Fresh Basket Potlis ( The perfect morning after snack for New Year )

Wishing all my readers and subscribers a Very Happy and Blessed New Year 2016 !!!

What's an morning after snack ?? Something that is light and easy on the stomach while being delicious at the same time while not being too 'hatke' for the occasion. I am of course referring to the first day of the New Year when a steady stream of friends and relative will trickle down your doorsteps for offering their New Year Wishes. Most of them would still be reeling under the after effects of the partying and not in the mood for anything too heavy or spicy.

These fresh basket potlis are the perfect solution to your dilemma. The 'fresh basket' of course refers to the fresh winter produce. The whole imagery is that of the freshest winter vegetables stuffed into a basket. One finds the seasonal variety of green peas, cauliflower, french beans, carrots, corn and peppers in abundance in the local farmers market and this is just the right occasion to leverage nature's bounty. While I have deep fried the potlis keeping my traditional guests in mind, one can also bake them to cut down on the calories. Serve a few of these bundles of goodness with some freshly squeezed orange juice and watch them disappear.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 30 mins

Ingredients -

For the potlis -

• 2/3 cup maida
• 1/3 cup atta
• 1/2 tsp kasuri methi
• 1 1/2 tsp ghee
• salt to taste
• cold water for kneading into a tight dough

For the stuffing -

• 1/2 cup green peas
• 1/4 cup cauliflower florets
• 1/4 cup french beans
• 1/4 cup bell peppers
• 2-3 pinch amchoor
• a pinch of chili powder
• a pinch of garam masala
• 1 tsp coriander leaves
• 2 tsp oil 
• salt to taste

Preparation - Take all the ingredients for dough into a mixing bowl. Rub together. Then add water little by little to make a tight dough. Smear it with a little oil and cover with a moist kitchen towel. Keep aside for 30 mins.

Take all the veggies into a blender and give a quick buzz. We need a coarse mix of veggies not unlike what we use for stuffing into paratha.

Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the veggie and saute on high for 2-3 mins. Add all the seasoning, mix in and remove from flame after 30 seconds. Keep aside till it is cool.

Divide the dough into 10 portions. Roll out each one into a circle. Put some stuffing in the center. Draw a smaller circle with wet fingers about 1 cm inside the diameter of the circle. Gather the sides,making pleats as you do it, and finally give a twist to close the potli or bundle. 

Repeat the same procedure with the remaining dough and stuffing.

Heat sufficient oil in a wok /pan for deep frying the potlis. Add a few at a time to the hot oil, making sure that they not getting clumped together. Drizzle hot oil over the potlis with a slotted spatula for even cooking. Once they turn brown, remove and place on paper towels to absorb excess oil.

Serve hot with some pudina and ajwain chutney.

Note - One can also make the potlis a few hours in advance and keep it under a slightly moist towel.

For the baked version, brush the potlis with egg (preferred) or oil . Place on a baking tray lined with butter paper and pop into the preheated oven set at 180 degree Celsius. Takes about 30 mins or so. 

Masale-wali Mathri ( And a very Happy Diwali )

Oriyarasoi wishes all its readers a Very Happy Diwali !! May the festival of lights spread the holy light and eliminate the shadows of darkness from your lives !! [ I take this opportunity to thank you people for my FB page has recently crossed 5000 likes. Not a huge number but it seems special as I am a late entrant on the social media bandwagon. And Oriyarasoi is now on Instagram as 'Swetabiswal'. Please follow me for some interesting shares.]

Festival time is the time to give in to all sorts of cravings. And the spate of bad weather in Blore has only increased my desire to munch on various kinds of 'Namkeen' or savoury snacks while sipping endless cups of 'Adrak-wali' chai (ginger tea).

I was first introduced to Mathri during my stay in Pune. My room-mate had a special weakness for fried stuff like Laccha, Bhakarwadi and ofcourse the Mathri. Though I found it to be somewhat oily, I loved snacking on it occasionally. Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 45 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 cup maida ( refined flour )
• 1 cup atta ( whole wheat flour )
• 1 tsp peppercorn
• 1 tsp kasuri methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
• 1/4 tsp ajwain (carom seeds)
• salt to taste
• pinch of baking powder
• 2 tbsp ghee
• oil for deep frying

Preparation - Take the maida, atta and baking powder in a big bowl. Add the hot ghee to it. Rub it into the flour so that the texture resembles bread crumbs. This will take about 5 mins.

Then add the crushed peppercorn, carom seeds and kasuri methi to it. Sprinkle salt as per taste. Mix in. Add warm water little by little and knead into a tight dough.

Smear the dough with a few drops of oil. Cover and keep aside for 5 mins.

Cooking - Heat the oil in a wok.

Roll out the dough into a thick circle ( about 2 mm thickness ). Take the cap of a bottle and cut out small circles ( abt 3 cm in diameter ). Pierce holes into the circles with a fork.

Add 4-5 circles to the hot oil and fry till light brown on both sides. Take out and place on paper napkins.

Repeat for the remaining dough.

Once the mathri had cooled down completely, store it in airtight containers.

Note - This recipe will yield about 30-32 pieces.

Avocado Sandwich

I was delighted when I received an email from Indusladies to be a contributor to their Kid's lunchbox event. Being a mother myself, I can vouch that there is nothing more satisfying than to find the lunchbox empty when the kid comes back from school ( and now if you thinking about all those times when you gave away your lunch to some stray dog while returning from school, let me inform you that my kid has not yet reached that stage. Will learn to deal with him when it comes to that).

The first recipe I picked up was this simple avocado sandwich with whole wheat bread. Avocado being a source of good fats and packed with nutrients, helps kids remain full for a longer time and also aids their brain development. Read on for the recipe -

Sending this as a contribution to the Indusladies event 100 Kids Lunch Box Recipes. Check out more details here - http://www.indusladies.com/food/kids-lunch-box-recipes/

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients -

• 3 slices of whole wheat/multi-grain bread
• 1/2 of an avocado ( cut into slices )
• iceberg lettuce leaves
• a few slices of tomato
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• 1/4 tsp mustard sauce
• 1/4 tsp vinegar
• 1/2 tsp honey
• 4 tbsp grated cheese
• freshly ground pepper
• salt to taste

Preparation - Cut the bread diagonally into triangles. Lightly toast the slices.

Mix the mayo, mustard sauce, vinegar, honey, pepper and a bit of salt in a bowl to prepare the sandwich spread.

Take one bread triangle. Cover it with the spread and then layer the avocado slices over it. Cover it with a bread slice. Add another layer of the sandwich spread before sprinkling the grated cheese and layering the tomato slices and lettuce. Sprinkle a bit of salt. Close with the final slice. Gently press.

Repeat for the remaining slices.

Serve immediately ( or cover tightly with a foil wrap and put in the kids lunch box ). It stays good even after 4-5 hours.

Paneer Cutlets

Made some cutlets with the leftover paneer which i had bought for the special weekend biryani. These cute and easy to make cutlets turned out to be quite tasty and are low on calories too. Use a cookie cutter to make them into interesting shapes and even the kids will ask for more.

One can coat them with flour paste and breadcrumbs before frying for a crispier version but these ones are quite yummy by themselves. The fried ones would work well for parties and picnics.

Read on for the recipe -

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients -

• 1 1/2 cup paneer cubes
• 1 cup boiled potato cubes
• 1 large sized onion ( finely chopped)
• 1/2 tsp grated ginger
• 1/2 tsp grated/crushed garlic
• 1/2 - 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1/2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 2 pinches of curry powder (optional)
• a pinch of turmeric
• 4-5 tsp oil
• salt to taste
• finely chopped coriander leaves

Preparation -  Lightly crumble the paneer with your fingers.

Mash the potatoes. Break any lumps but do not make it too smooth.


Cooking - Heat 2 tsp oil in a wok. Add the onions and fry till translucent.

Add the ginger and garlic and fry for 2-3 mins or till raw smell goes away.

Sprinkle all the powders except garam masala. Fry for 30 seconds.

Add the crumbled paneer and mashed potatoes. Mix and fry for 4-5 minutes on medium flame.

Sprinkle garam masala and coriander leaves.. Mix and switch off flame.

Allow to cool down to a tolerable temperature. Then pinch small balls out of the mix and fashion into heart shaped cutlets.

Heat a flat tawa/frying pan. Drizzle lightly with some oil. Put the cutlets on tawa and cook on both sides for few minutes each ( till you see a light browning ).

Remove and serve hot as snacks/starters or sides.

Note - One can also use chenna instead of paneer to make these cutlets. I usually make some chenna quickly when i want to make these for my fussy son.

Mayonnaise and Veggie Sandwich

The 4 o' clock snack time is turning out to be a big headache for me. My little one is always looking for variety and I keep looking for different ways to please him. God, kids are really getting bored of everything these days. I swear we were not like this when we were young. I will have my Mom vouch for that.

Since the heat is increasing these days, I wanted to skip the fried snacks and get something healthy for him. Leafing though my old notes (yeah, I keep making a note of everything), I found this sandwich recipe that I had not prepared for a long time. With loads of veggies, this one is a very healthy option. One can always replace the mayonnaise with some hung curd seasoned with mustard sauce and garlic. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Ingredients-

• 2 slices of sandwich bread
• a few thin slices of cucumber
• a few thin slices of tomato
• a few thin slices of capsicum
• some iceberg lettuce
• a few thin slices of onion (skip this for toddlers...optional for older kids)
• 1 tbsp mayonnaise
• a sprinkling of pepper (optional)
• a dash of ketchup
• grated cheese (as much as you like)
• salt

Preparation: Place the bread slices on the kitchen counter.

Spread mayonnaise on one half.

Layer on the vegetables. I put cucumber first, then tomato, then capsicum and finally the lettuce.

Sprinkle grated cheese and pepper. Add a dash of salt.

Sprinkle tomato ketchup on the other slice.

Finally place the slices one over the other and close the sandwich. Press lightly.

Cooking : Heat a sandwich maker and place the sandwich in it. (Most have auto-cook function but if not then cook for 2 minute till lightly browned.

Else heat a flat dosa tawa. Place the sandwich over it and cook for 1 minute on both sides.

Place the sandwich on a flat surface and cut into smaller portions (triangles).

Serve immediately with some ketchup.

Note - Pleas excuse the badly clicked pics!! Kiddo was busy pulling the plate away from my hands even as I was trying the click the final pics!!

Red Pepper Boats

'Aloo Chop' or Bonda as it is called in the Southern parts of India, is a very popular snack in Odisha. One can easily spot a shop selling these at every nook and corner of the state. Balls of slightly spiced boiled potato dipped in a batter of Bengal gram batter and deep fried, these can hardly be considered as a gourmet's delight.

As part of my new year resolution, I intend to give a makeover to some of the most common oriya dishes. This is the first in line. Cutting out the deep frying part, I stuffed the potato filling into these lovely red bell peppers and roasted them on a non-stick pan with a only a few drops of oil. The firm (read Al dente) peppers not just make for great holders but also add a fresh flavor to a popular snack. I had originally planned to add Kaffir lime leaves to the potato mixture but could not find it anywhere in Bangalore. Read on for the recipe:

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Ingredients - 2 medium sized red bell peppers, 2-3 medium sized potatoes ( boiled and peeled ), 1 tsp grated garlic, 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 medium sized onion ( finely chopped ), 1/4 tsp mustard seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1/2 tsp chilli powder, 1/5 tsp turmeric, 2-3 tsp chopped coriander leaves, 2 tbs fried peanuts, 4 tsp oil, salt to taste.

Preparation - Wash and cut each bell pepper into two. Remove any pith/seeds from within. Brush all over (both insides and outside) with oil and a bit of salt.

Cooking: Heat 3 tsp oil in a wok. Add mustard-cumin seeds when the oil starts smoking. Follow with chopped onion and the grated ginger and garlic. Fry for 4-5 mins till the raw smell goes away.

Add the mashed potato along with chilli powder, salt and turmeric. Fry for 2-3 mins. Now add the fried peanuts and chopped coriander. Fry for 1-2 mins. Remove from heat and keep aside till it is bearable to touch.

Stuff the potato mixture into the bell peppers.

Heat a non-stick frying pan. Drizzle with remaining oil. Add the stuffed peppers and cook on each side for 3-4 mins. They should be cooked but still firm.

Serve hot as starters/snacks.

Sending this to Cook With Red Event at Shweta's blog Merry Tummy.

Dahi ke Kebabs

I caught this recipe being aired on 'Khana Khazana'. Since my Little one was hollering at the same time, I might have missed a thing or two. But nonetheless the kebabs turned out fabulous. Also, this recipe does not use any onion and garlic so it can be savored any day.

Preparation Time - 15 min

Ingredients - 200 gm hung curd, 4 tsp besan / bengal gram flour, 1 tbs chopped coriander, 1 tbs chopped ginger, 1 tbs chopped green chilli, 1 tbs coarsely ground pepper, 1 tsp powdered sugar, 2-3 tbs pomegranate seeds, salt to taste, cornflour for dusting, oil for frying.

Preparation - Take all the ingredients (except for oil and cornflour) in a mixing bowl. Mix gently into a soft dough.

Take a small potion of the dough and shape into tikkis. As the dough will be very soft, use cornflour to dust a working surface and make into tikkis.

Cooking - Heat a non-stick frying pan and drizzle with oil.

Place the tikkis on the pan and cook on both sides to a brown color.

Serve hot with pudina chutney/tomato sauce.