Category Archives: Snacks & Appetizers

Potato chops (Batata Champ)

Meat, Snacks & Appetizers

Potato Chops

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Makes 20 

Ingredients

  • 2              lbs lean ground beef
  • 1/4           cup water
  • 2              tsp salt
  • 2              tsp green masala
  • 1              tsp freshly ground cumin
  • 1              tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3              medium onions
  • 2              tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1              level tsp garam masala
  •                 boiling water
  • 1/2           tsp salt
  • 1/2           tsp red chili powder
  • 1               Idahoan mashed potato
  • 4             eggs
  • 6             cups oil for frying

Instructions

  1. In a medium saucepan cook the ground beef with water on medium heat, stirring and breaking the lumps until the colour of the meat starts to change.
  2. Add salt, green masala, ground cumin and ground black pepper.  Continue cooking until all the water has evaporated and the mixture is completely dry.
  3. When mixture is cool add chopped onions, chopped cilantro and garam masala.
  4. In a large bowl pour boiling hot water, salt and chilli powder.  Add the mashed potato and mix well.  Let it cool.
  5. Divide the potatoes into 20 and roll them into a ball the size of a golf ball.
  6. Roll the ball in bread crumbs and press it into to a patty in the palm of your hands.  The patty should be about 2 1/2 inches round.  Put 1 tbsp meat mixture in the centre and cover the meat with the potatoes.  Use more bread crumbs if necessary.  Shape it into a round.
  7. Make all the chops first and then fry them.
  8. Break the eggs and beat them.  Add a  4 tbsp water and beat  well.
  9. Heat the oil in a wok to medium hot.  (The oil is ready when, if you put the end of the wooden spoon in oil and small bubbles form around it).
  10. Deep 1 chops at a time in eggs and deep fry it for 3 minutes turning once.  (The oil should cover the chops).  You can fry 5 chops at a time depending on the size of the wok.

Serve it with green chutney and lemon.

Idahoan Mashed Potato

You can use fresh potatoes too.

Ingredients

  • 5             lbs russet potatoes
  • 1             tsp salt
  • 1/2          tsp chilly powder
  • 1             tbsp chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Peel and cub the potatoes in 1” cube.
  2. Half feel a large saucepan with water.
  3. Put the cubed potatoes in a colander and steam the potatoes till they are soft, about 15 minutes.
  4. Mash the potatoes with a potato masher.
  5. Add the salt, red chilly powder, chopped cilantro and mix well.
  6. Let the mixture cool a little.
  7. Make a ball about the size of a golf ball, and roll it in bread crumbs.
  8. On a piece of plastic wrap or a plastic bag flatten the ball into a 3” round.
  9. Add one and ah half tablespoon meat mixture, pick up the plastic and make a round potato chop.
  10. Remove the plastic make a smooth potato chop, dip it in beaten egg and fry for 2 minutes on each side.
  11. Drain on paper towel

  Flatten Potato Patty Potato Patty with the filling                        

Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes & Feta Bread

Snacks & Appetizers

Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes & Feta Bread

Spinach, Sundried Tomatoes & Feta Bread

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 6           oz spinach*
  • 1           oz sundried tomatoes
  • 6           oz feta, broken into little lumps
  • 6           oz finely grated Gruyere
  • 6           oz plain flour
  • 3           eggs
  • 3           tbsp olive oil
  • 3           tbsp milk
  • 1           tbsp baking powder
  •              pinch salt

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Line a 2 lb. loaf tin with baking paper(or tin foil if you do not have any baking paper).
  2. Wilt the spinach over a steamer and set aside to cool. When cool enough, squeeze out as much liquid as possible and chop roughly. Sieve the flour and baking powder into a large bowl. Beat the eggs, milk and oil together and add to the flour with a sprinkling of salt. Chop the tomatoes into small pieces and add them to the mixture with the two cheeses and the spinach. Stir well to combine.
  3. Spoon the bread mixture into the loaf tin and bake at 160 degrees for 45 minutes or until crispy and brown. Cool for 5 minutes before turning out onto a rack.

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*you can use frozen spinach, defrost, and squeeze out all the liquid.

Vegetable Paratha

Snacks & Appetizers

Ingredients

  • 12                 mandhas (paratha pastry)
  •   1                 cup chana daal or Moong daal
  •   3                 tbsp oil
  • 1/2                tsp cumin seeds
  •   1                 pkt spinach(frozen)
  •   2                 small potatoes, peeled and diced in 1/4″
  •   1                 tbsp green masala
  • 1/2                tsp crushed cumin seeds
  • 1/2                tsp crushed black pepper
  •   1                 tsp salt
  • 1/4                cup chopped dhana(cilantro)

Paste

  • 2                  tbsp white flour
  • 2                  tbsp water

Instructions

  1. Soak chana daal in cold water for 5 hours.
  2. Rinse it in cold water.
  3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a medium saucepan. Add the cumin seeds.
  4. Add the defrosted spinach, green masala, crushed cumin seeds and black pepper, salt and the daal. Mix and cook stirring for about 10 min till the mixture is dry and the daal and spinach cooked. Let it cool.
  5. Make the paste by mixing white flour and water.
  6. Take a pastry and put 2 tbsp of the mixture in the centre of the pastry.
  7. Bring the opposite ends to the centre and stick it with the paste.
  8. Bring the other 2 sides in and  stick it.
  9. Cook on preheated med heat tawa for about a min on each side.
  10. Brush with oil and cook for another min on each side.

Serve with a dahi (yoghurt) chutney.

vegie paratha filling

Paratha, 1st fold

Paratha, second foldParatha cooking

Stuffed Paratha Pastry

Snacks & Appetizers

Makes 10

Ingredients

  • 2                   cups whole wheat flour
  • 1                   cup water
  • 1/4                cup vegetable oil
  • 1/4                cup white flour

Instructions

  1. Make a dough with whole wheat flour and water.
  2. Divide the dough into 10 small balls.  (about 50 gm ea)
  3. Roll each ball into a 5 inch round.
  4. Brush each round with oil and sprinkle with white flour.
  5. Stack them up.
  6. Roll the stack into a 10 inch circle.
  7. Microwave this for  5 min.
  8. Remove from the microwave, cut the sides to make a square.
  9. Wrap it in plastic and let it stand for 10 minutes.
  10. You can wrap this in foil and freeze it.

 

Kheema pastry 2Kheema Pastry 1 

Kheema pastry 3    

Beef, Asparagus and Pepper Rolls

Meat, Snacks & Appetizers

Makes 48

  • Rolls can be prepared a day ahead.
  • Freeze:  Uncooked roll can be frozen.
  • 1                   lb rump steak
  • 3                   tsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 2                   tsp seeded mustard
  • 1                   medium bunch (12 spears)
  •                      fresh asparagus
  • 1                   red pepper
  • 2                   tbsp oil

Instructions

  1. Wrap steak in plastic wrap, freeze for about 20 min or until partially frozen.
  2. Remove plastic, cut steak into thin slices.
  3. Combine steak, sauce and mustard in a bowl, cover refrigerate 30 min.
  4. Cut asparagus and pepper into 5 cm strips.
  5. Boil, steam or microwave asparagus and pepper until just tender, drain.
  6. Wrap a piece of steak around a piece each of asparagus and pepper.  Secure with  toothpick.  Repeat with remaining steak, asparagus and pepper.
  7. Just before serving, heat oil in a pan, add rolls, cook until well browned all over.

Cornish Pasties

Meat, Snacks & Appetizers

 

Cornish Pasty, is a baked pastry, a traditional variety of which is particularly associated with Cornwall, the western- and southernmost county in England.  It is made by placing uncooked filling of meat and vegetables, on one half of a flat shortcrust pastry circle, folding the pastry in half to wrap the filling in a semicircle and crimping the curved edge to form a seal before baking.  The traditional Cornish Pastry is filled with beef, diced potatoes, turnip and onion, seasoned with salt and pepper.

Today there are many different varieties of different fillings.  You will find Cornish Pasty stands in Malls and Train Stations in London.  People will grab a pasty, that comes in a brown paper bag and convinient to eat, and eat it on the go.

Cornish Pasty was our meal at least a couple of times a week, (when we lived in England) it came with mashed potatoes and gravy.

Ingredients

Pastry

  • 1            lb white flour
  • 1/2         lb butter
  • 4            tbsp cold water

Filling

  • 1            lb ground beef
  • 1/2         tsp crushed garlic
  • 1/2         tsp crushed ginger
  • 1            tsp salt
  • 1            tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2            tbsp HP sauce
  • 1            medium onion
  • 1            medium potato
  • 1            carrot
  • 1            egg

Instructions

Filling

  1. In a medium saucepan add the meat, ginger and  garlic, and cook the meat stirring and breaking the meat till the liquid has evaporated and the meat cooked.
  2. Add salt, black pepper and HP sauce.
  3. Peel and grate the onion, potato and the carrot and add this to the meat.
  4. Let it cool completely.

Pastry

  1. Put the flour in a medium size bowl.
  2. Cut butter into small pieces and rub in the flour.
  3. Add water and mix with a fork.
  4. Form the pastry into a ball with your finger tips.
  5. Lightly flour the rolling pin and board.
  6. Turn out the pastry onto the board, and with light, quick, forward strokes roll out to a 1/4 inch thickness.
  7. Cut the pastry to the required size.  ( I have used a 4 inch round cookie cutter).  Form the scraps into a ball and roll out, and cut out more rounds.
  8. Brush half-way round the rim of each round of pastry.
  9. Put a spoonful of filling in the centre of the pastry.
  10. Bring the edges of the pastry up together in the centre over the filling, and press  gently together all round to seal.
  11. Beat the egg with 1 tbsp water and brush all over the top.
  12. Bake in a  preheated  400 degree oven for 30 minutes till the pastry is a light brown color
  13. Serve hot or cold.

Cornish pasties can be served as an appetizer(small size) or cut the rounds to 6 inch and serve as an entre with a salad.

In England it is served with mashed potato peas and gravy on it.

Lemon Grass and Chili Beef Parcels

Snacks & Appetizers

 

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Makes 24

Ingredients

  • 2             tbsp butter
  • 1             lb beef fillet, chopped
  • 2             tbsp finely chopped fresh lemon grass
  • 2             small fresh red chilies, finely chopped
  • 1             tsp green masala
  • 4             green shallots, chopped
  • 1/2          tsp salt
  • 2             tbsp tomato paste
  • 1/4          cup water
  • 12           large cabbage leaves

Instructions

  1. Heat butter in a pan, add beef, cook, stirring, until well browned.
  2. In a blender blend lemon grass, red chili and green masala.  Add this to the meat.
  3. Add chopped shallot, salt, tomato paste and water and cook till the meat is tender and the water has evaporated.
  4. Cool the mix to room temperature.
  5. Trim thick stalks from cabbage leaves; cut leaves in half.  Steam leave until wilted, drain on absorbent paper.
  6. Spoon beef mixture onto narrow end of each leaf half, fold sides in, roll up, secure with tooth picks.
  7. Cover, refrigerate until cold.

Kheema Paratha Pastry

Snacks & Appetizers

Ingredients

  • 2                 cups whole wheat flour
  • 3/4               cup water
  • 1/4               cup oil
  • 1/2               cup white flour

Directions

  1. Make a dough with whole wheat flour and water.
  2. Divide the dough into 12 equal balls (each ball is about 40gms)
  3. Roll each ball into 5 inch rounds.
  4. Brush each ball with oil and sprinkle with white flour.
  5. Stack the rounds.
  6. Roll this into a 10 inch round
  7. Cook in a microwave on a piece of greaseproof paper for 4 min.
  8. Remove from the microwave and cut the edges to make it a square.
  9. Wrap it in plastic and let it cool.
  10. Use as needed

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Dokari

Snacks & Appetizers

Dokari is a South Indian snack which is steamed.  It can be eaten as a teatime snack, appetizer or a light lunch.  It is served with a tomato chutney.

Dokari

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ingredients

  • 2              cups chana flour(chickpea flour)
  • 1 1/2        cups water
  • 1/2           cup yoghurt
  • 4              tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1              tbsp sugar
  • 1              tsp salt
  • 1              tsp Green Masala
  • 1/2           tsp freshly ground jeera(cumin)
  • 1/2           tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 2              tsp Eno(fruit salt)

Vagar

  • 2              tbsp oil
  • 1/ 2          tsp rye(mustard seeds)
  • 1/2           tsp Methi( fenugreek seeds)
  • 1/2           tsp jeera(cumin seeds)
  • 10            curry leaves

Decoration

  • 4               tbsp desiccated coconut
  • 2               tbsp sesame seeds
  • 1/4           cup  chopped cilantro
  • 1               tbsp finely chopped fresh green chilies(optional)

Instructions.

  • In a large 10 inch saucepan boil 2 inches of water.  Put a wok ring in the saucepan. (The saucepan should have a tight fitting lid).
  • Mix all the ingredients from the first section except Eno and make a thick batter.
  • When the water starts to boil, put the 9 inch greased cake tin on the ring..  Add the eno in the batter and mix well.  Pour this batter in the cake tin, cover the saucepan with a kitchen towel.  (This absorbs the steam) and cover the saucepan with a lid.  Cook for 20 minutes.  (If you insert a tooth pick in the centre, the tooth pick should come out clean.)  Let it cool.
  • Cut the dokari into 1” strips and cut them in diamonds.
  • In a frying pan heat the oil and add all the ingredients for vagar.  When the rye starts to pop, add this to the dokari.  Add the rest of the ingredients and toss it.
  • Serve it warm or cold. 

Khari Puri

Snacks & Appetizers

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Ingredients

  • 1                 lb white flour
  • 1/2              tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2              tsp freshly ground cumin
  • 1/2              tsp freshly ground ajwan
  • 1/2              tsp salt
  • 1/4              cup butter
  • 1                 cup water
  • 6                 cups oil for frying

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl add  the flour, black pepper, cumin, ajwan and salt.
  2. Rub in the butter.
  3. Make a soft dough using the water.  Knead the dough.  Divide it into 4 quarters.  Cover the dough with plastic wrap.
  4. On a floured board, roll out 1 quarter  at a time.  Roll the dough very thin.  (about 14” round).  prick with a fork. Take the 3 inch cookie cutter and cut the rounds.
  5. Deep fry in medium to hot oil till light golden in color.  The puris should be crispy.  Drain in a colander.
  6. Puris can be stored in an airtight container.

Puris can also be cut in strips or diamonds.

Katori and Cone Puris

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Instructions

  1. Roll your dough to 1/8″ thickness and 3″ larger than the bowl you are using.  The dough should cover the bowl completely.
  2. Grease the katori, place the katori in the centre of the rolled puri and wrap the dough around it.
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  4. In the medium hot oil drop the katori wrapped with dough and fry it.
  5. Oil will start filling up in the katori, BE CAREFUL.
  6. Once brown remove from oil and drain it on paper towel.

Cone Puri

  • Roll the dough to 1/8″.  With a 4″ round cookie cutter, cut the rounds.
  • Wrap the dough around the come.  Moisten the edge with water and seal the edge.
  • Deep fry them.

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