Bread Pakoda / Bread Pakora

Bread Pakoda is a tasty snack for the evenings along with hot cup of coffee or tea. I have always enjoyed having Bread Pakoda as snacks while it is raining outside. Southern Indian Monsoon season sometimes can be notoriously wet and fried Bread Pakoda adds a sense of warmth.

Ingredients

1. Bread – 3 slices
2. Gram flour (Besan) – 1 cup
3. Asafetida – 1/3 tsp
4. Cumin seeds – 1tsp
5. Green chilly – 2 finely chopped
6. Coriander leaves – ¼ cup chopped
7. Red chilly powder – 1 tsp
8. Salt – 2 tsp or as required
9. Water and oil to fry

Method:

1. Cut bread slices into 2 or 3 equal parts after removing the 4 sides.
2. Mix gram flour, asafetida, salt, cumin seeds, red chilly powder.
3. Add water to the above dry mix slowly till it becomes a smooth batter.
4. Add green chilies and coriander leaves and mix.
5. Heat oil in a Frying Pan.
6. Dip bread pieces in the batter till batter covers all sides of bread piece and drop into the frying pan on medium flame.
7. Fry till it becomes golden brown.
8. Serve with sauce or Green Chutney

del.icio.us Tags: Snacks,Bread Pakoda,Fried Snacks

Mixed Vegetable Raita

Raita is Southern Indian dish based on Yogurt which is often used as a sauce or side dish for Rice based dishes like Vegetable Biriyani.

Here is how you could make a simple, healthy and delicious Mixed Vegetable Raita.

Ingredients:

• Chopped Tomato, Cucumber, Onion (1 Cup)
• Salt – 1tsp or as per your taste
• Curd (Yogurt or Vegan Yogurt) - 1 Cup
• Green chilly – 1 (Chopped)
• Red chilly powder- ½ tsp
• Chat Masala – ½ tsp

Method:

1. Add salt to the chopped Vegetables, Green chilly and mix well.
2. Add Curd (Yogurt) to the Vegetables mix. If you need you could add a little bit of water to reduce the consistency.
3. Sprinkle red chilly powder and Chat Masala over it.

del.icio.us Tags: Vegetable Raita,Salad,Indian Cooking,Sauce,Biriyani,Vegan

Lemon Rasam / Nimboo Rasam

Lemon Rasam is a traditional South Indian side dish which can be eaten along with rice or as a soup. It is watery, tangy and  a little spicythat gives an amazing taste to the rice.

Ingredients:

1. Lemon- 2
2. Water- 4 cups
3. Salt- 1 tsp
4. Jaggery- 4 tsp
5. Green chilly- 1
6. Curry leaves- 4 to5
7. Red chilly- 2
8. Sesame seeds – 1 tsp
9. Ghee- 1 tsp
   

Method:

1. Take out the lemon juice (from 2 Lemons)
2. Mix Lemon Juice with about 4 cups of water, add salt, Jaggery and chopped green chilly. Boil on high flame for 10 minutes
3. Now take a separate pan, boil ghee. Add Sesame Seeds, red chillies, curry leaves. Take out the pan once sesame seeds start popping and add to the above lemon water that we prepared.
4. Boil for another 5 minutes.
5. It can either be eaten with rice and Papad or be served as soup.

del.icio.us Tags: Curries,Apetizers,Rasam,Indian Cooking