Corn pakoras

"Facebook." Extending people's capacity to search, locate, build and maintain relationships! I have been very fortunate in getting and staying connected with friends who are an integral part of my cherished memories.
Again, I am one those fortunate ones where I was offered on silver platter the opportunity to make best use of my time, doing things that I am passionate about - thus was germinated the seed of writing a blog!
 I got a very overwhelming response from friends and family alike, motivational comments on Facebook and other social networking areas. Special mention of a dear friend Vandana Parthasarthy who wrote to me in a private message that I could  try one of her tried and tested recipe! My happiness knew no bounds. It took me a little longer than intended  to share this very delicious savory snack. The reason was I could not post the recipe without the accompanying pictures - to make it all the more visually appealing too, being an amateur photographer that delayed the process. Now I am absolutely ready to share this with all you. The recipe went through quality testing by none other than "His Highness" my better half. I passed the test with flying colors on a perfect score.
A very simple recipe with few ingredients, not at all time consuming but turns out scrumptious to the taste buds!
A very big Thank You Vandana! Hoping I have been able to do justice to your recipe!

Ingredients:

1. Gram flour/Besan - 6 tablespoon
2. Sweet corn kernels: 250 grams (crushed coarsely)
3. Green chilli paste:  2teaspoon + Red chilli powder 1/2 teaspoon
4. Onion: 1small (finely chopped)
5. Cumin powder: 1teaspoon
6. Carom seeds: 1/2 teaspoon
7. A pinch or two of hing.
8. Salt to taste
9. Chaat masala: 1teaspoon.+ a little additional to sprinkle over the pakoras.
10. Half a bunch of finely chopped cilantro.
11. Oil for deep frying.

Process: 
 Mix the above ingredients to form a batter. In hot oil drop small portions of the corn mixture and deep fry the pakoras until golden brown. Remove and place on paper towel to remove the excess oil.
The right accompaniment to serve the pakaros is the green mint, cilantro chutney. Tomato ketchup is the next best alternative but piping hot tea is a MUST! :)

Tips:

1.  No water is needed to form a batter if you are using canned sweet corn kernels.
2. Canned sweet corn kernels will not require any water while grinding. 
3. Sprinkle a little chaat masala over the fried pakoras, that will all the more enhance the taste. 
4. Add the chopped onions and salt only when you are ready to fry the pakoras, as onion and salt will release additional water and you may encounter problems during frying.
5. Adding one and a half teaspoon of grated ginger instead of hing is an option.
6. Recommended use of spices as per measurement will ensure great results - just the way I got it!

Recommendation from the recipe owner herself:

"The same method can be used for vegetable pakodas, if u have not tried that......The ingredients can be chopped capsicum, chopped onions, chopped potato, chopped beetroot, chopped beans, corn, chopped green dhaniya, pudina, jeera, ajwain, hing, chopped green chillies, red chilly powder, salt, besan, oil. U could also add little saunf to give a different flavour."

Chickpeas Delight

First an apology because there has been  quite a  gap since my last post on recipes. Now  I am back on home turf and as promised I will share with you some recipes that I have been making and being complimented for the taste and looks of the  recipes..  Chickpeas Delight is indeed a delight to make and with a promise that you will not have to sweat out in the kitchen.,
 Chickpeas Delight is a page from my food dairy, recipes that I have collected over the years, This one in particular, I learnt from a very dear friend, my association with her dates back to my early years of marriage!
The beauty of this dish is, it is hassle free, can be prepared in advance, dry ingredients like cumin and coriander seeds along with whole red chillies can be replaced with chaat masala if you have, though I highly  recommend following the recipe to get the real taste!
Here's what you would need:
Chickpeas: 250gms
Lightly roasted cumin seeds: 2 tablespoon.
Lightly roasted coriander seeds: 1teaspoon.
Lightly roasted whole red chilli: 2-3(depending on your spice level.)
Very finely chopped onions: 2tablespoons
Amchur powder/ lime juice: 1/2 teaspoon or juice of half a lime.
Grated ginger: 1/2" inch ( optional)
Very finely chopped green chillies 2-3
Finely chopped cilantro.
Salt to taste.
Oil: 2-3 tablespoon.
 To start: 
1: Soak the chickpeas overnight in sufficient lukewarm water. The following morning drain the water and pressure cook with fresh water with a  about half a teaspoon of salt and cook until 3/4th done, ensuring the chickpeas retain their shape yet are soft enough.
2:In a grinder,ground the roasted spices cumin and coriander seeds along with whole red chillies to a medium fine powder.
3: In a wide pan heat the oil, to this add the finely chopped onions along with a half of the chopped green chillies, retain the other half for garnishing. Fry until light brown. At this point add the chickpeas and fry. Simultaneously add the roasted and ground spices. Also add salt and amchur powder or lime juice. Blend well and keep frying until all the spices coat the chickpeas. Fry on medium to low heat till the chickpeas are well coated and browned with spices.
4: Before serving garnish with chopped green chillies, grated ginger and chopped cilantro!
This can be served as appetizer. Topping it with tamrind chutney and also adding lightly crushed chaat papdi would enhance the flavor all the more.
*Using the pressure cooker would reduce the cooking time. Alternatively you can boil the chickpeas if a pressure cooker is not available.
*Tip for roasting the spices - Heat the pan on medium heat and first dry roast the coriander seeds as coriander seeds would need more time to reach  the stage of  getting well browned, then roast the cumin seeds and whole chillies together as these two spices take less time to roast.
Acknowledgement: Thank you Iram for introducing me to this simple yet delectable recipe and also  letting me have the opportunity to share it on this blog!



Picture courtesy of:: foodess.com