Zucchini Muthiya: Gujarati Indian Steamed Snack

Raise your hand if like me you cant eat roti subji every day! With less visits to supermarkets and due to lock down I am constantly thinking about variations and ideas that I can imply and make new dishes at home without using too many ingredients. So with the same prospective in mind Zucchini Muthiya happened one Friday.

To think about it, Muthiya uses same ingredients that you would do in any normal indian meal-aata, massale and subji. Okay, so those of you dont know, Muthia is a Gujarati snack or farsaan (as we say in Gujarati) and is steamed dumpling that is made with whole wheat flour, a bit of besan (chickpeas flour), vegetables and basic masale (spices).

The most popular variety of Muthia is made from lauki or doodhi (bottle gourd) but people use leftover rice, carrots, cabbage, tinda, methi, palak or any juicy vegetable to make muthiya. But hey, don't you think zucchini is like bottle gourd (luaki) in taste and texture? I do, and that is why this version of Zucchini Muthiya happened. In Hindi zucchini is called as taroi, tori, turai or galka and if you are thinking about a modification on how to use those zucchini in the fridge, then this recipe is for you.

You can check my recipe for Spinach Muthia here, where in I have used makki ka atta (corn maize flour) and suji (semolina), yougurt (dahi) too in the recipe, however today’s recipe for Zucchini Muthiya is very simple using very basic ingredients that you should have in your kitchen even during this isolation time.

Ingredients:

For Dough

1 cup whole wheat flour (atta)

1 medium sized zucchini

5 tablespoons chickpea flour (besan)

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon turmeric powder (haldi)

¼ teaspoon carom seeds (ajwain)

½ teaspoon lemon juice (nimbo ka ras)

½ teaspoon red chilli powder (lal mirchi)

½ teaspoon sugar (shakkar/chini)

4 tablespoons oil

For Tempering

2 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon mustard seeds (rai)

½ teaspoon white sesame seeds (til)

10-12 curry leaves (kadi patta)

5-6 green chillies slitted (hari mirchi)

Handful of coriander leaves chopped (dhaniya patta)

Method:

Prepare the steamer. Add about 5 cups of water and bring to boil. Then apply some oil on steamer tray and grease it well.

Grate the zuchini and leave it aside for 2-3 minutes.

In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients in dough section (expect zucchini).

Squeeze out all the water from the zucchini really well and throw the zucchini in the dough. The dough should be medium hard. Use extra water only if needed.

Apply some oil on your palms and divide the dough in to four equal portions. Shape each portion in to cylindrical log. Arrange on grease tray and steam it for 25-30 minutes.

You can check if Muthia is cooked by inserting a toothpick or a knife in the centre of the log and it should come out clean.

Let it cool down for 5 minutes then cut into half inch slices.

Heat the oil in a pan for tempering.

Once hot add mustard seeds and sesame seeds, curry leaves, green chillies. Let them splutter. Then add sliced muthia.

Mix gently so muthia do not break and cook it till you get little brown and crispy muthia. Turn off the heat. Serve hot!

Notes:

Any other grated vegetables like cabbage, bottle gourd/lauki, onions, methi leaves, spring onions, beetroot, carrots can also be added instead of spinach. Or you can make mixed vegetable muthiya.

If do not like tampering then even plain steamed muthiya tastes good.

This will be a sweet and sour snack (khata meetha) like most Gujarati snacks, so feel free to ditch sugar if you do not prefer sweet snacks.

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Oven Roasted Chickpeas: Indian Style

Oven Roasted Chickpeas. Highly addictive! Roasted in oven, this protein loaded tiny chickpeas turns into salty snack- perfect nibble or a companion for any drink.

Recently folks from Ugly Drinks sent me a box of their new range of sparking water- Triple Berry, Orange, Lime &Lemon and Tropical. Yes, you don’t see Lime & Lemon in pictures below because it went straight in my tummy ;-)

To be honest, I haven't seen any drink as genuine as Ugly Drinks. They keep it real, with no sugar, no sweetener, no calories and absolutely nothing artificial. If you like sparkling waters that have no fat or salt then you HAVE to give them a try. I tried Tropical one and I was hooked- too good to be true. Perfect flavor and clean sparkling/bubbly taste.

Talking about today’s recipe. These are very Indian in taste, spicy kick from red chilli powder and bit of tang from lemon is dangerously great. Feel free to play around with spices, you can use cumin powder, red chilli flakes and even Italian herbs.

Now some tips on how to make them crunchy:

-Do not use too much oil. It will just make them soggy and mushy.

-Use a large baking pan. Do not overcrowd the pan.

-Whether you are using canned chickpeas or freshly boiled ones, do dry chickpeas on towel properly.

-Mix the spices properly. Toss the spices and leave it on chickpeas for atleast 5 minutes (just like any marination).

Ingredients:

1 can chickpeas

2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon lemon juice

Method:

Preheat the oven at 200C

Drain the chickpeas on a strainer. Wash thoroughly under running water.

Dry the chickpeas on a towel. Chickpeas should look dry and pale.

In a large mixing bowl, mix oil and salt. Toss well. Leave this for 5 minutes.

In a making pan, roast the chickpeas for 20-25 minutes. Stir the chickpeas in between to avoid burning.

Chickpeas are done when they have slight dark colour and crisp on the outside.

Throw in red chilli powder and lemon juice. Mix well so that chickpeas are coated well with spices.

Notes:

Chickpeas will be very crunchy when hot. Once it cool down it will lose its crispiness but will taste good.

Throw these chickpeas in salad or pulav for some extra crunch.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Ugly Drinks for sending cans to review.

Dark Chocolate Walnuts: Guilt Free Snack

Chocolate is the best dessert one could have-ofcourse in moderation. Dark chocolate (70-80%) is even better. Dark chocolate is rich in antioxidants, iron and magnesium. Studies have shown that dark chocolate improves blood flow and controls high blood pressure. In my world dark chocolate is healthy, use good quality sugar free chocolate and you are good.

I have spoken previously about healthy chocolate barks and why it is a great energy snack. You can see my Roasted Nuts Chocolate Bars and Seeds Nutty Chocolate barks recipes. Today it is another way of consuming chocolate. Heart healthy, omega rich walnuts dipped in glazy dark chocolate-a guilt free snack.

One-quarter cup of walnuts, for instance, provides more than 100 percent of the daily recommended value of plant-based omega-3 fats, along with high amounts of copper, manganese, molybdenum, and biotin. That’s why it is so so so amazing to unite Dark Chocolate and Walnuts and make these.

Dark Chocolate Walnuts, is a great idea to suffice a sweet tooth without worrying about weight gain and it is so easy to make. I have seen recipes where vanilla essence, walnut oil and cocoa powder is used, but I wanted to keep it as simple as possible. Melt chocolate and coat walnuts and let it sit in the freezer. That’s it- Could not get easier than this.

Ingredients:

1 bar/100 grams dark chocolate (70-85%)

1 cup shelled walnuts

Method:

Take a baking tray or a plate. Line it with parchment paper or even kitchen foil will do.

Chop chocolate roughly. Melt it in microwave for 20 seconds. You might need to do it for more 10 seconds. Make sure that chocolate doesn’t burn and is melted properly.

Mix walnuts in melted chocolate. Coat the walnuts properly.

Spoon each walnut on the lined tray. Keep the tray in the freezer for 10 minutes.

Remove from the sheet and store it air tight container in the fridge.

Notes:

You can use milk chocolate or white chocolate too for this recipe. Or you can mix all three chocolates and use.

Same can be done with any other nuts like almonds, cashews or pistachios.

Dahi Ke Kebabs:Yogurt Kebabs:Yogurt Patties

Yogurt kebabs. Yogurt patties, I have been planning to create it in my kitchen for months so when Arla Foods sent their new range of yogurt for review and I just timed it right.

Arla Foods, the farmer-owned dairy company has continued to expand its portfolio of the UK’s pioneering lactose-free* dairy range by introducing Arla Lactofree® Natural Yogurt. Arla Lactofree Natural Yogurt is deliciously smooth and creamy, as well as being versatile. Frida Kjellberg, Brand Manager for Arla Lactofree, comments: “Our ambition is to ensure that wherever there is a dairy option, there is a Lactofree alternative; so this launch is another step towards fulfilling our goal. We’ve seen a huge demand for a Lactofree natural yogurt from our consumers and we are delighted to add it to our range.” Find more details on http://www.arlafoods.co.uk/

Velvety, creamy and sooooo yum. I used it in your smoothies, salads, indian curries and what not. With the pack I was sent this blue coloured lunch bag, shaker, oregano, bay leaf and mustard seeds. The challenge was to prepare a savoury dish from the yogurt and what could be better then these kebabs.

Looking for yogurt recipes? See this- Roasted BeetrootYogurt Dip, Yogurt Soup (kadi), Strawberry Lassi.

Yogurt kebabs or dahi ke kababs are made with hung yogurt and is becoming a very popular Indian appetizer. So velvety, smooth and use of simple flavours is what make these kebabs very different from other Indian style kebabs. Hung curd is mixed with grated paneer, followed by green chillies, coriander leaves and some basic seasoning. Later this mixture is shaped into patties and then roasted on a pan till it gets golden colour.

Here is how to make Yogurt Kebabs. Dahi Ke kebab.

Ingredients:

1 cup hung yogurt (see notes)

1 cup grated paneer

2 tablespoon roasted gram flour (besan)

1 green chilli chopped

4 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon black pepper powder

½ teaspoon oregano (optional)

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

Method:

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl (expect oil). Keep in fridge for 30-45 minutes.

Place oil in a pan and let it get hot.

In the meantime, form patties. Take 2 tablespoons of mixture and form a ball.  Then flatten the ball into pattie shape and keep aside. Do the same with remaining mixture. I got around 10 patties.

On a low flame, fry the kebabs/patties till you get good golden colour. Turn and repeat the same on other side.

Serve hot.

Notes:

• Take around 3 cups of yogurt and put it muslin cloth. If you don’t have muslin cloth use handkerchief. Place the yogurt on the cloth and take all the edges of the cloth and tie it with a rubber band. Hang this cloth on your kitchen tap for 4 to 5 hours. All the liquid will be drained out and you will be left with very thick yogurt-that is called as hung yogurt.
• Some people like to add corn flour in the mixture for binding, but I skipped it.
• Feel free to add any other spice like red chilli powder, chaat massala or garam massala if you wish.

Arla Lactofree Natural Yogurt is available in ASDA from 27th June and will appear in other retailers in the coming months including Co-op from 6th July.  RRP £1.35

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Arla Foods  for sending the yogurt for review.

Honey and Cayenne Pepper Roasted Almonds

Honey and Cayenne Pepper Roasted Almonds. Highly addictive! Handful of almonds that are roasted on medium heat, later mixed with pepper and honey with hint of salt is a perfect nibble or a companion for any drink.

Recently folks from Ugly Drinks sent me a box of soft drinks. Say no to sugar and sweeteners this year and refresh your hydration habits with Ugly Sparkling Water, a brand new range of unsweet, naturally infused sparkling waters that are set to take the country by storm.  Ugly drink is made with sparkling water infused with natural fruit flavours; you'll find no sugar, no sweeteners, no calories and nothing artificial in these guilt free, beautifully different waters.

There are two flavours in the Ugly family, each offering a great, natural taste:

• Lemon & Lime – a great alternative to sugary sweet lemonades. Drink ice cold for maximum refreshment.
• Grapefruit & Pineapple – awesome tropical refreshment. Like a disco in a can.

I haven’t tasted grapefruit and pineapple yet but Lemon and Lime was amazing. Perfect balance of taste, flavour and fizz. I hate those sodas that are so called diet drinks but are actually loaded with sugar. This is an honest soft drink, a guilt free refreshing experience. Why to have extra sugar, when you are sweet already ;)

I paired it with these roasted almonds- which are also a healthy alternative from deep fried snacks. You can roast the almonds on pan (hob method), microwave it or even oven roast-the choice is yours. I used the pan method as I find it easy and quick. I have used cayenne pepper, but feel free to use red chilli powder instead. That's it no rules, just use your own flavours like chaat massala, garam massala or even simple salted ones.

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds

1 tablespoon honey

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon olive oil or butter

Method:

Line a baking tray or plate with foil. Grease the foil with oil. Keep aside.

Take a pan add oil or butter. When oil gets hot add almonds and reduce the flame/heat to medium low. Roast the almonds till you hear crackling sound and the skin or almonds turn dark in colour. Mine took 2 minutes.

Next, mix in, cayenne pepper, salt, honey and lemon juice. Mix quickly before honey caramelizes. Make sure that almonds are well coated with spices.

Spread the roasted almonds on greased foil and let it cool. Once cooled store it air tight container.

Notes:

Please make sure to use them within one week.

You can do same with any nuts like cashews or walnuts.

The full Ugly Sparkling Water range launches into Selfridges, Whole Foods Market and other leading independents next month. RRP £0.99, 330mls. Go grab yours. #glugugly

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Ugly Drinks for sending to review.

Low Fat Chilli Paneer : Indo Chinese Recipe

Chilli Paneer. Cubes of paneer coated in spicy indo-Chinese sauce. Indo Chinese is Indian style Chinese food.  This started as a popular street food in India and later on even restaurants started putting it on the menu-such is the taste and popularity of this dish. There are two ways it is made. Dry style, in which paneer chunks are only coated in the sauce.  Other way is with gravy wherein the sauce is kept liquid. Dry chilli paneer is mostly served as snack, starter or appetizer; whereas wet chilli paneer is served as side with fried rice or noodles. 

This is one dish that always pops in my mind when I am in hurry and guests are coming over for lunch or dinner. Because its easy and quick you don’t need much time to prepare it and because it is popular every guest will love it. So, ideal recipe involves frying paneer cubes and then mixing it in the sauce but I don’t like this method as it makes paneer very hard and rubbery. Here is my way to make Low Fat Chilli Paneer.

Ingredients:

225 grams paneer cut in cubes

1 capsicum/bell pepper, cut in cubes

1 onion large, cut in cubes

4-5 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped

2 green chillies, slitted

Black pepper powder, to taste

Salt, to taste

1 tablespoon soya sauce

½ tablespoon chilli sauce (red/green)

1 tablespoon corn flour

¼ tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar

1 teaspoon sugar

2 tablespoons sesame oil

1-2 tablespoons chopped green onions (green part only)

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water and add paneer cubes in it. This will make paneer soft. Drain water and keep aside.

Mix 4 tablespoons of water in corn flour and keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan or wok. When oil gets very hot add garlic and ginger. Saute for 30 seconds.

Add slit green chillies and chopped onion. Saute for 10 seconds.

Next throw in chopped capsicum. Sauté for 10 seconds.

Add salt, sugar, black pepper, soya sauce, chilli sauce, lemon juice and corn flour mixture. Cook it for 30 seconds.

Throw in paneer cubes. Mix well so that paneer cubes are coated well with spices and sauce. Keep it covered for 1 minute.

Check salt and heat level. Adjust if needed. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve.

Notes:

Never add too much salt, remember soya sauce and chilli sauce also contains salt.

Make sure that you don’t overcook capsicum and onion. They should be bit crunchy.

Chinese food is cooked on high heat, this gives good smokey flavour. Do not leave it unattended.

Corn Cheese Chilli Toastie

Cheesy post today.

Lots of cheese talks, chats and pics :)

Specialty cheese brand, Castello, has a new addition to the range...Tickler Mature! Tickler Extra Mature Cheddar has many loyal fans with its distinctive, tangy taste but this new Mature variant offers a smooth and creamy alternative for those looking for something slightly milder.

Tickler Mature is perfect for any occasion, either on the cheeseboard or to help add some depth and zing to your everyday meals.  To celebrate the launch they wanted me to create my very own perfect Ticklertastic Toastie. To do so, I was sent complete toastie kit- an argos make toaster, waitrose gift card, two cheese samples, sourdough crisp bread, cranberry jelly.

First cheese that I tried was Aged Havarti. Castello Aged Havarti is based on the authentic Danish recipe for Havarti dating back to 1952. Made from traditional cheese methods with the addition of a special culture, the Castello Aged Havarti is then matured for 12 months. During the long maturation the crumbly but creamy texture and a rich, buttery taste with tangy notes is created. As it ripens the cheese also starts to develop small crystals for a richer taste experience.

What makes great cheese even better? Yes Pairing or Smorging. Smorging means relaxed way of eating. It means you don’t need to save your favourite cheeses for a special occasion or a traditional cheeseboard. Dive into your fridge and store cupboards to pull together a creatively crafted smørgåsbord using whatever you have to hand to compliment your favourite cheeses; salamis and hams, a jar of roast red peppers, boiled eggs, olives, leftover slices of meat – whatever takes your fancy!  Here is what I did:

• Ritz crackers with red chilli pesto
• Sourdough bread with dried fig
• Sourdough bread with grated carrots and black pepper
• On Olive croutons

(Read more about smorging ideas and tips HERE)

The cheese that I had to use to make toastie was Tickler Mature Cheddar which is Mature Devonshire cheddar perfectly balanced with a smooth and creamy texture, a hint of sweetness and a lively finish.  The perfect accompaniment on a sharing board! Castello Tickler Mature Cheddar is available exclusively at Waitrose at £4.00.

I decided to make Corn Chilli Toatsie. Imagine dollops of cheese, hot green chilies and crunchy corn bits spread between bread slices –oh yes insanely delicious. Finally, grilled on a pan till crisp and golden on outside and oozing melting cheese from inside –perfect. This is a kind of toastie that is good for anytime as a snack or a complete meal.

Ingredients:

(Makes 2 toasties)

4 slices bread

1 cup sweet corn

1/4 cup grated cheese

1 green chilli chopped

Salt to taste

Black pepper to taste

Lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon

2 tablespoon chopped coriander leaves

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Method:

I used frozen corn so I just microwave it in water for 2 minutes. If using fresh, boil before use.

Heat oil in a pan and boiled corn. Also mix in cheese, chilli, salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Mix till cheese melts.

Add in coriander leaves and let mixture cool down a bit.

Take bread and apply butter on 2 bread slice. On the other two non-butter slice apply the 2 to 3 tablespoons corn mixture. Put the buttered slice on it and toast in the sandwich maker till golden brown.

Serve immediately.

Notes:

You can add boiled mashed potatoes also in stuffing.

Perfect as anytime snack, perfect for kids parties.

Disclaimer: I was not paid or told to write positive review. The post is based on my experience and is unbiased. Thanking Havas PR UK and Castello for sending cheese and toastie kit.