Aloo Tikki Burgers

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“Jack and Jill
Went up the hill,
To fetch a pail of water,
At the top they found
A potato burger mount
And became vegetarian after”
Ingredients
For the Tikkis
3 boiled potatoes, peeled and mashed
1 teaspoon amchoor (dry mango powder)
½ cup breadcrumbs
½ teaspoon coriander powder
¼ cup chopped onions
2 green chilies, finely chopped
1 pinch cumin powder
1 tablespoon oil
Salt to taste
Freshly chopped coriander to garnish
For the Mint Chutney
1 cup cleaned mint leaves (pudina)
½ cup coriander leaves
 ½ teaspoon amchoor (dry mango powder)
1 teaspoon lemon juice
Salt to taste
For the Burgers
1/2 cup oil to shallow fry the tikkis
1 teaspoon butter to toast the buns
4 lettuce leaves
4 tomato and onion slices
4 cheese slices (optional)
4 Burger buns
Tikkis
Heat oil in a pan. Add the chopped onions and sauté till they are golden brown. Add all other ingredients for the tikkis, except the breadcrumbs and fresh coriander. Mix well on low heat for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Keep aside to cool.
Once cooled, mix the coriander and the breadcrumbs into the mixture, and make 8 patties of 2 inches each. Heat oil in a pan, and shallow fry the patties till golden brown on both sides.
Mint chutney
Add all the ingredients for the chutney in a blender and blend. Add some water (not too much) if it’s too dry, but make sure it remains pasty and not watery. Remove and keep in the refrigerator to cool.
Buns
Heat the butter in a pan. Cut the burger buns into 2 halves and lightly toast each halve both sides. Do this for all 4 buns.
Putting it all together
Put some mint chutney on one half of the burger bun, topped with a lettuce leaf, a slice of onion, a slice of tomato, a slice of cheese and the potato tikki. You can leave the cheese out if you want it to be healthier- it tastes just as good without it. Put the other half of the bun on top and your veggie burger is ready!
Serve with a glass of cold coffee.

Indian Cappucino

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“Two sips of sunrise

As the day breaks,
A splash across the horizon
As the world wakes.
A moment bitter
Sweetened with all it’s worth,
Coffee must in fact be
My peace on earth”

1 teaspoon instant coffee powder (I used Nescafe)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup hot water
1/2 cup milk

Heat the milk and water in a saucepan till it just begins to simmer but not boil. Reduce heat and keep it warm at this temperature. 
Mix the coffee and sugar. Add 1 teaspoon of the milk-water mixture to this and beat it fast for 5-10 minutes. It will change color to light brown and become pasty like batter. Pour the warm milk over this and fill to the brim. Delightfully simple and a complete indulgence!

Grilled Chicken

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This fella, fit and trim
Made a perfect date,
40 minutes to design & dress
Not a minute late.
So fret not my kitchen klutz
Your efforts will not go in vain,
For this grilled dish has
Effortless as it’s middle name!
Ingredients
3 tablespoon olive oil
4 slices of lemon
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspoon oregano flakes
½ teaspoon thyme seasoning
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon grated ginger
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup diced green, red and yellow peppers
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast pieces

Mix all the ingredients to create the marinade. Add the chicken pieces, toss and ensure they are properly coated. You can create small incisions in the chicken pieces so that it properly soaks the spices. Set aside for 20 minutes.

Pre-heat oven to 175 C. Transfer the marinated chicken to a greased oven plate, laying the chicken and vegetables flat on the surface. Grill for 10 minutes. Remove once, turn the chicken pieces and the vegetables and spoon some of the marinate on them so they sizzle. Grill again for 10 minutes. Remove chicken when pieces are tender and brown.

Serve with salad or mashed potatoes!

Masala Scrambled Eggs

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“I see that anxiety
The laugh, the silent tease,
Yes, I can cook an egg
Even though the same I don’t eat.
Crack, mash, masala in
For an Indian twist you beg,
Can’t get enough?
Go break an egg”
Ingredients
(serves 2)
4 eggs
2 tablespoon chopped red onions
2 tablespoon chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons finely chopped green peppers
½ teaspoon garam masala
½ teaspoon coriander powder
½ teaspoon chat masala
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Chopped coriander for garnish
Beat eggs lightly with salt and pepper and keep aside.
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the onions and stir till golden brown. Now add the tomatoes, garam masala and coriander powder. Mix well, cover and let it cook for a few minutes till tomatoes are tender. Add in green peppers and cover for another minute. Now add the eggs, constantly stirring so they break up and don’t settle. Add in milk and stir for another 30 seconds, or till they are just cooked but not too dry.
Remove from heat, garnish with coriander and chat masala. Serves well with Toast or Croissants.

Udon Stir Fry

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“In goes the white and slippery
With a garden of greens,
Out comes a tantalizing dish
Healthy by all means.
Made to befriend a soup
A rule to which they abide,
I remove them from their comfort zone,
And present them stir-fried”
 
Ingredients
2 packets Japanese Udon Noodles
2 tablespoon light olive oil
2 teaspoon crushed garlic
1 teaspoon crushed ginger
½ teaspoon fish oil
2 teaspoon  soya sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 cup chopped broccoli
1 cup of mixed green and red peppers
Salt to taste
Chill flakes
Heat olive oil in a pan. Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for a minute. Add vegetables, soya sauce, vinegar and fish oil (skip the fish oil and add some sesame oil instead for a veg version). Cover and let it sit for 5 minutes on medium flame till vegetables are slightly tender. Do not overcook the vegetables or they will turn into a mash. Add the noodles, salt and chilli flakes and cover for another 1 minute on low flame so the noodles absorb the flavors. Remove cover, sauté on high flame for 2 minutes till any liquid is dry, and serve hot.

A pinch of welcome

When time is Leisure
But Leisure rare,
Put on those aprons
And cook to share.

Welcome to my Food Blog! I start this as as effort to post some of my culinary journeys, experiments, pictures, and perhaps even disasters.

Let you in on a secret: I plan to present my recipes in a unique way. How you ask? Well, I can't tell you everything now can I? 


Watch this space...and stay hungry.