Noodles Omelet

Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 4 Servings

INGREDIENTS
1 Packet Dired Noodles (Approx. 75 gms)
4 Eggs
½ Green Capsicum
½ Red Capsicum*
½ Yellow Capsicum*
1 Small Onion
½ cup Shrimps
¼ cup Diced Bacon**
½ tsp Pepper Powder
20 gms Cheese
½ tsp Pepper Powder
1 Green Chilli
1 tsp Vinegar
6 tbsp Oil
Salt to Taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Boil the noodles in water with salt till just done. Drain out water and mix about a tbsp of oil to avoid the noodles sticking to each other.
   
2. Dice the onions and the capsicum into small cubes.
3. Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a saucepan. Use a pan which is approx. 8” in diameter.
4. Add the shrimps and sauté till lightly fried. Add the bacon and fry for a little longer.
5. Take them out and leave aside.
6. Now add 4 tbsp of the oil and add the onion. Allow the onions to get fried for about a minute before adding the capsicums.
   
7. Finely chop the green chilli and add them as well.
8. Fry till the capsicums have softened a little.
   
9. Now add the shrimps and bacon back into the pan.
   
10. Add the pepper, vinegar and a little salt.
11. Mix in the noodles.
12. Add the remaining oil along the sides of the pan.
13. Beat the eggs and pour on the noodles.
14. Cover and cook on low to medium heat until the eggs are done.
15. Remove from heat. Grate the cheese and sprinkle over the omelet.
16. Put the pan inside an oven and grill the top till the cheese is melted and browned.***Let the omelet cool a little. Now carefully, with a flat ladle, take out the omelet onto a plate and divide into 4 equal portions and serve hot.

NOTES
*Add green capsicums only if you do not have red and yellow ones at home.
** Optional.
*** If you can’t put the whole pan inside the oven, using a flat ladle, carefully take out the omelet from the pan onto a foil and then grill it.

Chicken Kadam

This is to my father, who himself is an ardent cook and a connoisseur of food. He picked up this recipe half way from a cook show and developed it to suit his taste. The name also has been coined by him!

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 1 hr | Cook Time: 10 mins| Yield: 12 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
150 gms Minced Chicken
½ cup Rice*
1” piece of Ginger
1 Green Chilli
Salt to Taste
1 tsp Oil

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and soak the rice for about an hour.
2. Finely chop the ginger. Should make about 1½ tbsp chopped ginger.
3. Finely chop the green chilli.
4. Drain out the rice and take it on a plate. Ensure there is no excess water in the rice.
5. Mix the ginger and the chilli with the chicken adding salt according to taste. Divide into 12 portions and make them into balls. The balls might tend to be a bit sticky at this stage. If unmanageable, apply a little oil on your palms.
6. Roll the chicken balls on to the rice and cover it well with the rice.
   
   
   
7. Now steam the balls in a covered container. Or just make sure that water doesn’t reach the chicken balls while they are getting steamed.
   
8. Do smear the oil in the container before placing them.
   
9. If cooked in a pressure cooker it should take about 10 mins to be done (first on high, then on medium). Or steam them until done.
   
10. Serve hot as a starter or snacks.

NOTES
*Ideally use fine, small grained rice.

Vada

Difficulty: Medium | Prep Time: 30 mins | Cook Time: 15-20 mins| Yield: 12 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Urad Daal
1” Ginger
2-3 Green Chillies*
Handful of Curry Leaves
½ tsp Baking powder
Salt to Taste
Oil for Deep Frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and soak the daal for 15-20 mins. You may soak if for a longer duration, but min it would about 15 mins for it to get soaked properly.
2. While the daal is soaking, chop the ginger and the green chillies and wash and clean the curry leaves.
3. Now make a paste of the daal adding as little waster as possible.
   
4. Take the paste in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients to it. Mix well.
   
5. Heat oil in a pan.
6. Take a handful of the daal mixture and then try to make a whole in it with your thumb while its still in your palm. Make a big whole as when you finally drop it into the oil, it'll tend to become small.**
7. Now turn over your palm and drop the daal mixture into the oil in that form. Make sure u don't burn your fingers here.
8. Now repeat for the rest and fry on medium to high heat till they are golden brown in colour.
   
9. Remove from heat and ideally serve with sambar and coconut chutney. But you can just simply have it with tea or coffee as it tastes good anyways!

NOTES
*Add according to taste.
**If making the wholes sounds difficult, then simply drop them into the oil without the whole. That's will give you round shaped vadas.

Peyaji (Onion Fritters)

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 20 mins| Yield: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS
1 Large Onion
1 cup Basan
2 Green Chillies*
Salt to taste
Oil for Deep Frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely slice the onion and chop the green chillies.
2. In a bowl take the onions and the chillies.
3. Add the besan and the salt (about ½ tsp). Mix well.
4. The salt will soften the onions a little and will allow some water come off it. This will be enough to bind the mixture. If not, add just a little water so as to get the onions to stick to each other.
   
5. Now heat enough oil for deep frying.
6. Take about a table spoon full of the mixture in your hand and put it into the oil. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.
7. Fry on medium heat so that the peyajis are crisp from within.
8. Serve hot with tea or coffee..

NOTES
*You may increase the quantity of these if you wish to make the fries spicier.

Chillie Cheese Toasts

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 20 pieces

INGREDIENTS
50 gms (3 slices) Cheese
2 Eggs
5 Slices of Bread
4 tbsp Flour
2 Green Chillie/ ½ tsp Red Chillie Powder*
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Remove the sides of the breads and cut them into 4 pieces each.
2. Beat the eggs in a bowl.
3. Grate the cheese and add it to the eggs.
4. Mix the flour, chillies and salt (just a little, about ½ tsp, as the cheese is high in salt content).
5. Heat the oil in a pan for deep frying.
6. Take a piece of bread and apply about 2 tsp of the egg mixture on one side of the bread.
7. Immediately put it into the hot oil. The side with the cheese mixture should be towards the bottom of the pan.
8. Fry till golden brown, flip and fry the other side as well till golden brown.
9. Repeat for the rest.
10. Remove on absorbant paper and serve hot with drinks.
    

NOTES
*Optional

Masala Pancake

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 5 mins | Cook Time: 10 mins | Yield: 4-5 Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
1 cup Flour
1 cup Milk
1 Egg
½ Small Onion
½ Small Tomatoes
1 tsp Coriander Leaves
1 Green Chillie
2-3 tsp Oil
Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS

1. Finely chop onions, tomatoes, coriander leaves, and the green chillie.
2. In a bowl mix all the ingredients and salt with a normal hand beater.
   
3. Heat a non-stick frying pan, add ½ tsp oil and smear it well.
4. Pour about 4 tbsp mixture and spread it to make a 6-7” diameter round pancake.
5. Repeat for the rest of the mixture.
6. Serve with any kind of pickle.

NOTES
You may make the pancakes plain and roll it up with any filling of your choice.

Bhindi Pakora

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 15 mins | Cook Time: 15 mins| Yield: 12 Pieces

INGREDIENTS
150 gms Bhindi (Ladies Finger)
½ Small Oinon
2 Green Chillies
3 tbsp Basan (Gram Flour)
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash the bhindis and chop them into small peices.
2. Apply salt and leave it for about 5 mins.
3. In the meanwhile finely chop the onions and the green chillies.
4. Once the bhindi is left aside with salt it'll tend to me sticky.
5. Now mix the onions, green chillies, and the basan with it.
6. In a pan heat oil for deep frying.
7. Make 12 balls of the bhindis, flatten them a little and fry them on medium heat.
   
8. Once they turn brown at the edges, remove and drain excess oil on an absorbant paper.
9. Serve as snacks or starters.

Dahi Vada

[also known as Dahi Bade]

Difficulty: Easy | Prep Time: 1½ hrs | Cook Time: 30 mins | Yield: 12 pieces

INGREDIENTS
1½ cup Dahi (Curd)
½ tsp Bhuna Jeera Masala*
¼ tsp Chillie Powder
1 Green Chilli
1 tsp Coriander Leaves
Salt to taste

For the Vada
100 gms Urad Dal (While Lentils)
½ baking powder
2 tsp Salt
Oil for Deep Frying

For the Chutney
2 tbsp Imli (Tamarind)**
2 tbsp Sugar
A pinch of Salt
½ tsp Bhuna Jeera Masala*

DIRECTIONS

1. Wash and soak the urad dal for about an hour.
2. Now make a fine thick paste of the dal in a blender adding as little water as possible.
   
3. Add the baking powder and mix well.
4. Take a large bowl and fill it water (about a litre) and mix the salt into the water.
   
5. Now heat enough oil in a pan for deep frying the vadas. The vadas must be deep fried as it'll only make it softer and thicker.
6. Once the oil is hot take about 1 tbsp of the dal paste and put it into the oil. As the vada puffs up and turns golden brown on one side, flip and fry the other side as well till golden brown.
7. Take the vada out of the oil and immerse it into the salt water prepared in advance.
8. Repeat the same for the rest of the dal paste. You may fry 3-4 or more vadas at a time, as per your convenience.
9. Let all the vadas soak well in the water. This will make the vadas soft.
   
10. To make the chutney, in a pan, set about ½ cup water to boil.
11. Soak the imli in 2-3 tbsp of water, mix well and strain it into the boiling water. If you are using dry imli, then you'll need to soak it in a little more water for some time before use.**
12. Now add the sugar and a pinch of salt. Let this simmer on medium flame, stirring occasionally.
    
13. Once this sauce has thickened quite a bit, add the bhuna jeera masala, remove from heat and leave this aside.
14. The last thing to do before setting the dahi vadas is to prepare the dahi.
    
15. To prepare the dahi, in a bowl take the curd and about ½ cup water. Add salt according to your taste and beat this well. The curd should be smooth, not too thick or not too light.
    
16. To set the dahi vadas, take a flat serving dish, minimum 2” in height.
17. Take out the soaked vadas one at a time, squeeze the water out gently, and place them side by side on the serving dish.
18. Pour the dahi over the vadas, covering them fully.
19. Now pour the imli chutney over the vadas, ensuring that each vada has a little cutney over it.
20. Sprinkle the bhuna jeera masala and then the chillie powder all over.
    
21. Finally, finely chop the green chillies and the coriander leaves and garnish the dahi vadas with them.
22. Serve chilled.
    

NOTES
*For a tsp of bhuna jeera masala, take ¾ tsp of jeera powder and ¼ tsp of red chilli powder and dry roast them in a pan untill it turns dark brown in colour. Remove from heat as soon as it tends to become dark brown in colour or else it'll get burnt.
** You may use either wet or dry imli