Simple & Fatafat Cornflakes Mixture

My husband is fond of our original South Indian mixture. I used to make traditional mixture during diwali festival and its very time consuming. I tried this cornflakes mixture as an substitute to our traditional mixture and came out so good. It is very easy to make and can be prepared so quickly.

Preparation time: 5 mins
Cooking time: 15 mins
Yields : 4 cups

Ingredients required:

Cornflakes - 3 cups
Rice flakes (Poha) - 1 cup (white)
Almonds - 1/2 cup
Cashewnut - 1/2 cup
Fried gram dal - 3/4 cup
Raisin - 1/2 cup
Curry leaf - 1/4 cup
Ground nut - 1/4 (Roasted, optional)
Salt - to taste
Chilli powder - 1 -2 teaspoon (adjust to taste)
Sugar powder - 1-2 teaspoon
Hing - 1 pinch
Chat masala - 1 teaspoon (optional)


Preparation Method:

1. Heat oil in a open pan / kadai. In metallic colander /strainer add corn flakes and gently immerse the strainer in hot oil and fry it in batches. Add fried corn flakes to paper towel to remove excess oil.
2. Similarly fry almonds, cashewnuts, raisins, fried gram dal, curry leaf  in order, one by one and add it to large mixing bowl.
3. Finally fry rice flakes in oil and add it to the mixing bowl. Always use colander to fry rice flakes.
4. To the mixing bowl, add fried corn flakes, salt, chilli powder, hing, sugar powder, chat masala and mix well.

Cornflakes mixture is ready and store it in airtight container.

Tips:
1. To add slight tangy taste, add amchur powder to taste.
2. Always add spices and salt when mixture is hot. So that spice powder get stick to mixture.
3. Mixture always varies as we can add boondi, chat biscuit and so on.

Mixed Nuts Ladoo/ Dryfruits ladoo

Nuts ladoo or dryfruit ladoo is very tasty and healthy snack as it contains dates and mixed nuts and no added sugar or sweet. It roughly cost 3 times costlier in shop where as it is very simple and interesting to make at home. Kids feel difficult to eat dates and nuts separately. This ladoo taste too good and loved by all kids. Even elders can consume one ladoo during every morning. Always mixed nuts and dates are taken in equal ratio to make this ladoo. I have used walnut, hazelnut, cashew nut, almonds and pistachio.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Cooking time: 10 mins
Yield - 30 ladoos

Ingredients:

Dates - 1 1/4 cup (Seedless, roughly chopped)
Cashew nut - 1/4 cup
Almonds - 1/4 cup
Pistachio - 1/4 cup
Black Raisin - 1/4 cup
Hasselnut - 1/4 cup
Walnut -1/4 cup
Cardamom powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Nutmeg powder/ jaadhikai powder - 1 pinch
Salt - 1 pinch
Ghee - 2 tablespoon

Preparation Method:

1. Dry roast all the nuts (cashewnut, pista, almond, haseselnut, walnut) one by one and allow it to cool.



2. In a mixer roughly blend all the nuts into coarse texture not powder. If you have nuts chopper, you can chop the nuts instead of blending in mixer. I always use ripper in mixie to do this process. Do this process for every nut separately, as different nuts require different timing to get into rough texture.
3. Heat ghee in a large kadai and add roughly blended nuts and saute them in medium to low flame.



4. In meantime, blend dates into fine paste in mixer and add it to kadai. Ensure to maintain flame very low.
5. Blend raisin roughly in mixer and add it to kadai. Add pinch of salt, nutmeg powder and cardamom powder. Mix well and switch off the flame.
6. Transfer the ladoo mixture to fine plate and allow it to cool off. When the mixture is warm, mix well using hands evenly.
7. Make ladoos out of mixture and store it in airtight container. No need to refrigerate.

Yummy, simple, healthy and tasty ladoo is ready.

Vegetable Bonda with Mint and Kebab Chutney

Vegetable bonda is a quick, healthy and easy snack that fulfill our hunger. It is almost similar to aloo bonda, but mix of steam cooked vegetables gives our good taste and large quantity too. Just one vegetable bonda with a cup of chai with our family is awesome moment. Mint chutney goes well with bajji, binda, pakodi . Handful of mint and coriander along with little Indian spicy ingredient gives a punch to this chutney.

Cooking time: 15 mins
Preparation time: 20 mins
Serves - 4 nos

Ingredients for stuffing:

Potato - 2 nos (Medium, chopped)
Carrot - 2 nos (Medium, chopped)
Peas - 100 gms
Beetroot - 1/4 cup (chopped, optional)
Coriander leaves - 2 table spoon
Onion -1 (large, finely chopped)
Green Chilli - 2 nos (finely chopped)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Chilli  powder - 3/4 teaspoon
Cumin Powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Coriander pwder - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam Masala - 1/4 teaspoon
Cashewnuts - 2 tablespoon(broken into small pieces)
Salt - to taste
Oil - 2 tablespoon
Hing/ Asafoetida - a pinch
Lemon juice - optional

Ingredients for Batter:

Gram flour - 3/4 cup
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1 teaspoon
Salt - to taste
Cooking soda/ aapa soda - 1 pinch
Water - as needed

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and peel skin of potato and dice into small cubes. Similarly wash and dice carrot into small chunks.
2. Wash 3 -4 times green fresh peas. If beetroot is used, then masala turns light sweetish. Its optional to use.
3. Mix all diced vegetable and peas in cooker bowl and steam cook it for 5 whistles.



4. Once pressure goes off, strain the vegetable to remove any water left in bowl and smash well by adding chilli powder, salt, cumin powder, coriander powder and Garam Masala using potato masher.



5. Heat oil in a kadai and finely chopped onion, green chillies and hing. Saute well until onion turns translucent colour. Add mashed vegetable and saute well in medium flame for about 3 to 4 mins. Finally add coriander leaves, cashewnuts and lemon juice and switch off the flame.





6. Once the mixture cools down make medium sized balls out of it and keep aside.



7. In a separate bowl mix together gram flour, rice flour, salt, cooking soda and chilli powder.
8. Add little water at a time and mix the batter to get right bajji consistency.



9. Heat oil in a separate pan, dip vegetable balls in batter and add it to oil. Add 3-5 balls at a time in batches.Once balls are added to oil, reduce the heat and fry it gently until it turns golden brown.




10. Remove bonda from oil and add it to paper towel to absorb excess oil.

Serve it hot with Mint chutney or kebab chutney

Mint Chutney and Kebab chutney for sandwich

I have learnt this recipe Mint chutney from my sister. She make different chutney for her kid for sandwich, dosa, idly and even for rice. It is so simple to make and the secret ingredient is sugar and lime juice. It was so tasty and tangy when I tasted it in her house along with bajji. I tried it next time along with vegetable bonda. This mint chutney can be applied as a base for sandwich and even with little variation we can use for kebab.

Preparation time: 15 mins
Serves - 4 nos

Ingredients:

Mint leaves- one hand full
Coriander leaves- one hand full
Salt - to taste
Sugar - 1/2 teaspoon
Green chilli - 3 nos
Peanut - 2 tablespoon (Roasted and skin removed)
Lime juice - 2 teaspoon
Ginger - 1 inch (chopped)
Garlic - 1 single pod

Preparation Method for Mint Chutney:

1. Wash and clean mint leaves and coriander leaves.
2. In a blender mix all the above ingredients and blend it to a fine paste.
3. Serve this chutney along with Bajji, bonda and pakodi´s.

Preparation Method for Kebab Chutney:

1. Wash and clean mint leaves and coriander leaves.
2. In a blender mix all the above ingredients and blend it to a fine paste.
3. In a bowl, mix 2 teaspoon of mint chutney and 2 tablespoon of thick curd. Mix well along with a pinch of chat masala and adjust salt for taste.
4. This chutney goes well with any kebab varieties.

Karamani Sundal/Black White Eye Bean Sundal

Karamani sundal/ Black white eye bean sundal is rarely prepared when compared to groundnut or chickpeas sundal. It is a good evening snack and more tasty when we prepare a separate spice powder and mix it. Black white eye bean has more health benefits such as it is rich in Iron, less fat and more protein enriched. When bean salad is prepared, it plays an major role along with green gram dal.

Cooking time: 15 mins
Soaking time: 3-4 hrs
Serves - 2 nos

Ingredients:

Black White eyebean -1 cup
Coriander seeds - 2 tablespoon
Channa dal - 2 tablespoon
Red Chilli - 6 nos
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Mustard seeds - 1 teaspoon
Curry leaves - 10 nos
Hing/ Asafoetida - pinch
Grated coconut - 3 tablespoon
Salt - to taste

Preparation Method:

1. Wash and soak white eyebean for 4 -5 hours.
2. Pressure cook the soaked white bean with little salt for 2 whistle. Drain excess water and keep it aside.
3. Dry roast coriander seeds, channa dal and red chilli in a pan and set them aside to cool off.
4. Grind the dry roasted ingredients into coarse powder.
5. Heat oil in kadai and add mustard seeds, when it splutter add hing and curry leaves followed by pressure cooked bean.
6. Add salt if required and then add 3 tablespoon of coarsely grinded powder.
7. Stir well for 2 minutes and switch off the flame.
8. Finally add grated coconut and mix well and serve.

Tips:

1. Soak white eye bean for 3-4 hours so that in 2 whistle bean cooks well.
2. Always add grated coconut after switching off the flame. Coconut will get cooked with the existing heat of kadai.
3. Serve sundal with finely chopped onions and raw mango as toppings. It gives extraordinary taste.