Ingredients

• 1 cup noodles
• 1/4 cup sprouted green moong bean
• 1/2 cup roasted and crushed peanuts
• 4-5 spring onions chopped
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 2 tbsp schezwan sauce
• 2 tbsp soya sauce
• 2 tbsp tomato ketchup
• Salt to taste
• Oil to deep fry

Instructions

•  Add noodles to a pan of boiling water and boil them for about 3-4 minutes and then rinse them in cold water.
• Spread on a big plate to cool.
• Now heat sufficient oil in a pan and fry noodles till they are crisp.
• When cool lightly crush the fried noodles and set aside.

• To make bhel add crush crispy noodles, spring onions, sprouted moong and peanuts in a bowl and toss to mix well.
• In small bowl, combine ketchup, schezwan sauce, soya sauce, vinegar and mix then well.



Schezwan sauce + soya sauce + vinegar

• Add sauce to bhel, enough to mix and coat but don’t make it too soggy.
• Sprinkle salt on top and serve.
• This was simple one, to make it a bit creative you can add grated carrot, pomegranates, capsicum, etc.

Chinese bhel

There are many benefits of onions. Onion has been used as an element in various dishes for thousands of years by many cultures around the globe. There are many different varieties of onion, red, yellow, white, and green, each with their own unique flavor, from very strong to slightly sweet. Onions can be eaten raw, cooked, fried, dried or roasted.

Onions are high-quality source of fiber and a wealthy source of healthy sulfur compounds. It reduces blood pressure and blood cholesterol levels. It also contains vitamin C and chromium. Chromium is a mineral that helps cells act in response to insulin, ultimately assisting with blood glucose control.

Onion may be a useful herb for the prevention of cardiovascular disease, mainly since they reduce the danger of blood clots. Onion also protects against stomach and other cancers, as well as protecting against certain infections. Onion can improve lung function, particularly in asthmatics.

Avoid onions that have sprout or that have an odor, or that have green or decaying blemishes. If you're prone to crying while cutting onions, try refrigerating them first, then peeling them under running water.

Enough gyan session on onions…… Now something about my recipe Onion rings they are sliced onions covered with a batter and fried. Some recipes use egg or beer batter and things like that but I just like flour and crunchy coat of breadcrumbs. These onion rings are very easy to make and you will enjoy making them.

Ingredients:

• 3 large onions (cut into rings of 1/4 inch slices)
• 2 cup gram flour (chick pea flour or besan)
• 1 teaspoon rice flour
• Pinch of asafetida (hing)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder to taste
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala powder
• 3/4^th  cup dry bread crumbs
• Salt to taste
• Water for batter
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• Separate the onion slices into rings, and set aside.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium flame.
• In a bowl add all the ingredients like gram flour, rice flour, asafetida, turmeric powder, ajwain, red chili powder, chaat masala, salt and mix it up.
• Now put in water to make a smooth batter which should be consistent neither too thick nor too loose.
• Check whether oil is hot or not and to check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in it. The batter should come up but not change color right away.
• Place the bread crumbs out on a plate or shallow bowl.
• Immerse the onion rings in the batter one at a time and place rings one at a time into the crumbs, and coat the crumbs over the ring and slowly drop into the frying pan.
• Deep-fry the rings until both sides are golden-brown.
• The crunchy, appetizing onion rings are ready to serve.
• You can have them with green chutney, tomato ketchup or garma garam chai (hot tea).

Ingredients:

• 5 to 6 slices of brown or white bread
• 2 cup gram flour (chick pea flour or besan)
• Pinch of asafetida (hing)
• 1/4 tsp turmeric powder (haldi)
• 1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajwain)
• 1/2 tsp red chili powder to taste
• 1/4 tsp chaat Masala powder
• Salt to taste
• Water for batter
• Oil for frying

Instructions:

• Do away with the crust from all sides of the bread.
• Slice the bread into any shape you want square, rectangular, triangle or circle.
• I have cut bread triangular in shape.
• In a bowl add all the ingredients like gram flour, asafetida, turmeric powder, ajwain, red chili powder, chat masala and mix it up.
• Now put in water to make a smooth batter which should be consistent neither too thick nor too loose.
• Heat the oil in a frying pan on medium flame.
• Check whether oil is hot or not and to check if the oil is ready, put one drop of batter in it. The batter should come up but not change color right away.
• Immerse the bread slices in the batter one at a time and slowly drop into the frying pan.
• Deep-fry the pakoras until both sides are golden-brown.
• The crunchy, appetizing pakoras are ready to serve.
• You can have them with green chutney, tomato ketchup or garma garam chai (hot tea).

Kids love this treat. So simple to make, they can do it themselves. You must be wondering why such name actually the mixture resembles a spider. Trust me if u try this they won’t last long at a birthday party or occasions! My mom is not very fond of chocolates so she never cooks anything related with chocolates L so my sisters insisted me to do the honors: D (poor me arghhhh!!!) but how could I say no to chocolate :D so I thought what’s wrong in trying.  All thanks to new “food-food” channel I saw this recipe and thought of trying the same.

Spidery Chocolates Recipe

Ingredients:

1 packet Fried Noodles (100g)
2 Tbsp Butter 200g 
Cooking Chocolate (white or dark)

Instructions:

1.      Chop the chocolate and place into a heatproof bowl over simmering water.

2.      Cook stirring occasionally until melted and smooth.

3.      Remove from heat and stir in the noodles so they are evenly distributed.

4.      Mix it up, give some of the noodles a smash.

5.      Make sure all noodles are covered in your butter chocolatey goodness.

6.      Spoon the mixture onto grease-proof paper, or into individual paper patty pans.

7.      Using heaped teaspoons, this mixture will yield 30 to 40 spiders.

8.      Place in refrigerator until set.

Final Verdict:

The spiders can be kept in a sealed container in refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
They can be kept in freezer for even longer time though they have never lasted that long at my house!

The history of Baby Corn

Baby corn is available in white and yellow varieties and is usually three to four inches in length. Eaten whole, baby corn is mature corn, simply picked at an earlier stage of growth, and has a much milder flavor than full-grown corn. 

Recently I have been to a restaurant, and we ordered a new kind of starter (at least for me). I have heard about Veg. Manchurian and Gobi Manchurian. But I have hardly heard about Baby Corn Manchurian. It was an interesting dish to try out. And here I have tried to reproduce that yummy dish. 

Recipe for Baby Corn Manchurian

Preparation Time: 30-35 minutes
Cooking Time: 25 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For Manchurian:

15-16 baby corn, each cut diagonally into two
Water for boiling purpose
Salt to taste

For sauce:

1/4 cup spring onions, finely chopped,
1 capsicum, finely sliced
1/2 tbsp finely minced garlic
1/2 tsp finely minced ginger
1 or 2 finely chopped green chillis (This can be increased if you like spicy dish)
1/2 tsp red chilli pwd (preferably Kashmiri which is less spicy)
1 tsp soya sauce
1/2 tsp sugar (optional)
salt as required
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves

Instructions:

1. Boil water, add some salt and put babycorn in it and cook for 2 minutes.
2. Heat oil in a large pan and once the oil is hot, add the chopped garlic and stir fry for a few seconds. Add the green chillies and ginger and stir fry on high for a few seconds.
3. Add the whites of spring onions and stir fry on high for 3-4 minutes, constantly tossing them. Add the sliced capsicum and stir fry for another 3 minutes. They should retain their crunch.
4. Reduce to medium heat and add the sugar and soya sauce. Combine well and cook for 2 minutes. Add 3 tbsps of water and cook for 2 minutes.
5. Add semi cooked baby corn and combine. Toss on high flame for 1-2 minutes. Turn off heat. Garnish with the chopped spring onion greens and coriander leaves.

Final Verdict:

Baby Corn Manchurian turned out much better than my expectation. It was crisp, crunchy, saucy, spicy and delicious...Mama mia... Me and my family thoroughly enjoyed eating this new experiment of mine J

The history of Panipuri

Panipuri originated from the Uttar Pradesh region of India. It is a popular, tasty and appetizing snack in the Indian subcontinent.

Its popular names and the area where it is known by this name are:

• Gol gappa - Punjab, Haryana, Jharkhand, Bihar
• Pani Ke Bataashe - Uttar pradesh
• Panipuri - Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Maharashtra
•  Phuchka - West Bengal
• Gup chup - Orrisa

Pani Puri, has never been one of my favorite snack but since everyone in my family are fond of it I had to have it forcefully :D. I remember me and my mom having pani poori from the pani puri wallah on the streets of Mumbai many a times. As a kid, I used to think how come the puri puffs so much and use to wonder what the magic is.

It’s easier to get a packet of readymade puris from market. But nevertheless you can try making it home if you are cautious of oil and ingredients used to make the puris.
I had actually pani puri typical mumbai. You can try using boiled sprouted moong and chana instead of ragda. 

Recipe for Panipuri

Preparation Time: 30-35 minutes
Cooking Time: 10-15 minutes
Servings: 4

Ingredients

For making Gol Gappe (poori)

1. Sooji (Semolina ) 1/2 cup 
2. Maida (Plain Refined Flour) 1/2 tbsp
3. Cooking Soda 1/2 teaspoon 
4. Salt to taste 
5. Oil for Frying

For Spicy Pani or Spicy Water

1. Chopped Mint Leaves 1 1/2 cups
2. Chopped Coriander Leaves 1 tbsp
3. Tamarind 1/3 cup
4. Ginger 1" 
5. Green Chillies 4 to 5 
6. Ground Cumin Seed (roasted) 1 tsp
7. Kala Namak (Black Salt ) 1 1/2 tsp
8. Salt to taste 

For Filling 

1. Boiled Potato, finely chopped /mashed and mixed with salt and red chilli.

For Red Tamarind Chutney

1. Tamarind 1 cup
2. Jaggery 1/2 cup 
3. Sugar 2 tbsp
4. Red chilli powder 1/2 tsp 
5. Kali Micrch (Black pepper) powder 1/4 tsp
6. Dry Roasted cumin powder 1 tsp 
7. Cloves 2
8. Warm water 2 cups 
9. Vegetable oil 1 tsp
10. Salt to taste 

Instructions:

For Gol Gappe or Gol Gappa : 

• Mix semolina, plain flour, Cooking Soda salt , 2 tablespoons of oil and knead well to make dough, leave it bit stiffer than normal.
• Cover it with a wet towel and let it stand for 20 minutes.
• Now make very small balls and roll them into small circles.
• Remember not to make the circles bigger as they have to be eaten whole.
• Remember to put the circles under a damp cloth as soon as you roll them.
• Heat oil in a thick bottomed pan and then fry them.
• The idea is to puff them like a sphere and fry them till golden brown.
• Take them out and put them on kitchen paper towel, to get rid of the extra oil.
• Let them completely cool down before you put them into an airtight container. 

For making spicy water or Pani:

• Soak the tamarind pulp in one cup of warm water for one hour.
• Strain the tamarind residue out to get thick tamarind water. While straining in the strainer mash the tamarind with the help of a spoon.
• Put mint leaves, chopped coriander, ginger, chillies and dry roasted cumin seed. 
• Add a little water and mix to a smooth consistency using a blender. 
• Put this thick paste into the jug and fill the jug with water. (Add the water slowly and taste the mixture and if you want to dilute more then add water.)
• Add salt and black rock salt to taste. ( Black Salt or Kala Namak as it is an important ingredient in this )
• Put it in the fridge to cool down. 

To make Red Tamarind Chutney:

• Remove the seeds from tamarind and soak it in warm water for one hour.
• Meanwhile dry roast the cumin seeds and the cloves.
• Pound them into coarse powder.
• Now take the Tamarind pulp mixture , strain it and add jaggery, sugar, red chilli powder, black pepper powder, roasted cumin powder, cloves and salt. 
• Put the mixture in a pan and heat for 5 minutes on medium heat.
• Remove from heat and let it cool down.
• Note that on cooling down it will thicken up a bit, consistency like thick cream is ok. Otherwise you may want to add some warm water.

Now how to eat it??? Do I have to tell you that ;)

Yes J if you haven't tried it before then it is quite an experience.

The idea is to fill the Puri or Gol Gappa with spicy water and put it into the mouth. That is why I said do not roll the circle too big.

Poke a small hole in the center of the Gole Gappa ( or Puri). 

Add some mashed boiled potato small quantity of mashed fried potatoes as filling. Add a little Red Tamarind Chutney. Dip it in the spicy water ( or pour some spicy water in it)

Gulp it down :-)))

I love eating, complete foodie. If you are here for a serious recipe sorry guys hard luck :D. One thing i can assure you is that you may get a glimpse of me and my experiments..... Sometimes you may feel what i have mentioned here is common and you might have even tried it before, but be sober i am not a professional cook trying cooking for the very first time :D

Enjoy and lets see how regular i am here (to be honest how long i try my hands on cooking...)