Baked MADDUR VADE - crispy baked spicy crackers

Maddur Vade..till now it's been one of those snacks we miss and crave for and can't wait to grab some everytime we visit Bengaluru!

That unique authentic taste of crispy fried flours & spices is simply mind blowing! However, not being a fan of deep frying I never bothered to give this treat a try at home. Until now - BAKED!

Oh how delicious it turned out! Here it is, my healthier baked version of MADDUR VADE:

Ingredients (for about 14): 1/2 cup fine semolina, 1/2 cup corn flour, 1/2 cup rice flour, 1/3 cup whole wheat flour, chopped coriander, 1 onion & chillies chopped finely, curry leaves, cumin seeds, 2-3 tablespoons yogurt, 2 tablespoons olive oil, red chilli powder, salt to taste.

Make: Dry roast semolina till golden in colour, then dry roast corn flour & rice flour together for 3-4 minutes all on low flame. In a pan, put in a little oil & saute chopped onions, chillies & curry leaves till well cooked. Add all roasted flours, wheat flour & onion mixture, coriander, salt, chilli powder and yoghurt together in a bowl and mix into a dough. Do not use any water, only use the olive oil & if needed extra yogurt. Make a soft dough and set aside for 5 minutes.

On a baking tray lined with baking paper, take small balls of the dough & flatten with fingers into flat disc shapes. Bake in a pre-heated oven at 170deg for about 30 minutes. If wanting more crispness, flip them all over and bake for another 10 minutes. 

Cool and serve with chutney & hot cups of tea/coffee! These can be stored for upto a week in air tight container. 

Spicy Stuffed Eggplant - Badnekayi Ennegayi

Some old recipes need to be made exactly the way they were meant to be. This special eggplant dish is famous in South India for being itself! Just absolutely delicious and it looks as great as it tastes!

So here it is, my version of the BADNEKAYI ENNEGAYI (Spicy stuffed eggplant/brinjal/aubergine): 

Ingredients: 8 to 10 small sized eggplants, slit into 4 but not completely cut. Chopped onion, handful curry leaves, salt to taste, turmeric powder, 1 tsp mustard seeds, 1 tsp brown sugar/jaggery, 1 tsp tamarind. 

For the masala, 1/2 cup grated coconut, 1 tbls channa daal, 1 tbls peanuts, 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp sesame seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, a pinch of fenugreek seeds, few chillies. 

Make: Dry roast all of the spices & peanuts except grated coconut till golden brown. Next put roasted spices in with the coconut, tamarind & chillies and grind to a paste using a little water as required. Take the masala paste and stuff into the slit eggplants so it's overflowing with masala. It is also possible to just use chopped eggplants instead of stuffing.

In a non stick pan, put in some oil, add mustard seeds, turmeric powder then saute chopped onions and curry leaves. Now add in the stuffed eggplants by placing them neatly around in the pan (do not toss around). Sprinkle salt to taste and cover to cook. After about 10 minutes, add some water on top and slighlty move around the pan without tossing the eggplants. The masala will have cooked and become redder in colour, the eggplants will be roasted and cooked well. Cover and simmer for another 10 minutes. 

Serve hot with rice or roti! Enjoy :)

Savoury Cookies - Finger Millet & Wheat

Who says baking is always to make naughty foods that are only for indulgence? No way - baking is one of the best ways to keep calories low as you can often create treats that would traditionally be fried without all the oil. 

Often referred to as a "super food" Finger Millet or Raagi, is calcium and iron rich as well as being low GI. Whole wheat also has its well known healthy benefits. So why not enjoy the healthy benefits by making something tasty to munch on!

There are different recipes out there but I made my Savoury Cookies using a simple method which worked out great. Here it is:

Ingredients (for about 12 cookies): 1 cup Raagi/Finger Millet, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour, 1/4 cup butter at room temperature, handful of curry leaves finely chopped, 1 spoon sesame seeds, chilli flakes, pinch of salt, pinch of sugar, milk only enough to form the cookie dough.

Make: In a bowl, mix the raagi, wheat flour, salt and sugar. Then add the butter, chopped curry leaves, chilli flakes and mix with your hands, adding milk to form a soft dough. Let the dough rest for 5 minutes then make small portions and flatten to make a cookie shape. Place all cookies on baking paper in a baking tray and bake in a preheated oven at 170 deg for about 20 minutes. Let it cool before serving or storing.

Enjoy your crispy yet crumbly healthy savoury cookies with a cup of tea!

Paneer Fried Rice

When you're craving your favourite restaurant dishes and can't go out to get them, isn't it just perfect to find an easy quick recipe for it!? That is exactly the reason I made this little dish while being pleasantly surprised how easy it was to replicate that magic restaurant flavour.

Lot of different recipes out there, I read up a few different one, used my own tastes and made this PANEER FRIED RICE which was a hit!

Here it is:

Ingredients: 1 cup cooked fragrant rice (preferably long grain basmati or similar, do not over cook), 1 cup of chopped carrot, beans/peas, 1/2 cup paneer chopped into small cubes, 1 tablespoon black pepper powder, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon garlic paste, 1 small onion finely chopped, salt to taste.

Make: In a non stick pan, saute chopped onion and garlic paste in some oil. Add chopped veggies and fry for a few minutes then add the chopped paneer. Fry till paneer cubes are golden brown (do not overcook to avoid rubbery paneer). Add the cooked rice, pepper powder, soy sauce and salt to taste. Lightly toss together and serve. Enjoy!