Vegetable Bonda | Mix Veg Bonda | Tarkari Bonda - Vegan Snack

 Vegetable Bonda or mix veg bonda is a very popular tea time snack in Southern India. Just as Batata Vada is a loved snack in Maharashtra, similarly Mix veg bonda is a sought after snack just as popular as Vazhakkai Bajji in south india especially in Tamil Nadu .

As the sun begins to set and the evening starts to feel young ,the small food carts  along the streets start preparing to handle the evening rush by dishing out piping hot vegetable bondas and serve them with a slightly runny coconut chutney . People love to enjoy the hot and spicy bondas with some tea as they catch up some good time with their near and dear ones .

Not only is it a famous as a street food,but it is also served at weddings too . A typical Tambrahm wedding would definitely serve these tasty bondas along with tasty flavored Sevai (string hoppers) and some rich and royal sweet dish on the evening prior to the wedding ,while the groom's family is welcomed by the bride's family .

When served for weddings, normally onion and garlic are omitted but on other days you can add them to the vegetable mixture to make it all the more tasty and delicious. 

Preparation Time - 30 to 40 mins
Frying time - 20 to 30 mins
Makes - 15 to 20 bondas 
Complexity - medium 

Ingredients 

For the filling 

5 medium sized potatoes 
3 small carrots finely chopped 
1/2 cup boiled green peas 
3 to 4 green chillies finely chopped 
10 to 12 cashews roughly broken

1 tsp ginger grated or finely chopped 
1/2 tsp turmeric 
Salt as needed 
Pinch of asafoetida 
Lots of chopped corriander
Handful of curry leaves chopped

1 small onion finely chopped (optional)

2 small cloves of garlic finely crushed /chopped (optional)

For the batter

1.5  cups besan /gram flour 

2 tbsp rice flour 

1 tsp red chilli powder

Pinch of asafoetida 

Salt as needed 

Oil to deep fry 

Method 

Preparing the Filling. 

• Pressure cook the potatoes until soft . Let it cool before peeling the skin.  Boil the chopped carrots in an open pan until soft and well cooked. 
• In a wide mixing bowl, mash the boiled potatoes roughly, add to it chopped green chilli, boiled carrots, peas, ginger, cashews, curry leaves,asafoetida, corriander, salt and turmeric and mix it well with your hands to form a smooth and nice filling . Adjust salt if needed . If you are using garlic or onion add them at this stage and mix it along with other ingredients. 
• Pinch out lemon sized balls from the filling and make smooth round balls and keep aside .

Preparing the Batter

• Place the oil in a deep wok / kadai for heating. 
• In another mixing bowl,add the gram flour, rice flour, salt ,red chilli powder, asafoetida and make a batter of dropping consistency by adding water gradually . 
• Incase ,you happen to add more water by mistake,add a little more gramflour to thicken the batter to get to the right consistency. 

Frying the Bondas 

• Take vegetable mixture/filling dumpling and drop them into the batter carefully .
• Coat each of the dumpling well with the gram flour batter and carefully drop it into the hot oil.
• If you have a medium sized kadai, drop only 4 to 5 bondas at a time and never over crowd the frying pan. 
• Slowly splash oil on the bondas and gently flip it over at regular intervals. 
• Fry until the oil stops sizzling and hissing and the bondas appear crisp and golden brown.
• Carefully drain it on an absorbent paper and serve hot with coconut chutney and filter coffee. 

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Rose Thandai - Holi Special ( रोस ठंडाई)

  Thandai (ठंडाई) is a very special cold drink made in North India during Maha Shivratri and Holi .Thandai is also known by the name as Sardai .

Thandai is a milk based drink which comes in various flavors like kesar -badam , rose ,mango and the latest being Chocolate thandai . 

Various condiments ,dry fruits and spices are roasted and ground to a fine powder or paste which is then mixed in milk along with sugar in the right proportion and then served  chilled .

There are various ways in which thandai can be made and you can decide what goes into the thandai mixture depending on your likes .

I have kept the essence of fennel very mild as it would cut the taste of the rose flavor which is the Star of this thandai . Also,the condiments and spices used in this recipe will be easily available in everyone's kitchen and you can easily manage to prepare a lipsmacking thandai in no time. 

I have used concentrated rose syrup in my thandai as I didn't have an access to edible rose petals and I don't want to risk using any other rose petals. You can also add a spoon of gulkand while blending for added taste and flavor. Using sabja seeds or chia seeds is  purely optional. 

Preparation Time - 10 mins

Cooking Time - nil

Serves - 3 to 4 glasses

Complexity- easy 

Ingredients 

8 to 10 almonds / badam
7 to 8 pistas /pistachios
1/2 tsp fennel/saunf seeds 
2 cardamoms
Few pepper corns 
3 tablespoons rose syrup 
2 - 3 tbsp Sugar or as needed
3 cups of boiled and cooled milk 
Few strands of saffron
1 tsp chia / sabja seeds soaked in water 

Method 

• In a pan dry roast the badam,pista , fennel, pepper ,cardamom until it feels warm. Cool it for a few minutes and make a fine powder in pulse mode . Don't run the blender for long as the nuts will release oil making the powder sticky.
• In a juice jar ,add this thandai powder ,sugar and 1 cup milk and blend to a fine paste .
• Add the remaining milk ,rose syrup and give it a quick blend .
• Pour it into a jug and refrigerate until you serve. 

Serving suggestions 

Add 1/2 tsp of soaked sabja /chia seeds in a glass ,pour the thandai and top it with some chopped nuts and few saffron strands.

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Salt & Pepper Cashews

Salt and pepper flavored cashewnuts are an exotic snack which can be served at all parties as part of the starters or appetisers . These mildly flavored cashewnuts are perfect for gifting during the holiday season as a token of love . 

You can easily make a whole  batch in very less time and pack them in advance along with your holiday gifts for family and friends .

Perfectly roasted cashews seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper powder are very addictive .  The cashews are crunchy and spicy making it perfect for the taste buds when enjoyed with your favorite cocktails, Mocktails or drinks.   

Not only for parties  ,these tasty flavored cashews can also be packed for your kids snack box or even your lunch to take care of mid morning  or late evening hunger pangs. 

There is no specific measurement for making this delicious snack.  You can adjust the salt and spice level depending on your liking and trust me one can never go wrong with this recipe. 

Preparation Time - 2 mins

Cooking Time - 5 mins

Complexity - easy 

Ingredients 

1 cup  unsalted cashews 

1 tsp oil 

Pinch of salt 

1 tsp coarsely ground fresh pepper  

Method 

• Heat the oil in a pan and roast the cashews evenly until they turn crisp and golden brown.
• Sprinkle salt and pepper as per your taste and mix it well while the cashews are still warm. 
• Let it cool on a wide plate and then pack them in a dry and moisture free container .

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Kesar Pista Shrikhand

 Shrikhand is an Indian dessert prepared using thick yogurt . It is very popular in Western India , especially Maharashtra and Gujurat and occupies a very important place in the menu during marriages and festive occasions.  

Shrikand puri combination is a match made in heaven and there will hardly be anyone who doesn't like this .  Your taste buds are in for a treat when you dunk piping hot puri into some chilled shrikand and savor it . Shrikand and Basundi are the two must have dessert as a part of Maharashtrian  cuisine . Donot forget to check my Basundi recipe under 15 mins presented on my blog .

Shrikand is made in different flavors like cardamom (elaichi) , badam pista (almonds- pistachio) , kesar pista (saffron- pistachio) and fruit flavored too . Aamrakhand is the most favorite fruit flavor shrikand where sweet Mango puree is used for flavoring the yogurt.

Preparation of shrikand is absolutely easy and a child's play .No cooking is involved absolutely and can be made in just about 5 mins . We need to have patience just to prepare the hung curd by draining out the water from the set yogurt.  This can take anywhere between 2 to 6 hrs depending upon how thick the yogurt is . If there is less water content in the yogurt ,then preparation of hung curd takes only about 2 hrs else it might take more time.  Donot forget to follow the tips mentioned  below to get a thick and creamy hung curd .

This Monday for our Foodie Monday Bloghop we are enjoying some MeethePal (Sweet Moments) to enliven the festive season . Come August , India wears a festive look with lots and lots of festivals lined up till January and there is pomp , glory, colors and people rejoicing with food , beautiful clothes and dhol /bhaja /dances all over.  This year though everything is being celebrated at a very low scale due to social distancing measures , we decided to paint our bloggers group with sweets . Sujata ji of Batter up with Sujata suggested this lovely theme of "Sweets" and now all of you be ready for a Sweet Storm 😀.   If you are a fan of Roshogollas like me then you must try Sujata's recipe of Sugarfree Roshogolla .

Tips to get the perfect hung curd 

• Use thick yogurt set using full fat milk . Donot use left over dahi or curd as it would have released its whey and the dahi will not be thick .
• I personally prefer the store bought yogurt /dahi as they are evenly set and prepared using homogenized milk . Meaning the texture of the yogurt is even and doesn't have too much water content. 
• Those who have an access to greek yogurt, that is the best as you need not worry about draining the water for a long time to get  creamy hung curd.
• A nice clean muslin cloth or even a thick soft cotton cloth can be used for straining the whey from the yogurt.  I have used white cotton dhoti cloth for straining the dahi .
• It is always best to use white color cloth as there is no risk of color running and making the dahi inedible.
• If the weather is very hot , you can strain the dahi and leave it in the fridge so it doesn't turn sour. 
• Keep a separate cloth for this purpose, wash it and dry under sunlight after every use and store it away safely .

Pre Preparation time - 2 to 5 hrs 

Cooking Time - Nil 

Actual Preparation - 5 mins 

Serves - 2 to 3

Ingredients 

400ml thick yogurt or dahi or curd

15 to 20 strands saffron /kesar 

2 to 3 tablespoons chopped unsalted pista

3 tbsp powdered  sugar 

2tbsp warm milk. 

Preparation of Hung curd

Take a wide mixing bowl and place a strainer over it lined with a muslin cloth/ cotton cloth and pour the curd into the cloth . I have used shop bought thick curd for an even consistency. 

Bring the ends of the cloth together, squeeze it once and tie it very tightly . Place a heavy object over the tied cloth and leave the colander over the mixing bowl so that all the whey water will get collected in it . Keep squeezing the cloth occasionally to drain the excess water . 

After about 2 to 3 hrs , you can see all the whey collected in the bowl below and when you open the cloth all that is left is thick creamy mass which is hung curd . Squeeze it once again before removing it from the cloth to ensure there is no water content left.  When you touch the hung curd , it should appear thick and creamy without any excess water.  If you find it watery, leave it for somemore time in  the cloth with the weight on . 

Donot waste the collected whey, you can use it while kneading the dough for rotis or even to prepare buttermilk or Chaas. 

Preparation of Shrikhand

Soak the saffron strands in the warm milk ..this enables the saffron to release its flavor and color and makes it easy to blend in with the shrikand .

Take the hung curd in a wide mixing bowl. Add in the powdered sugar and saffron mixture and whisk well until it appears creamy and the sugar is mixed well into the hung curd . Adjust sugar if you feel you need it a little more sweeter .

Lastly add the chopped pistachios, mix it and refrigerate it until serving . Shrikand tastes best when served chilled .

Some more traditional sweets on my blog 

Akki Kadlebele Payasa (rice channa dhall kheer) 

Kerala traditional Paal Payasam 

Gass Gasse Payasa (poppy seeds kheer) 

Semia Payasam

Jawwarsi semia paysam  ( sago vermicelli kheer)

Chakka Pradhaman (jackfruit kheer) 

Linking shrikhand to FMBH week 260 Meethe pal 

Motiya Pulao | Moti Pulao

Motiya Pulao is a very fragrant pulao that is topped with some spicy fried paneer balls . Served with some chilled raita or a simple gravy .

I had this at a restaurant here in Bangalore much before the lockdown days and loved the taste and texture of this pulao .Though this was on my to do list for a long time, it was just getting shelved due various reasons ,but now with restaurant hopping totally come to a stand still, I decided to make it for our dinner a few days back.

Traditionally this Awadhi cuisine speciality is a non vegetarian delicacy made using Gosht /mutton but today we will see the vegetarian version .

This will be sure shot hit if served at parties , get togethers or any special occasion. 

I have given a twist to this recipe in making these little fried dumplings or Motiya as it called.  I had run out of paneer so I made use of the ready made gulab jamun mix and added some spices to it and made the fried balls.

Trust me they were equally crisp from out and soft from inside and melt in mouth as if they were made out of paneer .

Preparation Time - 20 mins

Cooking Time - 40 mins

Serves- 2 to 3 

Complexity- Medium

Ingredients 

For the Motiya (Fried Dumplings)

1 cup gulab jamun mix 

1 tsp red chilli powder

Finely chopped coriander 

2 green chillies finely chopped

Salt a pinch .

For the pulao 

1.5 cups rice 

10 to 15 beans chopped 

1 medium carrot chopped 

Handful of green peas 

Few cashews 

Salt as needed 

2 bay leaves 

3 cloves 

3 cardamom 

Small stick cinnamon

1 tsp Shah jeera 

2 tablespoon oil

1 tablespoon ghee

1/2 tsp haldi

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp finely chopped ginger 

Few strands of saffron 

2 tablespoon milk .

Method 

Preparation of Motiya 

• In a mixing bowl , add the chopped corriande , green chillies , salt and red chilli powder and crush them well with your fingers. 
• Add the gulab jamun mix and gently mix it along with spices such that the masala gets mixed well with the flour. 
• Sprinkle water little  by little and knead a dough as you would do for gulab jamun. 
• Grease your palms and make small balls from the dough. Ensure that there are no cracks on the balls you are rolling .
• Refrigerate it for 15 to 20 mins and then fry them until golden brown on medium flame and keep ready. 

Preparation of Pulao

• While the Motiya balls are resting in the fridge, let us make the pulao. 
• Wash the rice multiple times , soak it in clean water for 15 mins and drain it .
• Soak the Saffron stands in warm milk and set aside. 
• In a cooker , heat the oil and 1 table spoon ghee .
• Once the oil is heated, add the shahi jeera , cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves and cardamom and fry on low heat till you get a nice aroma .
• Add the ginger and chopped green chili and fry it for 30 to 40 seconds. 
• Now , add the chopped beans, carrots and peas and give it a quick stir.
• Add salt, haldi, red chilli powder and garam masala and stir it once .
• Add water depending on the rice you are using and let it boil  .
•  For basmati rice for 1 cup rice 1.5 cups water is  needed. 
• I used normal sona masuri rice , so I used 3 cups water .
• As soon as the water boils, add the rice and cover the cooker and on medium flame pressure cook for 1 whistle and turn off .
• Let the pressure release normally. Don't rush up to open the rice.
• After the pressure releases, open the lid, add 1 tablespoon ghee, chopped corriander and the soaked saffron over the rice and lightly fluff it with a fork .
• Close it again  for 5 to 10 mins so that flavor of saffron is infused into the rice. 
• Transfer it to a serving bowl and top it with the fried dumplings and serve it hot with raita or a gravy of your choice .

Notes 

You can add some fried onions or roasted cashewnuts as garnish .

Blanched florets of cauliflower also can be added along with the other veggies .

Kesar Peda | Saffron flavored milk fudge

Peda is a traditional Indian sweet made using milk ,sugar and other flavoring agents like saffron, cardamom, pistachio etc. Traditionally milk is boiled in huge vessels and condensed to form a nice thick mass with added sugar and flavor of our choice and is then rolled out as balls and allowed to set.
Today we shall see a quicker version of making peda using khoya / mava and can be prepared in less than 20 mins with a natural flavor of saffron / kesar. There is no compromise on taste as well as texture and it is a melt in mouth recipe .

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Cooking Time : 20 mins
Makes - 8- 12 pedas
Complexity : Medium

Thikha Gathiya(Theekha Ghatiya) | तीखा गाठीया | Mota Sev | Spicy Fried Noodle Strands - Video Recipe

Thikha Ghatiya is a traditional Gujurati deep fried snack made out of gram flour. 

Diwali is incomplete without ghatiya . 

Gathiya is used as one of the main ingredients in various types of mixtures,farsans,chewdas or even enjoyed as is with a cup of hot tea for tea time munching. 

I make sure that along with the traditional South Indian snacks like Ribbon pakoda ,Butter murruku and Madras mixture, I make one batch of Ghatiya without fail during Diwali. It is more like a ritual for me now which takes me down the wonderful memory lane .

Theekha Gaatiya has been an integral part of my growing up. This yummy snack would always be stocked up at home and also any visit to my gujju friend's homes would be incomplete without ghatiya and masala puris .

You can make this quick snack for even festivals like Diwali,Gokulashtami and Holi where in we make lots of snacks and sweets for distribution among friends and relatives.

To make  Gaatiya you need the Sev Press / Saancha /Acchu with the medium sized 3 holed plate for getting the noodle strands.
Make this for kids in summer holidays to munch on for their sudden hunger pangs and junk food cravings :-)

Preparation Time : 10 mins
Frying Time : 20-30 mins
Makes about 200 gms of gaatiya.
Complexity : High

Watch the complete detailed video link given below to make a perfect Theeka Ghatiya/Sev for the upcoming Diwali fest.

Ingredients
2 cups besan/kadalai maav/gram flour
1/2 tsp cooking soda
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 - 1 tsp white sesame seeds / ajwain (optional)
pinch of asafoetida
salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method

• In a wide mixing bowl, add the besan,salt,soda,chilli powder,asafoetida,ajwain/sesame seeds and mix well with your hands.
• heat about 2 tablespoon of oil and pour it on the dry ingredients and slowly mix with your fingers until it forms a crumbly mixture.
• Now add water little by little and make a smooth dough.Apply some oil over the dough and keep aside.
• Grease the inner surface of the sev press and take a small portion of the dough and fill it in.
• Heat the oil ,drop a small ball of dough,if it sizzles up immediately,the oil is perfectly heated for frying.
• Hold the press above the oil and lightly press and move in circular motion ,such that the strands fall into the oil.
• Flip over when the sizzling of oil reduces  and fry until its golden brown.
• Drain and store in air tight containers and keep away from water/moisture.

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