Noone Vankaiye - Spicy Brinjal Fry

Ingredients:

Make a dry powder mix of:
Coriander seeds - 3 tsp
Poppy seeds - 1 tsp
Whole Cloves - 6
Cardamom - 6
Cinnamon stick - 1 inch

Onion - 1 and 1/2 large no. (finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste - 2 tsp
Tomato paste - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 and 1/2 tsp
Brown Jaggery - small lime size
Small purple eggplants - 6 (slit like a flower in the center)
Oil
Salt

Method:

Heat oil in a deep nonstick pan,  fry the above on low flame until the oil seperates from the masala. Add the jaggery last. In a seperate pan, fry the eggplant for about 30 seconds. Once cooled, stuff the eggplants with the masala. Place these stuffed eggplants with the rest of the masala and cook for sometime.

Best eaten with White rice and rasam, my favorite combination!

Masala Vada

Ingredients :

Split Bengal gram - 1.5 cup ( soak in water for about 4 hours)
Onion - 1 medium size (chop very finely)
5-6 finely chopped curry leaves

1 tsp ginger-garlic paste

5 finely chopped green chillies

2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Salt to taste

Oil for deep frying

Method :

Drain the water from the Channa(Bengal gram). First grind 2 tbsp dal to a fine paste without adding water. Now add the remaining dal and grind coarsely.(for 5-6 seconds) . Keep aside 2 spoons of the dal-mix it later with the other ingredients.
Mix all the other ingredients into it. Make medium sized dumplings, flatten and deep fry till they turn golden brown on both sides. Best served along with 'Payisam'.

Diwali snack - Potato/plantain bajjis

Ingredients :

Potatoes - 1 lb
Plantain - 1 lb
Oil - 2 cups
Batter -
Cornflour
Chilli powder
Ginger-garlic paste
Rice-flour
Salt.

Method :

Heat oil in a deep pan. In the meantime, mix all the ingredients in a bowl with little water into a smooth paste. Peel and slice the potatoes and plantains into very thin round shapes. Dip them in the batter and deep fry on both sides till they turn brown.

Chicken spring rolls.

Ingredients :

Cabbage - 1 cup, grated
Carrot - 1 cup, grated
Spinach - 1 cup, grated
Scrambled eggs - 1 cup
Cooked chicken - cut into very small pieces, 1 cup
Soy sauce -2 tbsp
Chilli garlic sauce - 1 tbsp
Salt - 2 pinch
Spring roll skins - found in any Chinese stores.

Method :

Spray some oil on a saucepan. Add all of the above and fry it for a few minutes on low heat. Take a spring roll skin, place a spoonful of the mix on it and wrap it tightly into a roll. Deep fry them in oil for a minute or two each.

Salmon cakes.

Ingredients :

Salmon - 1lb cooked
Potatoes - 1lb cooked and mashed
Coriander and garam masala powder - 1/2 tbsp each
Coriander - 1 tbsp finely chopped
Salt & white pepper powder
Juice of 1 lemon
All purpose flour - 1 tbsp
Egg - 1 beaten
Breadcrumbs
Oil.

Method :

Mix the first 6 ingredients in a bowl. Heat 1 cup of oil in a saucepan. Make round flat shaped size of the mix, dip it in the next 3 ingredients one after the other separately and shallow fry them on both sides untill golden brown.