CHAKRI

 

CHAKRI is the most popular Indian Snack for all occasions. There are numerous recipes out there on how to make Chakri. The traditional recipe is essentially the same with a slight variation to suit the palate in each household. I tried these Chakris at a friend's place and absolutely loved the taste. 

Sharing the recipe with you here:

INGREDIENTS:

Rice Flour - 1+1/4 cup

Wheat Flour - 1/2 cup

Ginger Paste - 1 tsp

Yogurt - 3 tbsp

Heavy Cream - 1/2 cup

Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp

Red Chili Powder - 1 tsp (or to taste)

Salt to taste

Sesame Seeds - 1 tbsp

Oil for frying

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Take rice flour in your stand mixer

2. Next add the wheat flour

3. Next add the remaining dry ingredients, salt, turmeric, red chili powders, sesame seeds.

4. And the wet ingredients - yogurt & cream

5. Now using the hook attachment we will start at the lowest setting. Stir for about 3-4 minutes until well combined. 

6. Now increase the speed to 1 and add a tablespoon of warm water gradually to form a soft dough. I used half a cup of water to make it all come together.

7. Rest the dough for 15 minutes. 

8. I am using the traditional Chakri mold here but you can even use a piping bag with the star nozzel, incase you dont have this. We shall use the star disc here. 

9. Grease everything well with oil. 

10. Stuff the mold with the Chakri dough. Screw back the top. And we are ready to roll out the chakris. 

11. I roll out the chakris on to the butter paper, a few at a time.  Using the butter paper helps to remove the chakris easily. A plate works fine too. I have put the oil to heat on low medium heat while I am doing this.

12. Using a paddle, lift the chakris from the paper/plate and gently drop them into hot oil. A few at a time, so as not to crowd the pan. 

13. Make sure to keep moving them in the oil so they cook evenly. Once golden brown remove them and place on a kitchen towel or seive to remove any excess oil.

14. Let them cool completely and then store in an airtight container. 

CHEESE MASALA TOAST

This is the easiest, simplest and quickest recipe I know. It was a snack we used to make ourselves as kids when Mum was away or busy. You basically throw in some onions, tomatoes and cheese together and you have on your hands a yummy indulgent treat. 

Do try it. Here is how I make it:

INGREDIENTS:

Bread Slices - 4 

Onions - 1/2 finely chopped

Tomatoes - 1/2 finely chopped

Green Bell Pepper - 1/4 finely chopped

Ginger - freshly grated, 1/2 tsp

Green Chilies - 1 finely chopped (or to taste)

Cilantro - freshly chopped, 2 tbsp

Salt to taste

Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp

Red Chili Flakes - 1/4 tsp (or to taste)

Cheese - 1/3 cup 

Butter - as needed

PROCEDURE:

1. Take onions in a bowl

2. Add tomatoes

3. Add the bell peppers.

4. Spice it up with some ginger & green chilies. 

5. Some fresh cilantro leaves for added flavor

6. And the cheese. As much or as little of it as you'd like

7. Season with salt, red chili flakes & black pepper 

8. Spread the mixture generously on a slice of bread and cover it with another slice of bread. 

9. Grease both sides with some butter. 

10. Toast it in your sandwich makes until brown and crispy. Enjoy hot!

CHOLA METHI DHOKLAS

CHOLA METHI DHOKLAS is a delicious breakfast dish packed with proteins, antioxidants, fibre and folic acid. Rich in taste and low on carbs. Extremely wholesome combining the goodness of split cow peas and fresh fenugreek leaves. 

I first tried this dish at Swaty Restaurant in Ahmedabad and was blown away. We are all familiar with the popular khamans & dhoklas from Gujarat but CHOLA METHI DHOKLAS are a hidden treasure. This is a quick and easy recipe. 

Do try and share your experience with me.

INGREDIENTS:

Chola Dal (Split cow peas) - 1 cup

Fresh Methi Leaves - stems removed, washed and pat dry 1 cup

Ginger - 1/2 inch

Green Chilies - 2 (or to taste)

ENO - 1 tbsp

Salt to taste

Oil - 3 tbsp

Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Sesame Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Green Chilies - 2 whole

PROCEDURE:

1. Wash the dal thoroughly until the water in the dal appear clear. Then soak for 8 hours or overnight.

2. Grind the dal with green chilies and ginger into a coarse batter. 

 

3. Finely chop the washed and (pat) dried fenugreek leaves. 

4. Add the fenugreek leaves to the batter and mix.

 

5. Next add salt and a tablespoon of oil to the batter. 

6. Grease the dhokla steaming dishes. 

7. Start the dhokla steamer on medium heat until it gets the steam running. 

8. Coming back to our batter. Time to add the ENO, a few drops of water and give it a light mix. 

9. Pour into the greased dishes and give the dishes a good tap to spread the batter and remove any air bubbles. Steam for 12-15 minutes on medium heat. 

10. Let it rest for 5 minutes.

11. Meanwhile, lets get our tempering ready. Heat some oil on medium heat. 

 

12. Add the mustard, cumin and sesame seeds. And the asafoetida and finally the green chilies. 

13. Cut the dhoklas into desired size pieces. 

14. Pour the tempering over the dhoklas. 

15. Serve hot with green chutney!

LOW CARB - MIXED DAL DOSA

Mixed Dal Dosas are a favorite in my house. It gives us a nice break from the routine roti and rice and is yet super nutritious and delicious. Its quick to make too. I soak the dals the same morning, so no lengthy prep work. An added bonus, its low on carbs too. 

INGREDIENTS:

Tuver Dal - 2 tbsp

Chanda Dal - 2 tbsp

Masoor Dal - 2 tbsp

Urad Dal - 2 tbsp

Yellow Moong Dal - 2 tbsp

Green Split Moong Dal - 2 tbsp

Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp

Asafoetida - a pinch

Fenugreek Seeds - 1/2 tsp

Whole Red Chilies - 2 whole

Curry leaves - few

Ginger - 1 inch, chopped

Rice flour - 2 tbsp (optional)

Oil/Ghee/Butter - to grease the dosas as needed

PROCEDURE:

1. Take all the dals and fenugreek seeds and wash them thoroughly in water, about 4 or 5 times or until the dals are clean.

 2. Next add the cumin seeds, red chilies, curry leaves, asafoetida and ginger and mix well. 

 

3. Add just enough water to soak the dals. Too much water will make the batter runny and will make it difficult to spread the dosas eventually. Leave this for 4 or more hours. 

4. After 4 some hours the lentils have soaked up all the water we added. Time to grind this. We need a coarse batter, not pasty. 

5. Here is how it looks after grinding.

6. I have added some rice flour to my batter after grinding as it makes the dosas extra crispy. But this is optional. If your batter accidentally turns runny, you can also add oats powder to correct the consistency. 

 7. You can also store this batter in the fridge to use as a weekday dinner. 

8. The batter should not be thick at the time of spreading the dosas. We like our dosas super thin and crispy to I have added a little water to my batter to get the right consistency.

9. Ideally, take a non-stick pan and heat on medium low heat. Once the pan is hot enough sprinkle some water and wipe it down with kitchen towel and start spread the dosas. 

10. Pour a spoonful of batter in the center of the pan and start spreading in circular motion. Remember, practice makes perfect. So dont loose heart if they arent perfect in the first go. You will get there. 

11. Sprinkle some ghee/oil once the dosa starts to brown and crispy. 

12. Then flip to cook the other side as well. Serve hot with some sambhar and chutney!