Plantain Cutlet

One of our friends had given some plantains which he got from his place. I had plenty of them and so wanted to try something other than the fry. Cutlet was a nice idea... I tried the recipe with a meal maker twist.

Ingredients:
1. Plantain - 2
2. Meal maker - 1 cup (Alternately you can replace boiled & mashed potatoes)
3. Onion - 1 finely chopped
4. Green chilies - 2 finely chopped
5. Corn flour - 2 tbsp
6. Cumin powder - 1 tsp
7. Lemon - 1
7. Salt as per taste
8. Chili powder - 1/4 tsp
9. Oil as required
10. Bread crumbs - 1/2 cup

Method:

Step 1: Steam cook the plantains, peel and mash them.
Step 2: Soak the meal makers in salted boiling water for 5 min, squeeze out water and grind in a mixer.
Step 3: Mix mashed plantains, ground meal makers, chopped onion & chilies, salt, cumin powder, chili powder and squeeze juice of a lemon and mix well.
Step 4: Divide into medium sized portions and pat into desired shapes (I used cookie cutter). Ready all the portions similarly.
Step 5: Heat tawa, grease oil, take a cutlet toss on the both sides to smear bread crumbs and place delicately onto the hot tawa. You can make around 6 in single go.
Step 6: When one side is browned, with a flat spatula, flip cutlets to the other side and drizzle a few drops of oil. Slightly press on the top of each cutlet to make them touch the surface of the tawa in order to brown evenly.
Step 7: When done, draw them to the plate and relish with sauce of your choice and onion salad if preferred.

Sweet Atta Paddu

I really don’t know what to call this. I wanted to do a savory and sweet for aayutha pooja and punjabi puda inspired from dassana was the sweet I tried; but it totally took a different form later during my trial; hence I named it paddu.

Original recipe Source: vegrecipesofindia.com

Ingredients:

1.       Wheat flour -1 cup

2.       Semolina – 2 tbsp

3.       Salt – 1 pinch

4.       Jaggery/ Sugar – ½ cup

5.       Fennel seeds – 1 tbsp

6.       Raisins – 2 tbsp

7.       Ghee – 1 tbsp

8.       Oil to fry

Method:

Step 1: Mix all ingredients from 1-7 in a bowl using water to a pakora batter consistency.

Step 2: Heat oil in the pan and spoon batter into it, few at a time.

Step 3: Alternatively you can prepare them in a kuzhiyappakal shown in the picture if you have one or use tawa to prepare them like pancakes.

Idli Batter Bonda

My granny used to prepare this instant snack when we come back from school. I don't know if she learnt this recipe from someone, but there seems a widely practiced recipe called 'punugulu' in Andhra which is the same as what my granny used to make. These are tasty, crispy and quick snacks for rainy days and unexpected guests.

Ingredients:

1.       Idli batter – 1 cup

2.       Onion – 1 cup finely chopped

3.       Green chilies – 2 finely chopped

4.       Asafoetida – 1 pinch

5.       Baking soda – 1 pinch

6.       Salt as required

7.       Oil for deep frying

Method:

Step 1: Take idli batter in a bowl and mix with it all the ingredients except oil.

Step 2: Heat oil in a deep kadai.

Step 3: Now, either with spoon or with your hand pour around 6-8 small portions of  

           batter in hot oil and fry them on both sides until golden brown.

Step 4: Drain oil and take out the bondas and repeat until entire batter is over.

Step 5: Serve hot with green chutney or coconut chutney.