 onions finely chopped
Cabbage the same quantity as that of the chopped onion
A small potato, deskinned and chopped fine
1 green chillies minced
2 inch piece ginger grated
A few sprigs of coriander leaves finely chopped
Besan/ Chickpea flour
Rice
Salt
Chilly powder as per spice level
Oil for frying

Method :

Mix the chopped cabbage, onions, grated potato, finely chopped green chillies, coriander leaves and ginger. Add salt and chilly powder and keep aside for ten minutes. It will release water. Mix the Besan and rice flour in the proportion of 2:1. Sprinkle the mixture onto the chopped vegetables and mix well till you get a semi solid dough like consistency which can be shaped into balls. Pat the balls into shape, press and keep them aside. Heat oil. Gently lower the balls 3-4 at a time in the oil and deep fry to a crispy golden brown.

Tomato Saar Recipe

Posted on November 16, 2017 by vinaya

Tomato Saar is an aromatic preparation which can be served as an appetizer or as a mixer for rice. The basic ingredient that is used here as the name indicates is Tomato. What makes it different is that it can be seasoned in a variety of ways. Each seasoning lends its own unique taste to the Saar. Here I have seasoned it with garlic. You may also try seasoning it with finely chopped onion or a simple one of asafoetida, mustard and curry leaves.

Ingredients:

3 medium sized tomatoes
1 litre water
1 tsp tamarind paste
3 tsps sugar
2 tsps Sambhar powder
Salt
20 garlic cloves
2 tbsps ghee/ clarified butter
Coriander leaves

Method :

Chop the tomatoes fine. Drop them into the boiling water along with the tamarind paste, salt, sugar and sambhar powder. Cook till soft. Heat ghee and add the lightly crushed garlic cloves to it. Roast to a rich golden brown. Tip the seasoning into the boiling Saar. Boil for a couple of minutes to allow the aroma of the garlic to infuse into the Saar. Switch off. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

Note : The recipe to the Sambhar-powder can be found under the catagory of Spice powders of this website. You may also use the store bought one too.

Whole wheat Bread Sandwich Recipe

Posted on November 15, 2017 by vinaya

A healthy snack from the regular white one, you can use a filling of your choice and also grill it or roast it. I had some Vegetable Makhanwala leftover from the previous night’s dinner so used it up. Most curries taste delicious sandwiched in between toasted bread and if topped with cheese and onion rings, are simply out of this world!!! Recipe of Vegetable Makhanwala can be found under the Category of North Indian recipes of this website.

Ingredients :

Brown Bread slices
Butter
Onion rings
Cheese
Cucumber slices
Tomato ketchup

Method :

Butter the slices on both sides and roast it well on only one side. Spread the curry of your choice on the roasted side, top it with onion rings, grated cheese and Cucumber slices. Place another slice of the roasted bread with the roasted side towards the curry. Roast the sandwich on both sides till crisp and brown. Serve with tomato ketchup.