Pickle strips (Spicy Indian Snack)

Rakshabandhan is approaching and as it is one of my favorite festival I thought of trying different snacks for the gettogather. After trying with different flavours I am posting today pickle strips which is spicy Indian snack which can be made with very few ingredients.

For making Pickle strips you will need :-

1 tablespoon pickle masala (sour pickle masala/ mango pickle masala)

Salt to taste

4-5 tablespoon of oil for dough

1 cup samolina

1 cup All Purpose Flour

Oil for frying 

Water as needed

Take a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients. Add oil and mix well. Slowly add water to make a firm dough. Allow it to rest for about 15-20 minutes. Roll a big paratha out of it and cut the edges and cut it into strips and fry after separating it on low to medium temperature. Don't overcrowd it in pan. When they become crispy take out of flame and allow it to cool down. Your pickle strips are ready to enjoy anytime.

Store in airtight container for about 10-15 days.

Coriander Mint strips (Easy Indian Snack)

Today I thought of making something new for my daily snacks which I can have it any time during day, so I thought of making Coriander Mint strips. It is basically coriander mint chutney added to batter and it taste so delicious.......

So let's make it, for making Coriander Mint strips you will need:-

3-4 tablespoon of coriander mint chutney

1 tablespoon of ginger garlic paste

1/2 tablespoon of cumin powder

1/2 tablespoon of chaat masala

Salt to taste

5-6 tablespoon oil

1 cup All Purpose Flour

1-1/2 cup Rava/ Sooji/ Samolina

Water as needed

Oil for frying

Take a bowl and mix all the dry ingredients first. Then add coriander mint chutney, ginger garlic paste and oil in it. Mix well. Then slowly add water and make a firm dough.

Make equal parts of dough and roll it and make a rectangle shape with the help of pizza cutter or knife. Then make long strips out of it and cut it in middle. If required prick the rolled dough with the help of fork and then make strips.

Heat the oil on medium high and then fry these strips in it and don't overcrowd in pan. Turn over after one side is cooked and do it till it gets little brown colour or when they are crispy. Remove from the oil and allow it to cool down.

You can use it for 20-25 days after storing in airtight container.

Egg- Free Bread and Muffin mix available at.....

Hey guys I am very found of baking bread, cookies and cake at home, so today I am sharing you the bread and muffin mix available in United States which is egg-free and also very easy to make.

In Albertsons store you will find :-

• "Fleischmann's Simply Homemade"

Multigrain Italian Herb bread mix & Country White Bread mix in which you have to add just   

water and mix it and then bake. On the top of it both these mixture available are egg-free which is like a cherry on the top of ice-cream!!!

• "Pillsbury Quick Bread and Muffin mix too" 

of Bluberry, Apple & Cinnamon, Pumpkin, Banana, etc are available which is ready made mixture of bread and muffin and moreover they are also egg-free..... 

 

So try this egg-free bread and muffin mix and enjoy!!!!

Egg Free Bagels Available at.....

Hey guys I am back now with my addition to my list of egg-free products available in United States...

I search a lot for the egg-free products and this time I am sharing you the destination where you can find your egg-free bagels!!!

Most of the Sara Lee Bagels are egg-free, the variety of egg-free bagels which I found of the Sara Lee are 

1. Plain Bagel
2. Onion Bagel
3. Blueberry Bagel
4. Everything Bagel
5. Rasins and Cinnamon Bagel

 These all varieties you can find in Albertsons, Ralphs, Walmart store. So what are you waiting for?

Enjoy on a lovely weekend with your dear ones........

Dates and Tamarind Chutney

Dates and Tamarind chutney goes very well any patties, pakoda, bataka vada, etc. It is main ingredient in any of the chat like aloo tikki, bhel, kachori, etc. So lets make it....

To make it you will need:-

1 cup of peated dates

1/2 cup of tamarind (seedless)

3 tablespoon sugar/ jaggery

1 teaspoon red chilly powder

1 teaspoon coriander and cumin powder

Salt to taste

Water 3 cups

Soak dates and tamarind for about 4-5 hours. Then take the mixture to the pressure cooker and add water till it get covered with the mixture and little above it. Cook for about 4-5 whistle. Allow it to cool down then put the mixture to the strainer so that pulp comes out of it. Then add sugar, red chilly powder, salt and coriander and cumin powder and mix it well. Your chutney is ready to go with any chaat or tikkis.

You can store in airtight container and store in freezer for about 1 month. So you can make it in ahead of time when you want to make anything in which it goes and it really comes out very handy.

Spinach Handvo ( Spicy Lentil Cake)

Handvo is Gujarati traditonal savory cake. Handvo flour is soaked in yogurt for about 5-6 hours before making it. Handvo flour is easily available in Indian Grocery Stores.  It can be made with samolina also. Today I want to share you quick spinach handvo recipe. I just cheat myself from the long procedure of soaking dal and rice and take readymade flour of handvo. So let's get into the recipe...

For making Spinach Handvo you will need:-

1 cup of handvo flour

1 cup of Spinach (properly washed and cut roughly)

2 teaspoon ginger and green chilly paste

1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder

1 teaspoon sugar

Salt to taste

3-4 garlic finely chopped

1 teaspoon Mustard seeds

1 teaspoon Sesame seeds

Pinch of cooking soda

1/2 cup yogurt

3-4 tablespoon oil

1/2 cup water

Pinch of asafoetida

Take handvo flour in bowl add ginger chilly paste, turmeric powder, sugar, salt, yogurt, garlic and  and mix well. Add some water slowly and mix it to make a not to thin and not too thick batter. Cover it with lid. Allow it to rest for 5-6 hours. Then take the batter and add spinach and cooking soda and mix well. 

Take a flat pan and add oil and add mustard seeds and allow it to crackle and add sesame seeds and asafoetida to it and pour batter thenafter. Allow it to cook one side about 10 minutes then flip it over after it gets little brown in colour. Cook both sides and then serve.

Pigeon Peas (Tuvar) Curry

Pigeon Peas (Tuvar) can be prepared in many different way. We can make subji using fresh green pigeon peas and also make it as cereals when they are dry.
Today I am going to share with you dry pigeon peas recipe which you can serve with rice, roti, paratha, etc.

 For making Pigeon Peas curry you will need:-
1 cup dry soaked and boiled  pigeon peas (available in Indian grocery stores)
2-3 curry leaves
salt to taste
2 tablespoon jaggery
1-1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder
1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder
1/2 teaspoon coriander and cumin powder
2 teaspoon gram flour
Mustard seeds 
2 tablespoon oil
1/2 lemon juice
 

Take 3/4 cup of dry pigeon peas and soak in water for 5-6 hours. They will turn into 1 cup after soaking. Remove all the excess water and then pressure cook it with 3 cups of water upto 6-7 whistles. Allow it to cool down. Remove all the water from it. Take a pan and then add oil to it and add mustard seeds, allow mustard seeds to crackle. Add curry leaves and then add gram flour to it and saute it for few seconds. Then add boiled pigeon peas to it and add salt, jaggery, red chilly powder, cumin and coriander powder and lemon juice. Add  a little less than half cup of water to it. Allow it to simmer for 10 minutes. Your pigeon peas curry is ready to serve. Garnish with lemon wedge or onion.

Mamara (Spicy Puffed Rice)

Who don't like mamamra? You go to an Gujarati family house and it's always there!!!

It taste really good and very easy to make it. It is my all time munching snack. I always have it in my house. Many other dishes you can make with mamara like suki bhel, bhel puri, kachori etc.

So lets make it quickly and enjoy...

You will need:-

1 bowl of mamara (8-9 cups)

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste (optional)

10-12 pieces of peanuts

Mustard seeds

3-4 tablespoon oil

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder

3-4 Curry leaves (optional)

Take a pan and add oil and when oil gets hot (on medium to low flame) add mustard seeds. When mustard seeds crackle add peanuts and curry leaves. Allow it to cook properly. Add mamara and then add salt, sugar, turmeric powder and red chilly powder and mix it well. Your mamara are done!

It is just so easy to make it. Enjoy with a cup of tea.....

Papad- Poha

Every Indian house mostly has some or the other home made snacks. These home made snacks are very good for anytime munching or it goes very well with tea or coffee. I am personally very much fond of home made snacks and I love to make them again and again...

Lets make papad- poha today. This is very easy and roasted snack and definitely you will make it again...

You will need:-

4 cups Thin Poha (available in Indian Grocery Store)

2  roasted Udad dal or Jeera (cumin) papad ( roughly broken into small pieces)

3-4 curry leaves

1/4 cup raw peanuts

Salt to taste

Sugar to taste (optional)

1 green chilly finely chopped.

5 teaspoon oil

1-1/2 teaspoon red chilly powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

Mustard seeds

Take poha on a microwavable plate and then spread it and roast it about 2 minutes or till it get little crispy. Then take a pan and heat oil and add mustard seeds, when it starts crackling then add peanuts, curry leaves and green chilly finely chopped. Saute till it is cooked. Then add poha to it and add sugar, salt, turmeric powder and red chilly powder. Mix it well and saute for 1-2 minutes. Then take it out of flame and then mix roughly broken small pieces of papad. Your papad- poha is ready to serve.

Store in airtight container. It will stay good for about 20-25 days.

Butter Naan (Indian Flat Bread)

As soon as you hear about naan the next thing comes to any one in mind is punjabi sabji. Naan goes  well with punjabi subji or any subji and it is too soft also. Different variety like garlic naan, chilly garlic naan, mix herbs naan and all our favorite butter naan can be made.

For preparing Naan you will require:-

1 cup Maida/ All Purpose Floor

Salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoon yogurt/dahi

1 teaspoon oil

A pinch of soda bicarbonate/cooking soda 

Lukewarm water a little less than half cup

Butter for garnishing

Mix salt and sugar in water till it get dissolved. Then take a bowl and add maida, yogurt, soda bicarbonate and oil in it. Mix it well. Then slowly add water mixture in which sugar and salt is dissolved. Make a soft dough. Apply little bit of oil on your palms and make dough soft. Then place the dough in a a little bigger bowl because the dough will rise little bit. Cover it with lid and allow it to rest for 6-7 hours before making naan. 

After 6-7 hours you are ready to make naan. Take a lemon size dough and roll it and then roast in nonstick pan or tava. When you see light golden spots on each side or it is cooked from inside then take it to plate and apply butter on it.

Your naan is ready, enjoy with your favorite subji....

Farsi Poori/ Rava Maida Poori (Sooji and All Purpose Floor Indian Fried Poori)

I am very much fond of different types of Indian snacks. I just miss home made snacks made by my mother at home. Today I thought of making Rava Maida Poori which I can store it for long time and it's my favorite tea time snack. So lets make it..

For making Rava Maida Poori you will need :-

1 cup Maida/ All Purpose Floor

3/4 cup Sooji/ Semolina

1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds

6-7 tablespoon oil (for making dough)

1 /2 cup water

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Take a bowl and mix all the ingredients except water and mix it well. Then mix water slowly and make a firm dough. Allow it to sit for 10-15 minutes. Make a small size of balls (like olive/ cherry tomato) and roll it not too thick nor too thin ( you can also use tortilla maker to roll poori). Roll all of them and then prick them with the help of fork so they don't puff up. Fry all the poori's on medium to low heat till golden brown. Take it on kitchen towel and then store it in airtight container after it gets to room temperature. 

This can stay good upto 20-25 days.

Enjoy this easy home made snack....

Tip of the day ( Use of Thermocol Plates/ Paper Plates in Microwave)

Hey guys I am back with my new tip for you....

You find it sometimes hard to keep warm or hot your sabji, pizza, bread, chapati, etc when guest are at your home or  get- together is there. Also you want to save time at that time and also want to enjoy, right? So here goes the trick to keep your stuff warm/ hot.

• Take any of your serving in Thermocol  plate or bowl and you can microwave it for 1-2 minutes and your serving gets warm. Check in between so that your plate don't burn.
• Also you can use paper plate, but check in between so that your plate don't burn.

Try this and enjoy your party.....

Tip of the day (to take out more juice from lemon/lime)

Hi guys, long weekend is going to start and you might be planning to go out or partying at home...

When you have party at your home you need to serve welcome drink, main course, etc. Some or the other recipe might have lemon in it. Sometimes you find lemon skin so hard that you can hardly squeeze some juice out of it.

I am sharing you trick by which you can make most use of lemon and how quickly you get more juice from lemon.

Take a hot water and add lime/ lemon into it and soak it for about 15-20 minutes and then squeeze lemon juice....You will definitely find more juice. As the skin of lemon/lime gets little soft due to soaking in hot water it will make your task simple to squeeze juice from it.

Try this and it will save your lot of time.........

Flax- Seeds Mukhwas/ Mouthfreshner

Flax Seeds are very healthy. It helps to reduce cancer, stroke, diabetes and heart disease. It contains Omega-3 Fatty Acids and Fiber (soluble and insoluble). Now after looking so many benefits I thought of making Flax Seeds as Mukhwas/Mouthfreshner. 

For preparing Flax Seeds mukhwas you will need:-

2 cups of Flax Seeds

Pinch of turmeric powder (optional)

Salt to taste

1 lemon juice

Take a bowl(preferably broad) and add all the ingredients to it and mix it well. Allow it to sit about 5-6 hours. In between mix it well about 2-3 times so that it does not get lumpy. After you feel that the flax seeds have absorbed all the lemon juice and salt. Then take the mixture to a non stick pan and roast at low temperature till you find it crispy. It will take around 15-20 minutes. Run your spatula continuously, don't leave it to get it crispy on its own. After you find it crispy remove the mixture from stove and let it cool down completely. 

You can then store it in airtight container, it will stay good for around 2-3 months. 

• Flax Seeds powder is also available in Albertsons, Sprouts Farmers Market and Ralphs. 
• Flax Seeds powder can be used by mixing in your roti, paratha or you can also add in your vegetables at the time of preparing it.

Tip of the day (To make ripe tomatoes useful)

It often happens to us that the tomatoes goes too ripe so that we are not able to use it. Today I would be glad to share you tip how to make use of ripe tomatoes and then you can use in your salads, soups, gravy, etc.

Take a bowl of ice water and add some salt to say one teaspoon it and mix it well with ice cold water and then put ripe tomatoes in that water till all tomatoes are soaked in water and allow it to sit for 6-7 hours. If required change water mixture with salt in between. You will notice that after 6-7 hours your tomatoes will look fresh and you can use it.

Try this super easy trick..............

Tip of the day...(Keeping Vegetables Fresh)

 It happens to many of us that we buy green vegetables and after 2-3 days their leaves does not look good or sometimes we did not like using it, don't throw it away..... Instead try this trick and it will work.............

If your vegetables are not looking fresh, then take your vegetables in cold water and add few drops of lemon juice and let it sit for some time and after say half and hour or more your vegetables will look fresh and you can use it.

Egg-Free Pizza Crust/dough available at....

Who does not love Pizza? I know for sure it might be everyone favorite. As soon you spell it the image of pizza moves around your eyes, isn't it?

Today I am sharing you Pillsbury Pizza Crust and Archer Farms which is egg-free and easily available in market. Just open it up and cut into desired shape and add favorite topping of yours and bake! 

The pizza crust which I found which are egg-free are:-

• Pillsbury Artisan Pizza Crust Whole Grain
• Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust
•  Pillsbury Buttermilk Biscuits dough is also available which is also egg-free and which you can use to make small size pizza.
• In target store "Archer Farms" ultra thin and crispy, whole wheat and fire roasted pizza crust is avilable.

So what are you waiting for? Go and check out in Ralphs, Albertsons, Smart & Final, Walmart, & Target stores and make pizza of your choice.