Aloo Kabli / Alu Kabli - Kolkatta style Alu Chaat

 Alu Kabli or Aloo Kabli is a classic street side delicacy from the streets of Kolkatta . Unlike other street food which is normally loaded with lot of oil and spices ,Alu Kabli is totally oil free and healthy.  It is more like a potato salad loaded with the goodness of boiled chickpeas, tomatoes, onions, cucumbers etc .

Alu Kabli infact is also Vegan friendly and if all the ingredients are available handy we can put this together in less than 15 mins.

Alu Kabli can be served as a starter for any parties and will also pair well with drinks just like Peanut Masala  or classic Potato Wedges from Sujata's blog .

There is no hard and fast measurements for making this lipsmacking and refreshing chaat ..we can increase or decrease the quantity of ingredients based on our likes.  Only thing is that potato needs to be the Hero of the recipe as compared to the other ingredients.  Instead of Kabuli channa (boiled chickpeas) we can also use peanuts or cooked white peas as well.

Traditionally only tamarind sauce/chutney is used in the recipe but I have added the Tamarind Dates chutney for the extra punch and flavor .

Preparation Time - 10 min
Cooking Time - Nil 
( assuming we already have boiled potatoes and chickpeas on hand ) 

Complexity - simple
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 
2 medium sized boiled potatoes
1 cup boiled brown chick peas  or yellow peas
1 medium sized tomato finely chopped 
1 small cucumber finely chopped
1/2 onion finely chopped ( I haven't used )

2 - 3 tbsp dates tamarind chutney 
1 small green chilly finely chopped
Fresh corriander chopped 
1/2 tsp red chilli powder 
1/4 tsp kala namak
1/2 tsp chat masala
Salt as needed
Juice from 1/2 lemon

Method 

• Cut the potato into small cubes . 
• Mix the chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions (if using) along with the potatoes and chickpeas. 
• Thrown in all the spice powders along with salt,green chillies and the tamarind chutney and give it a gentle mix . Donot be harsh while mixing as the potatoes will turn mushy .
• Squeeze in the lime juice and garnish with fresh corriander and serve immediately. 
• Alternatively if you donot have boiled chickpeas you can also add roasted peanuts or even boiled peanuts.

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Fruit Chaat | Desi Style Fruit Salad (Indian street style fruit salad)

 In India as soon as summer starts you can find food carts  serving fresh lemon juice, masala chaas , freshly pressed sugar cane juice all along the highways and main streets . By standers stop by and quench their thirst by gulping down chilled glasses of these yummy cold drinks .

Along side these juice carts and crowded business districts , you will always find a cart load of fresh seasonal fruits and the vendor will chop a few fresh fruits, toss it in a bowl along with some delicious chat masala,pepper powder, cumin powder and a dash of lemon juice and serve it in a disposable bowl made from palm barks or thatched leaf bowl .

This fruit bowl is nothing fancy and is a truly rustic style or desi style of enjoying mixed fruits known as fruit plate or cut fruits or fruit chaat .

The fruits used are the very common ones like watermelon, grapes , apples ,oranges ,papayas and bananas . At times few pomegranate arils are topped up . 

Today's recipe ,I have tried to replicate the exact street style version and hence not added any exotic or costly fruits like strawberry ,kiwis ,blackberries etc . You are free to add all these fruits and many more depending on your liking and taste . The more the merrier.  

Preparation Time - 15 mins 
Cooking  Time - nil 
Complexity - easy
Serves - 2 to 3 

Ingredients 

2 oranges
2 apples
1/4 watermelon 
150 gms grapes (Green/black /assorted) 
1/2 tsp chat masala
1/4 tsp pepper powder 
1/4 tsp roasted jeera powder 
1 tsp lemon juice 
Sugar if needed 

Method 

• Peel the oranges ,separate the slices and de seed them by making a vertical slit in the center of the orange slice. 
• Chop the watermelon into small cubes and remove the seeds as much as you can. 
• Wash the grapes thoroughly and keep ready .
• Lastly peel the apples and cut them into cubes .Remember to chop the apples in the end as they tend to change color on cutting and we don't want that .
• Add all these cut fruits to a wide mixing bowl, sprinkle the chat masala,  pepper powder,cumin powder ,lemon juice and give it a quick toss and serve immediately. 

Tip 

• Before adding the spice powders, you can refrigerate the chopped fruits for 1 hr or so if you want to have it chilled. 
• Remember to keep the whole apple in the fridge and chop it just before adding to the salad . 
• If using bananas, chop that also towards the end as bananas turn mushy and soggy very soon and never refrigerate the bananas.

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Dates Tamarind Chutney | Khajoor Imli Chutney

 Have you all wondered about the recipe of the tongue tickling and lipsmacking brown colored chutney that is poured over your chaats or filled in panipuris ? Do you ask for some extra khatta meetha chutney to be packed when you buy samosas or Dhoklas for your family ? 

If you thought that making this recipe is very complex ,worry not , now you can whip this chutney at the comfort of your home and even store it away for a long time in your freezer and enjoy it as and when you like .

Khajoor Imli Chutney is a very simple recipe using 3 main ingredients Dates(khajoor) , Tamarind (Imli) and jaggery (Gud). 

No Desi Chaat is complete without a generous pouring of the khajoor Imli chutney and the spicy green chutney. I generally have a batch of this khajoor imli chutney my fridge  which comes in handy to satisfy my sudden pani puri cravings . All I need to do is grind some fresh coriander chutney and dunk the pani puris in these two chutneys and stuff my mouth and relish .. 

If you are a crazy fan  of lipsmacking  chaats like me ,then you must check out these recipes on my blog.

Mumbai style Bhelpuri 

Paani puri 

Karnataka special Masal Puri 

This week is the 287th week on our foodie group FMBH and it was Aruna's turn to suggest the theme . She came up with this novel idea to post recipes using "dates" as the star ingredient and called this theme as DateWithDates.  If you are a die hard fan of Indo Chinese cuisines and love your spring rolls or wontons with a generous helping of Schezwan Chutney, then do check this fiery and flavorful recipe posted on Aruna's blog .Recipe link SCHEZWAN Chutney 

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Cooking Time - 20 mins

Complexity- simple 

Ingredients 

250 gms seedless dates 
50 gms seedless tamarind 
5-6 tbsp jaggery powder
2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp roasted jeera powder 
Pinch of dry ginger powder
1/2 tsp black salt/kaala namak
Pinch of salt 
2 cups water 

Method 

• Boil the dates , tanarind and jaggery powder in 2 cups of water until they become soft.  Alternatively you can pressure cook it for 1 whistle.
• Let it cool down completely, blend it in a blender to a very fine paste. Adjust water while grinding incase it feels too thick .
• Pass this paste through a sieve so that we have only the date tamarind extract and nothing else.
• To this fine extract , add the red chilli powder, roasted jeera powder, salt ,dry ginger powder and 1/2 cup water .Mix it well and bring it to a  rolling boil and add the black salt in the end after turning off. 

**this step is done to ensure that the chutney has a longer shelf life .

• Cool the chutney completely and then transfer to a clean and dry bottle and store in the fridge .
• Always remember to use a dry spoon to take out the required quantity of chutney and then store it away immediately. Don't thaw it for a long time .

Donot forget to pin this recipe and share it with your friends .

Bread Bhajiya | Bread Pakoras

 Bread Pakoras or bread bhajiyas are very famous as street food special across the northern part of India. The snack is filling all by itself that many people have it even as a lunch option if they are pressed for time or have no restaurants close by. 

Bread slices are dipped in gramflour batter which is spiced using red chilli powder , finely chopped chillies and the slices are deep fried in oil.  

Apart from the simple variant, there are many variations like stuffing two slices with potato filling and then deep frying the gram flour coated bread or at times slices are layered with green chutney and sauce and then deep fried

Street food culture basically came into existence to help people especially laborers have some food which can be affordable and they can easily grab a meal as they keep working..but over the time it so happened that Street food became everyone's choice due to various varities , options and tasty choices being made right in front of your eyes and at a pocket friendly price too. 

If you are wondering why am I talking of street food , then let me tell you this week my namesake who blogs at Photowali, suggested we share popular Street food recipes for the 283rd week of FMBH . Priya has shared everyone's favorite Pav Bhaji as part of the theme posting.

Bread or paav is widely used in street foods all over India. Children as well as adults both love to munch on delicacies made using Bread. 

If you are a bread lover like me, then you must definitely check out these special street foods of Bombay which are too hard to resist. 

Mumbai Special Toast sandwich 

Vegetable Cheese Grill Sandwich 

Buttery Paav Bhaji 

The other famous street food delicacies from Mumbai is also on my blog , do try them and I  promise you will be spoilt for choices 😉  . The links are added below here 

Bhelpuri

Pani puri 

Kothimbir Vadi 

Sabudana Vada 

Moong Bhajjiya / Moong Pakoras

Masala Khichiya papad

At home we  like our bread pakoras plain and spicy without any stuffing . I generally make the batter a little spicy by adding some extra chilli powder . The bread slices are either cut into triangles or small squares  , both of them taste equally delicious.  I retain the bread crust and don't cut the edges . These edges when deep fried in oil gives a very nice crunch while we take a bite of the pakora . Sprinkle some chat masala over the bajjiya and serve it with hot masala tea.

Preparation Time- 10 mins

Frying Time - 20 mins

Complexity - simple

Serves - 3 to 4 

Ingredients 

6-7 bread slices 

1 cup gram flour/besan

2 tbsp rice flour

2 tsp red chilli powder 

Salt as needed

1/2 tsp ajwain/carom seeds 

Pinch of asafoetida 

Chat masala to sprinkle.

Oil to deep fry

Method 

• Cut the bread slices in to triangles or small squares the way you like .
• In a wide mixing bowl , add the gram flour , rice flour , salt, chilli powder ,carom seeds and asafoetida with water and make a batter . The batter should be off dropping consistency like that of dosa batter .
• Heat the oil in a deep kadai. 
• Dip these bread slices in the gram flour batter and drop them into the oil carefully. 
• Fry them on medium flame until the oil ceases to sizzle and the bhajiyas are fried to golden brown color and look crisp .
• Drain them on an absorbent paper and serve hot with some green chignrybor tomato sauce with a dash of chat masala sprinkled over .

⬇️ Show some love by pinning this recipe ⬇️

Masala Khichiya Papad - Satvik & Vegan

Masala papad needs absolutely no special introduction as it is now one of the most ordered starter or rather filler at any Indian restaurant.  

Today , we shall see a different variant of Masala papad using khichiya papad . This papad is a speciality of Gujarat region and Masala Khichiya papad has gained popularity as a delectable street food .

What is Khichiya Papad ?

Papads made out of rice flour as main ingredient is known as Khichiya in gujarati . Papad khar a special type of salt is used in the making of these papads ..papad khar has salt and some amount of soda bi carb and baking soda which help in making of papads.

These papads are rolled into medium thick rotis and dried under the sun until crisp and moisture free.They are then stored in airtight containers 

How is khichiya papad made?

Traditionally, rice flour along with salt and spices is slowly added to boiling water and using a ladle it is mixed well without lumps till it comes together like a dough.

The dough is kneaded further with hands and then steamed in a steamer for 12 to 15 mins.

Once it is bearable to touch , small balls are pinched out of this dough and the rolled into medium thick rotis and sun dried until crisp.

Do we have different flavors in Khichiya papad? 

There are many variants . Some of which I  have tasted are listed below.

Saadha (plain) Khichiya papad

No extra added flavors except salt .

Spicy khichiya 

 It is spiced up using red chili powder or green chillies .  The red chilli variants looks slightly reddish in color due to the chilli powder being added where as the green chilli variant has just a paste of green chillies added to the basic dough before rolling it out .

 Pudina khichiya 

 Paste of mint leaves and green chillies is added to the dough while kneading and then rolled out. This variety will have a mild greenish color after frying.

Garlic khichiya

Flavored with some garlic paste to the dough .

Jeera / Ajwain khichiya

Either jeera (cumin) or ajwain(carom) seeds are added to the dough as flavoring agents or at times a combination of both are added. 

How to eat khichiya papad ?

The sundried papads are either roasted on open flame or deep fried and served as a snack or an accompaniment with lunch or dinner .

Traditionally they were roasted on burning charcoal and topped with some ghee and red chilli powder .

Today's recipe is all about how to make a tasty , crunchy and lipsmacking masala khichiya papad at home just like the ones served at the street food carts. This can serve as a perfect tea time snack or small hunger pangs for the kids who are now attending online classes from home .

I have used store bought sun dried khichiya papads and today we shall see how to make masala papad using fried khichiya papad.

Preparation Time : 10 mins

Frying time : 30 sec per papad

Serves -1 papad per person

Complexity: simple

Ingredients

Khichiya papad as much as needed 

Finely chopped cucumber 

Finely chopped tomatoes

Finely chopped onions (optional) 

Sev as needed 

Fried channa dhall 

Finely chopped corriander 

Green chutney as needed 

Some chat masala

Some red chilli powder .

Method

• Fry or roast the khichiya papads and keep ready.
• Take one papad , place it on a plate .
• Spread some tomatoes, cucumber, sev , fried channa dhall. 
• Drizzle some green chutney all over . Don't spread too much chutney as you will lose the crunch quickly .
• Sprinkle chat masala , red chilli powder and garnish with finely chopped corriander and serve immediately. 
• You can drizzle some dates tamarind (meetha) chutney if you like .

Linking this to Valli's Kids' Delight event hosted by Kalyani this month for Monsoon Special.

Masala Puri | Masal Puri - Karnataka Spl Street Food

Masal Puri as it is coloquially called is a street food which originated in Karnataka and famous across the southern states of Tamil Nadu,Kerala , Andhra and slowly gaining popularity with street food Lovers . Masala Puri can be called as a close cousin of Ragda Puri which is another popular street snack served in Bombay where the ragda is prepared using Yellow dried peas. 

The speciality of Masal Puri is the tasty Masala which is prepared  by soaking the dry green peas and the cooking it with a blend of spices.  This piping hot spicy masala is poured over crushed puris and garnished with some sweet and spicy chutneys along with chopped onions , tomatoes, grates carrots and finally and handful of crunchy mixture /farsan is spread over the chaat and served.  

The melange of flavors and the warm masala over the crunchy puris which have become partly soggy is a feast to the taste buds and you must eat it atleast once to know what it feels like .

Doesn't all this description get you drooling and make you want to have a bite right away ?

Well, worry not with a little pre preparation you can prepare this lip-smacking Masal Puri at home and enjoy with your family and friends. 

Some of the famous lip-smacking street food recipes on my blog which you would love to try 

Masala Papad 

Frankie / Aloo Roll 

Bhelpuri - Mumbai Style 

Cheese Grill Sandwich 

Pani Puri 

Pav Bhaji 

What are the main elements that go into Masal Puri ? 

• Masala made using soaked green peas . There can be many ways to do this, but I will share the recipe which we all like at home and is closest to what we have had food joints . You can make your permutations and combinations by adjusting the spice levels or even use mixed sprouts instead of just soaked green peas .
• Pani Puris to be crushed and use while preparing Masal Puri.
• Chutneys  - Green chutney and Sweet Chutney 
• Finely chopped onions, tomatoes ,cucumbers and some grated carrots .Skip onion for the satvik version
• Handful of spicy mixture of farsan and some roasted groundnuts 

Soaking Time - 8 to 10 hrs 

Preparation Time - 20 mins 

Cooking Time - 40 mins

Complexity -  Simple 

Ingredients 

100 gms soaked dry green peas

1 medium size potato  boiled and peeled

2 medium tomatoes chopped 

1 small cucumber chopped 

1 small carrot peeled and grated 

1 medium onion finely chopped (optional)

1 cup spicy mixture or farsan

10 to 15 fried pani puris (or as much as you need)

2 tsp garam masala powder

1/2 tsp red chilli powder 

1 tsp dhaniya powder

Salt as needed

Finely chopped coriander

2 tsp oil 

1/2 tsp jeera 

2 green chillies finely chopped 

Finely chopped ginger 

Method 

How to prepare the Masala ?

• Pressure cook the soaked green peas with some salt until it is soft and slightly mushy.
• In a pan , heat oil splutter the jeera and fry the green chillies and ginger . 
• To this add the dry masalas (garam masala, red chilli powder, dhaniya powder) and fry on low heat for 30 seconds taking care not to burn it.
• Pour the boiled peas along with the water to this spice mixture along with potato crumbled and mix it well.
• Add about 2 cups of water and adjust salt if needed and bring it to a nice boil. The masala should have pouring consistency.  
• Garnish with coriander and keep aside. 

Preparation of Chutneys 

Meetha /Dates Tamarind chutney
8-10 dates - remove the seed or use seedless

lemon sized tamarind
2-3 tablespoon powdered jaggery
1-2 tsp roasted jeera powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
pinch of salt.

Method

• In a big vessel, add the dates and tamarind with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil for 5 mins. Let it cool well.
• Put them in a blender and grind it well and sieve it through a strainer.
• To this thick extract, add the jaggery , red chilli powder,salt,jeera powder and about  1 cup water and bring it to a slight boil .
• Once it cools down, you can refrigerate this chutney.

Theekha (Spicy Green) Chutney 

half a bunch fresh corriander / cilantro
1/4 bunch of pudina / mint
Few cashew nuts or raw peanuts
3-4 green chillies
1 tbsp lime juice
salt as per taste
pinch of  black salt
Pinch of sugar

Method

• Blend all the ingredients except salt and black salt in a blender / mixie with minimal water only if needed.The lime juice does the needful.
• Finally add the black salt and normal salt and mix well.
• Store and refrigerate in a dry air tight container and use a dry spoon for prolonged shelf life.

How to assemble the Masalpuri /Masala Puri?

• Crush about 6 or 7 pani puris on a plate. 
• Pour about 2 to 3 ladles of the warm green peas masala over it and a few spoonful of sweet and spicy chutney.
• Spread the chopped tomatoes, onions , cucumber, grated carrot and spicy mixture. 
• Lastly garnish with fresh coriander and roasted peanuts for extra crunch.
• Enjoy it warm with a cup of Masala Tea .

Veg Cheese Grill Sandwich | Grill Cheese Sandwich

I love sandwiches in any form, be it as a sub or the regular ones where veggies are stuffed between two slices of bread.  Toast them for an added taste and crunch and enjoy it hot - this is the way I like it .

Those who are familiar with the street foods of Bombay , will definitely know about the variety of sandwiches that are very famous. They have such amazing combinations and fusion sandwiches which one cannot even think off. There is a grilled cheese chocolate sandwich also on the menu which was a recent addition and I was literally blown when I read that combination of cheese , chocolate and bread .

 There is something special about the bread and paav that is available in Bombay,they are soft and fluffy and don't crumble easily.  

The street vendors prepare piping hot toast sandwiches using a hand toaster which is tossed around a traditional coal stove (sigdi) as it is locally called. It is a sight to see how quickly their hands and brain work in tandem and do multi tasking of chopping the veggies , buttering the bread, toasting it on fire and simultaneously serving the customers and collecting the payment.  All done single handedly and with utmost precision and perfection. Now a days the hand toasters are getting replaced with electric grills as the vendors are also turning to modern ways to improvise on their customer needs based on demand. 

You can check out the other famous variation of Toast Sandwich on my blog . 

As a child , I was never allowed to snack on these road side sandwiches because of hygiene factor and mom would dish out the same things for me at home and it was the best way for her to sneak in all the veggies that I won't eat into the sandwich and mask it with some cheese and butter and I would happily eat it and say "Amma yummy sandwich " . It was only later that I realized how smartly and tactfully she managed to hide the veggies I didn't eat in the name of sandwiches or parathas and fed them to me . Moms are always smart aren't they ??

Well coming to today's recipe , this Monday's theme for our foodie bloghop Monday is  #MunchkinMeals; suggested by Narmadha of Nam's corner who wanted us to present healthy meals for kids .  Narmadha has some excellent baked goodies on her blog which are made using millets and I have bookmarked 

 RAGI cookies to try out.

While thinking on what to make for this theme, lot of recipes were going on in my mind which my mom used to make for me and finally I was reminded off Grill Sandwiches which were and are my favorite and since it makes use of 3 slices of bread per sandwich, lots of veggies can be stuffed into it . Grate some cheese on it , which obviously is every child's favorite and you can be a happy mom to see your little one empty his/her plate and probably ask for even one more :-) 

Some delicious sandwich varieties from my fellow bloggers which you must try. There are many more such varieties, but I will reserve them for an exclusive post on breads and sandwich. 

Veg Club Sandwich by Kalyani 

Hung Curd Sandwich by Poonam

Subway style veggie sandwich by Priya Iyer

The recipe is a little elaborate and requires some pre preparation, but it is worth all the time . 

Why only munchkins, even elders would love to feast on these sandwiches when served hot with chutney and tomato sauce . We can minus the cheese while making it for elders or reduce the quantity of cheese.  

Preparation Time :45 mins

Cooking Time : 15 mins per sandwich 

Makes  3 set of sandwiches 

Complexity: Medium 

Ingredients 

9 slices of bread (brown or white)

3 to 4 medium sized potatoes boiled and peeeled

1 large capsicum finely chopped 

1 salad cucumber cut into thin slices 

2 tomatoes cut into thin slices 

1 onion cut into thin slices (optional)

50gms Salted butter at room temperature 

2- 3 cheese cubes (25 gms chiplet) .

3 tablespoons green chutney/sandwich chutney 

Chat masala for taste 

Method 

Prepare the green chutney by following this recipe link .

Take 3 slices of bread and spread butter and green chutney on each slice evenly .

On the first slice , grate some potatoes, sprinkle a little chat masala and spread some finely chopped capsicum . Grate some cheese. 

** I couldn't get fresh brown bread hence used white. 

Place the second slice of bread over the base slice such that the chutney side faces up.

Arrange the slices of cucumber, tomatoes and onions (if using) on this second slice of bread . Sprinkle some chat masala and grate a little more cheese . You can skip this cheese if you want to avoid.  For one set of sandwich I have used 1/2 a cube cheese.  

Lastly , place the 3rd slice of bread with the chutney side over this 2nd slice and slightly press the assembled sandwich with your hand so that the veggies settle in place and it is easy to lift it up .

Heat a grill pan or electric grill and place this sandwich over it and roast it on both sides until crisp and golden brown .Add a little butter to the grill pan for crisp and golden brown toast.

Take it off the grill pan carefully and place it on a chopping board and cut them into triangles. 

If you like you may grate some more cheese over it while serving or serve as is with tomato sauce or green chutney. 

Notes 

1. Quantity of cheese used for the sandwich is purely your choice.  You may skip the cheese if you want a totally healthy version. 
2. Butter used for 3 slices of bread put together will be just 1 tsp . Make sure the butter is at room temperature so that it is easy to spread and quantity used is less .
3. Boiled and sliced beetroot can also be used in the stuffing.
4. There is sandwich masala also available in the market which can be used instead of chat masala.

Linking this post to Foodie Blog hop Monday week  #253 - munchkin meals

Pav Bhaji - easy version

Pav Bhaji basically needs no introduction.  It is one of the most liked and favorite street food for many . Though it is loaded with vegetables which are healthy the downside is the oodles of butter that goes into the making of this lipsmacking street food . In my opinion, if you have to eat it right and you are diet conscious or a health freak keep this for your CHEAT DAY and enjoy it the way it is to be eaten ....yea you got it right...buttery bhaji with butter toasted paav .. aah am drooling even as I am writing this .

I already have 2 versions of pav bhaji mentioned in my blog which you can check 

Pav Bhaji (regular)

Pav Bhaji (half Jain- sans Onion and Garlic)

Today's version was shared by my good friend Priyadarshini .As we were casually chatting, she said she prepared pav bhaji using layering technique to cook the veggies and then finally roasted the pavbhaji masala in butter to which the mashed veggies are added and viola we have yummy lipsmacking pavbhaji in less than 30 mins. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - 25 to 35 mins

Serves  - 2 to 3

Complexity- easy 

Ingredients

2 to 3 medium sized potatoes 

1 medium sized capsicum 

1 cup fresh or frozen peas 

3 to 4 medium sized tomatoes 

10-15 Cauliflower florets 

1 small onion

1 lemon

1.5 tsp ginger garlic paste (optional)

Or

1 tsp ginger paste 

Salt as needed 

1 tsp turmeric powder 

2 tablespoon pav bhaji masala 

2 tsp red chilli powder 

1 tsp dhaniya powder 

1/2 tsp jeera 

100 gms salted butter 

Pinch of sugar 

Method 

• Peel the potatoes and cut them into medium sized cubes .
• Chop the  onion,tomatoes and capsicum into cubes 
• In a cooker,start layering the vegetables 
• Layer the bottom with onions , garlic paste followed by tomatoes over it and then the peas , capsicum, cauliflower and lastly the potatoes. 
• Sprinkle some salt and haldi powder . You can sprinkle some water and then close the lid and pressure cook for 4 to 5 whistles and let the pressure settle down.
• Open the cooker and finely mash the vegetables with a masher or electric blender .
• In a pan , melt about 2  to 3 tablespoons of butter and fry the jeera , followed by the dry spice powders and carefully fry them on slow flame without burning it . 
• Now , add the mashed veggies to this flavored butter  with a pinch of sugar , mix it well and let it cook till the butter starts oozing out . 
• Roast the paav in butter and serve the bhaaji with a garnish of fresh corriander , half a lime and freshly chopped onions .

Notes

If you want to make it sans onion and garlic, skip those two ingredients and follow the process as is. 

If making Jain version, skip the onion, garlic , ginger and use raw banana instead of potato . Process remains the same .

If you have a cast iron wok/kadai , use that for the traditional touch . It gives a very nice flavor to the pav bhaji .

Cheesy Masala Papad

Papad is an integral part of any Indian meal . Papads are crunchy sun dried fritters served either fried or roasted along with the meal . 

Papads can even be microwaved or even air fried . 

What is papad or pappadum or appalam ?

Papads are prepared out of rolling a dough made using udad dhall flour , moong dhall flour or rice flour along with some spices . The dough is kneaded tightly and then rolled into thin discs like chapati/rotis and sun dried which are then stored for year around . This is mostly a summer activity undertaken by the ladies of the home. 

Now a days we have ladies wing and many small scale home industries which prepare and sell these papads across stores under various  brands with the  necessary hygiene and safety certifications .

What is masala papad ? 

Masala papad is a quick starter or an appetizer served just before the actual meal . A spicy tangy salad type mixture of finely chopped tomatoes, onions , cucumbers, lots of coriander with right amount of salt, red chilli powder , chat masala is spread over the roasted or fried papad and eaten with soups or cocktails/mocktails. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - nil 

Complexity- easy 

Ingredients

3-4 Roasted or fried papads 

2 medium sized tomatoes finely chopped 

1 cucumber peeled and finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped (optional - I haven't used).

2 green chillies finely chopped 

2 cheese cubes grated 

Finely chopped coriander 

Pinch of salt 

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/4 tsp black salt 

1/4 tsp chat masala 

Jain version- skip the onions 

Vegan version - skip the cheese 

Method 

• In a wide mixing bowl , mix the tomatoes, cucumber, onions with salt, red chilli powder , green chillies, black salt and chat masala and toss it well. 
• Add in the fresh corriander and lightly mix it .
• Lay the papads on a plate , generously spread this salad mixture on the papads, top it with some grated  cheese and some crunchy sev.
• You can also add a few drops of khatta meeta chutney or green chutney too for extra flavor and zing. 
• Yummy masala papad ready. 

Do try the yummy street style Bhelpuri and 

Pani puri also on my blog .

Notes

1. Spread the mixture on the papads just before serving else they will turn soggy and wont taste good .
2. If you are preparing the masala papad for some party , prepare the mixture without adding salt , black salt and chaat masala. Add these and mix just before making the masala papad .
3. Adding salt before hand will tend to release water from the veggies and the salad will be all watery and will be difficult to spread on the papads.
4. I have used udad dhall pepper flavored papad. You can use moong dhall papad or even rice Pappad called khichiiya.

Pani Puri - The famous street side delicacy

Call them as Pani Puri, Puchka , Golgappas , Gup Chup, Paani k Baatashe are all different names for the same street food snack. These are very popular all over India and are known by various names and vary slightly in taste depending on the Paani ( spiced flavor water) that is used to fill in the small puris .

Some places, it is purely tamarind water with some spices that are used along with some potato stuffing that are used to fill in the puris, while some use boiled black beans (kala channa) + potato stuffing and some tamarind + dates water with spices.

Since,I hail from Mumbai ,  the taste of pani puris is very different there because of the combination of two different types of Paani that are used to fill in the deep fried puris with boiled sprouted moong or plain boondis or ragda as the filling . Ragda is soaked and boiled yellow peas that are mildly flavored with some spices.

The vendors use a Spicy version called as Theekha Paani(spicy green chutney) made using corriander,mint and green chillies and a Sweet and Sour version called as Khatta Meetha Paani made using Dates, Tamarind and little jaggery. There is a very fresh and a palate cleansing flavor that lingers in the mouth after having eaten these water filled little puris . You can adjust the sweet and spice level by increasing / decreasing the quantity of the flavored water that you pour into your puris.

I am presenting both the versions of this paani in this post. You can make them and store in the fridge and use it as and when you like.

Preparation Time : 6 to 8 hrs

Cooking Time - 40 mins

Complexity - easy

Theekha Paani 

Ingredients 

1/2 bunch corriander leaves 

10-12 mint leaves (optional)
3-4 green chillies
1 tsp black salt
1 tsp regular salt
2-3 tsp lemon juice

Method

• In a blender , add in the cleaned corriander leaves, mint leaves, green chillies and some water and blend it well .
• Strain this juice through a strainer and collect only the liquid part and discard the unground part.
• This juice will be very concentrated and spicy. You will have to add water to match your level of spice and then to this add the salt, black salt and lemon juice.
• You can adjust the quantity of salt as per your taste.
• Keep this water for chilling in the fridge and take it just a while before you are going to make pani puris. The chilled water inside the puris tastes heavenly.

Tip :

• Before adding water to the concentrate, take out some of the thick concentrate and keep aside.Incase it gets too diluted you can adjust the spice level by adding this reserve stock.
• If there is no black salt, you can use chat masala , but as far as possible try to use black salt to get the authentic taste.

Khatta Meetha Paani

Ingredients

lemon sized tamarind

8-10 dates - remove the seed or use seedless
2-3 tablespoon powdered jaggery
1-2 tsp roasted jeera powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
pinch of salt.

Method

• In a big vessel, add the dates and tamarind with 1/2 cup water and bring to a boil for 5 mins. Let it cool well.
• Put them in a blender and grind it well and sieve it through a strainer.
• To this thick extract, add the jaggery , red chilli powder,salt,jeera powder and about  1 cup water and bring it to a slight boil .
• Dilute the concentrate same as you would do for the theekha paani and use it for making the pani puris.
• Once it cools down, you can refrigerate this paani. 

Tip :

• Before adding water to the concentrate, take out some of the thick concentrate and keep aside.Incase it gets too diluted you can adjust the spice level by adding this reserve stock.

How to make Ragda ? 

• Soak 50gms dried yellow peas or vatana for 8-10 hours .
• Pressure cook the yellow peas in 2 cups of water along with one peeled potato  and little salt and haldi for 7-8 whistles or until mashed well .
• Once the pressure releases , mash the peas and potato well adding some water if needed .
• Heat a little oil in a kadai, splutter jeera and add asafoetida .
• Add in the mashed peas and add 1 cup water along with red chilli powder , 1 tsp garam masala and lots of fresh coriander. 
• Let it boil well until all the flavor infuses into the peas . Adjust water if you feel it is getting thick .
• Lastly add some black salt and turn off the stove.

Serving suggestions

Make hole in the fried puris , add a spoon of this warm ragda, followed by the spicy theekha paani and then the meeta paani ..take the entire puri and stuff into your mouth and relish the burst of flavors .

Note

I have used ready to fry pani puri papads available in super markets.  You can use them or the already fried puris available in stores to make pani puris .

If you are salivating over this post , then don't forget to pin it !! :-)