Chaat Cups November 28, 2007

I love Chaat but like it to be finger food, without the frying. I thought of this recipe when I was thinking of non-fried savory appetizers (other than chips and dip) with a desi flavor. 

What You Need: 

•  Mini Phyllo Dough cups (I use Fillo Factory brand)- 2 pkts of 15 each
• 1 Cup – green mung dal, soaked overnight or sprouted
• 1/2 Teaspoon- Chaat Masala
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Salt to taste
• 1/2 Cucumber chopped finely
• Cilantro, chopped finely for garnish
• Tamarind Date Chutney ( usually available in the Indian Grocery stores)

 How Its Done :

Thaw the Phyllo dough cups per instructions. Pre-heat oven to 400 degree farhenheit. Line the Phyllo dough cups on a cookie sheet and pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes until heated through (make sure they don’t change color- that means they’re burnt)

1.  Drain the pre-soaked Mung dal and transfer to a microwave safe bowl. Add a little water (1 tablespoon) and some salt microwave for about 5-7 minutes till the dal is cooked but not mushy. Let it cool.
2. Mix the Chaat Masala, juice of a lemon or lime into the moong dal and adjust salt according to your preference.
3. Add the chopped cucumber right at the end when you’re ready to serve. Mix well.
4. Fill the Phyllo dough cups with the moong dal mixture and top each cup with a small serving of the Tamarind Date Chutney. Garnish with the chopped cilantro.

 

Almond Date Laddus November 27, 2007

 

I tried this recipe after watching Dave Lieberman on Food Network. Its a simple recipe with few ingredients and few steps. Its fairly healthy (its made of natural ingredients and doesn’t involve anything that is processed), although I will not call it a low calorie food.

What you need: 

•  1 Cup- Pitted Mejdool Dates
•  1 Cup- Almonds
•  A couple of tablespoons of honey
• Oill to help roll the balls

How its done:

1.  Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees farenhiet.
2. Chop the almonds into pieces and lay them out on a cookie sheet. Heat the chopped almonds in the oven till they’re a shade darker
3. Chop the pitted dates into small pieces and process them in your food processor till they form a ball
4. Here’s the messy part- apply some vegetable oil to your hands and mix the chopped, toasted almonds (save the very powdery portion of the chopped almonds) and the chopped dates. Add honey to bind the mixture together. The consistency should be such that you are able to take a chunk of the mixture without any of it disintegrating.
5. Make little balls (laddus) and roll in the saved powdery chopped almonds.

Its hard to keep away from these…. 

Egg “Fuff” November 25, 2007

My husband grew up in Madras (now called Chennai) and would tell me stories of the Egg “fuff” he and his cousins would get at the Aiyengar Bakeries there. I turned to my friends in the blogosphere, when I first wanted to make Egg Puff and found many, many recipes. Here’s how I make it. Its always a hit as an appetizer: 

What you need:

• 6 Boiled Eggs, shelled and cut in three
• 2 Pastry Sheets (I use Pepperidge Farms pastry sheets)
• 3 Large Onions, thinly sliced
• 1 Tablespoon  Vegetable/Canola Oil 
• 1 Teaspoon – Garam Masala
• 1/2 Teaspoon- Chaat Masala
• 1 Egg, Whisked or lightly beaten (egg wash) 
• Chilli powder or red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt to taste

How its done:  

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees farenhiet. Thaw the pastry sheets per directions on the package.

1. Heat a non-stick skillet on medium-high heat and add the oil
2. Once the oil heats up, add the onions and start sauteing them till they become translucent. At that point, add the salt and spices (Garam Masala, Chat Masala, Chilli powder). Feel free to adjust the spices to your tastes.
3. Continue to saute and stir till the onions are brown and about half the quantity of what you started with. Switch off the heat and let it cool.
4. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.  
5. Roll the pastry sheet out so you cut 9 squares of about 4 inches (18 4 X 4 Squares)
6. Spread a generous teaspoon of the onion filling on one corner of a pastry square and top it with a piece of boiled egg.
7. Lift the opposite corner and cover the flap over the filling and the egg, sealing the edges with  your fingers or using a fork dipped in water. Repeat for all remaining pastry squares
8. Line all the puffs on the cookie sheet. Brush each pastry with the egg wash. Bake for about 10-15 minutes till the puff is golden brown.

Best served with tomato ketchup.