Bottle Gourd Leaves & Parsley Leaves Pakora / Fritters

 

           These Pumpkin leaves and parsley leaves can be turned into some amazingly delicious pakoras / fritters. Just pick up some tender bottle gourd leaves and parsley leaves and dish out these yummy pakoras. Relish them as appetizers with some chutney / sauce as an evening tea-time snack or as an accompaniment to dal-rice combo. So check out the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare these yummy fritters. 

          Tea time without some fried snacks is just meaningless. One can't resist the temptation of deep fried pakoras. A bowl of hot and crispy pakoras is anytime welcome. So dish out these easy to make yummy pakoras / fritters made of bottle gourd leaves and parsley leaves. 

          These crispy treats are just perfect with your evening cuppa. You can also serve them as appetizers with chutney, sauce, labneh, hummus or cheese spread. They are absolutely easy to prepare as it requires only few basic ingredients. I made them both spicy and tangy. However, it can be adjusted accordingly. 

             

           If it happens to be a rainy day or a cold winter night, then the excitement of having these pakoras reaches to another level. These amazing pakoras are also great as an accompaniment to dal chawal or curd rice. 

          Any leftover pakoras can be made into Kadhi Pakora the next day and enjoyed with hot steamed rice / jeera rice for a great comfort meal. You can also dish out pakora chaat for a light dinner.

• 10-12 Pumpkin Leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup besan (gram flour)
• 1/4 cup rice flour
• 1 tsp. nigella seeds (kalonji)
• pinch of baking soda
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• oil to deep fry / shallow fry

            In a bowl, combine together all the above mentioned ingredients (except oil). Add very little water, only if required and prepare a dough. keep aside for 10 minutes.

            Take a small portion of the dough and give a round and slightly flat shape.

           Heat oil in a pan and drop the prepared pakoras, few at a time and fry on a low flame on all sides till light golden in color. 

            Drain on a tissue paper and serve hot with sauce or chutney as an appetizer, as a tea time snack or as a side dish with rice-dal combo.

In a bowl, mix all the above mentioned ingredients (except oil). 

Add very little water, only if required & prepare a dough. keep aside for 10 minutes.

Take a small portion of the dough & give a round and slightly flat shape.

Heat oil in a pan & drop the pakoras, few at a time, & fry on a low 

flame on all sides till light golden in colour. 

                              Drain on a tissue paper.

                        Serve hot with chutney, sauce or with a cup of tea. 

Fried Chicken

          Fried Chicken is universally popular and is loved by young and old alike. You can enjoy as an appetizer, snack or as a light meal with salad or soup as accompaniments. It is a great comfort meal to many and can be relished with tomato ketchup, green chutney or mayo. 

          However, in this recipe, I gave a slight twist and substituted plain flour with whole wheat flour. I also omitted the bread crumbs, as I wanted a slightly soft exterior. It is a great kids meal and a party recipe too. Brush with some melted butter, which is purely optional and enjoy.

Marination - 

• 3 chicken pieces
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 egg
• salt to taste
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1 tsp. roasted cumin-coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tbsp. onion-garlic-ginger powder

Other ingredients - 

• 1 cup whole wheat flour 
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. crushed kasuri methi
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/4 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. garlic-onion powder
• oil to deep fry
• melted butter as required (opt)

           Marinate the chicken drumsticks with all the mentioned ingredients overnight or for a minimum of 2-3 hours. 

          In a bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, crushed kasuri methi. red chili powder, salt,  garam masala powder and garlic-onion powder. Keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan. Take each chicken piece and coat it with the flour mix and carefully drop them in the hot oil. 

          Deep fry on a medium flame till it is well cooked. Drain on a kitchen towel. Brush with some melted butter (opt) and serve them hot with tomato ketchup, green chutney or mayo.

Fried Chicken

          Fried Chicken is universally popular and is loved by young and old alike. You can enjoy as an appetizer, snack or as a light meal with salad or soup as accompaniments. It is a great comfort meal to many and can be relished with tomato ketchup or green chutney. 

           However, in this recipe, I gave a slight twist and substituted plain flour and bread crumbs with whole wheat flour and brown bread crumbs respectively. Hence the colour, but it turned out very yummy. It can be a great kids meal and a party recipe too. So check the step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it. 

• 4 chicken drumsticks 
• pinch of turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt to marinate the chicken
• 1 egg, well beaten 
• pinch of salt & pepper
• 1 cup whole wheat flour 
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. crushed kasuri methi
• 1/2 tsp. red chili powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1 tsp. cumin-coriander powder
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1 tbsp. garlic-onion powder
• 1/2 cup brown bread crumbs
• 1/4 tsp. red chili flakes
• oil to deep fry

          Marinate the chicken drumsticks with a pinch of salt, turmeric powder and red chili powder for an hour or two.

          Add salt & pepper to the beaten egg. Mix well and keep aside. Mix together the brown bread crumbs with the chili flakes and keep aside.

          In a bowl, mix together whole wheat flour, crushed kasuri methi. red chili powder, turmeric powder, salt, cumin-coriander powder, garam masala powder and garlic-onion powder. Keep aside.

          Heat oil in a pan. Take each chicken drumstick and coat it with the flour mix, egg mix and then the brown bread crumbs respectively.

          Then deep fry them till it is well cooked on a medium flame. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve them hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

          

                     Marinate chicken drumsticks with a pinch of salt, turmeric powder &
                     red chili powder for an hour or two.

 
                               Take each chicken drumstick & coat it with the flour mix, 

                                 egg mix and 

                                then the brown bread crumbs respectively.

                           Heat oil & deep fry them on a medium flame till it is well cooked.
          

                                Drain on a kitchen towel. 

                                Serve them hot with tomato ketchup or green chutney.

Fried Dhokla

          Khaman Dhokla is a traditional Gujarati steamed savoury snack, which is wholesome, healthy and yummy.  They can be served with green chutney as a tea-time snack, for breakfast or as a lunch box meal. This is an instant version prepared out of besan (gram flour), yoghurt and few other flavouring agents.

          Now the problem comes from the leftover dhoklas which we tend to reheat and have. This becomes boring at one point. So how about serving them in a different avatar? Just shallow fry them till crisp and and serve as an appetizer with any chutney of your choice, sauce, dip or mayo. It tastes just amazing.

• 8-10 leftover dhokla pieces
• 2-3 tbsp. oil 
• any chutney to serve

          Heat oil in a pan and shallow fry the dhokla pieces till golden brown on all sides. Serve as an appetizer with any chutney of your choice.




Note - Check below for the Dhokla recipe - 

Khaman Dhokla - 

• 1 cup besan (chickpea flour)
• 1 tbsp. sooji (semolina)
• 1/2 cup yoghurt
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp. ginger paste
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped or ground
• 1 tbsp. lime juice
• 1 tsp. sugar
• 1 tsp. eno fruit salt
• 2 tbsp. oil
• 1 tsp. sesame seeds
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida (hing)
• 2 green chilies, chopped
• 1 sprig curry leaves
• extra lime juice, sugar and a pinch of salt or to taste
• 1 tbsp. fresh coconut, grated
• 1 tsp. coriander leaves, chopped

           Mix together besan, sooji, yoghurt, salt, ginger paste, green chilies paste, lime juice, 1 tbsp. oil, sugar and turmeric powder with enough water to form into a batter of pouring consistency. Keep aside for 30 minutes.

          Add eno fruit salt to it and mix well. Pour into a greased steel container and steam for 20 minutes on a medium flame. When cool, cut into desired shapes.

         Heat remaining oil in a pan and temper with mustard seeds. After it stops spluttering, add sesame seeds, asafoetida, curry leaves and green chilies.

         Saute for a few seconds and switch off the flame. Add 1/4 cup water, extra lime juice, sugar and a pinch of salt. 

          Mix everything well and pour on the steamed Dhoklas. Garnish with coconut and coriander leaves. Enjoy with some green chutney. 

Idiyappam Urad Dal Pakora

           This can be a perfect party appetizer. Made from some leftover Idiyappam (string hoppers) and ground urad dal. My first try and they came out absolutely yummy. So go ahead and give it a try and surprise your loved ones. Serve along with tomato sauce, green chutney, mayo or hummus. They can also be relished as a tea time snack or as a side dish with dal chawal, curd rice or sambar rice. 

• 1 cup leftover Idiyappam
• 1/4 cup split urad dal (black gram) soaked for 3-4 hours
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. turmeric powder
• 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1 tsp. ginger, grated
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. coriander roots, chopped
• 1 tsp. kasuri methi, crushed
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1/4 tsp. asafoetida
• pinch of baking soda
• oil to deep fry

          Grind the soaked dal with very little water into a paste. Mix together all the ingredients (except oil) and keep aside for 5-10 minutes.

          Heat oil in a pan and drop spoonful of the batter. Fry on a medium flame till golden in color. Drain on a kitchen towel and serve with tomato sauce, chutney, mayo or hummus.

Quinoa Rice Tikki / Cutlet / Patty

          These are gorgeous looking, beautiful Quinoa Rice Tikki, absolutely healthy as Quinoa is packed with essential nutrients. I have added some leftover cooked rice along with other basic ingredients. 

          It is a must try recipe as it takes very little time to dish out this amazingly yummy snack for your loved ones, whether it is tea-time or after-school. Good for the young and old alike, they can be relished with any homemade chutney. So Just follow a step by step pictorial recipe to prepare it.

• 1 cup cooked quinoa (makes around 10)
• 1/2 cup cooked rice
• 2 tbsp. roasted chickpea flour
• 1 tbsp. rice flour
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 tsp. ginger-garlic paste
• 1 tsp. tomato paste
• 1-2 green chilies, chopped
• 1/4 cup coriander roots, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 tsp. coriander powder
• 1 tsp. cumin powder
• 1 tsp. flaxseed powder
• 1/2 tsp. garam masala powder
• 1/2 tsp. dry mango powder (amchur)
• 1/2 tsp. red chili flakes
• oil to shallow fry

             In a bowl, mix all the above mentioned ingredients (except oil) and knead into a dough. Divide into equal portions and shape as desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

           Heat a little oil and shallow fry the tikkis in batches on both sides till light golden in colour. 

           Drain on a kitchen towel and serve them hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.

                           Mix all mentioned ingredients (except oil) & knead into a dough.

                  Divide into equal portions & shape as desired. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

                      Heat a little oil & shallow fry the tikkis on both sides till light golden. 

                                Drain on a kitchen towel.

                               Serve them hot with green chutney or tomato ketchup.