When button mushrooms got glazed..

Lately, whenever I get a chance to cook, I have been quick fixing everything, from appetizers to desserts. It’s not that I have lost my passion for cooking, it’s just I have moved to a different state and in the process of settling down. It’s hard to move out of a place where you have good friends and family always around, but what I feel is, this separation helps our relationship with them grow even more healthier and stronger. No matter where you are true friendship lasts forever.

Apart from getting yet another chance to meet new people and to explore new places, the part I love the most is that I could explore new restaurants and new kinds of food. New place didn’t disappoint me in this matter, it is incredibly packed with many restaurants which I have never dined before. Hoping for more fun and food, I hereby start a new life in this new place..

Glazed Stir Fried Mushrooms

Ingredients:

• Button Mushrooms- 1 pack
• Minced garlic- 1tsp
• Red pepper flakes- 1/2 tsp
• Fresh Rosemary sprigs- 1
• Thyme sprig- 1
• Pepper powder-1/2 tsp
• Salt- to taste
• Balsamic Vinegar- 1 tbsp
• Butter or olive oil- 1-2 tsp

Preparation:

• In  a wide skillet, add  olive oil, add garlic and saute.
• When the garlic starts to turn golden, add red pepper flakes, give it a stir and add mushrooms to this.
• Add fresh herbs to this, rosemary and thyme, along with salt and pepper powder.
• In medium high heat, stir fry the mushrooms until it turns brown.
• Finally, glaze the mushrooms with 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar.
• Stir fry in the vinegar for a second and remove from the stove.
• Serve hot as a side dish or spread the glazed mushrooms over baked chicken or steak.

Cheesy, Crispy, Crunchy Samosas…..

If someone asks me what was my favorite snack while growing up, I would say instantly without any further pondering: Samosas. Yes, this was and is my favorite snack, especially to munch on in the evenings along with a cup of hot tea. This crispy, crumbly triangle shaped stuffed pastry with either veggie or non-veg filling gained a special place in my heart. My mom used to make this most of the days, especially on weekdays so that my sis and me could have this after coming from school. On those days, coming back from school, first thing I did was to rush into the kitchen and eat the samosas, it was hard for me to stop with just 2 or 3. I ate as if I were on a samosa eating competition. If I had participated in a real competition, I would have won for sure. Most of the times I fought with my sis over the last one. Many times I won the fight, but my conscious wouldn’t let me have it all by myself, so had to share with my sis, and this made the last samosa taste the best.

This snack is often considered as the street-smart snack in India, sold by street vendors. Not just sold on streets, there wouldn’t be any cafeteria without samosas on their menu, mostly placed on a huge tray piled up with this crispy treats. As soon as we enter the cafeteria, our eyes would start starring at this and the order will be placed in no time.  Now this doesn’t limit on just streets or cafeteria, this can be found on the menu of any fine dining restaurants as well. Without a question, samosas have become the favorite snack of all.

I usually make samosas with non-veg filling, here is the recipe for non-veg filling: http://thasneen.com/cooking/stuffed-poori/

But this time I wanted to make the filling in a totally different way. Hence I made a cheesy filling for my samosas. Here are the step-by-step instructions for making the pastry and the filling.

For making the Filling:

• Onion chopped-1
• Green pepper, chopped-1/2
• Canned corn, rinsed-1/2 of the can
• Jalapeno chopped-1
• Garlic mined- 1tsp
• Ground cumin-1tsp
• Ground coriander-1tsp
• Ground black pepper-1/2 tsp
• Cheddar cheese shredded-1/2 cup
• Cilantro chopped-1 handful
• Salt- to taste
• Oil- 2 tbsp
• Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation:

• In a large skillet, heat 2 tbsp oil over medium heat.
• Add onion, salt and saute till translucent.
• Add garlic and jalapeno to this and saute for few minutes.
• Add green pepper and corn to this and let it cook.
• Now add, ground cumin, ground coriander, ground pepper and give it a stir.
• Add cilantro to this.
• Finally add the cheddar cheese and mix everything well.
• Turn off the flame and close it with the lid until we make the dough.

To make the Dough:

• All-purpose flour or Maida- 1.5 cups
• Salt- 1/4 tsp
• Water- enough for kneading the flour

Method:

• In a large bowl, combine flour and salt.
• Add water little by little and knead the flour, add only just enough water to make a soft dough.
• Add oil to this, combine well, wrap it and set aside for 20 minutes.

• After 20 minutes, make small lemon size balls out of the dough.

• On a floured surface, roll each balls into a thin circle using rolling pins.

• On a flat skillet or tawa, heat the rolled dough on both sides, just for a second.
• Don’t over heat the rolled dough, edges should be still soft.

• Cut the heated rounds into 2 halves.

Making the Glue:

1. All-purpose flour- 1tbsp
2. Water- little
3. Mix flour and water together and make it into a smooth paste. It shouldn’t be watery.

• Working with 1 piece at a time, apply the above glue on half of the cut edge.
• Form cone shape by overlapping the cut edges.

• Fill the cone with 1 tbsp of veggie-cheese mixture.

• Apply glue on top inside edges of pastry; press to seal. Trim jagged edges. Crimp with fork if needed.

• In a wok or deep saucepan, heat oil to 350°F.

• Fry samosas, in batches, until golden, about 4 minutes. Remove to paper towel–lined tray.
• Serve Warm with tomato ketchup or with the quick salad; http://thasneen.com/cooking/quick-salad-for-any-meat-appetizer/

Tips:

• For a healthy version, use fat free cheddar cheese and bake these, @ 350F for 20-25 minutes

Most of the meat appetizers are served along with a dipping sauce or some kind of sides. Most of the time, tomato ketchup acts as the dipping sauce. I love to have my meat cutlets and other meat appetizers with tomato ketchup. At times I make an easy salad as the side dish.

Quick Salad:

Ingredients:

• Red onion minced-1
• Tomato minced- 2
• Green chillies minced-1tsp
• Cilantro chopped-1 handful
• White vinegar or lemon juice – 1 1/2 tsp
• Salt-2 pinches

Preparation:

• Mix all the above mentioned ingredients in a small bowl.
• Serve this salad with any kind of meat appetizer.

Tips:

• You could also substitute lemon juice for vinegar.

Being a hard-core non-veg, my freezer is always stacked with meat and other meat products. Surprisingly, today I found my refrigerator to be empty; there was neither any meat nor any veggies. And I really wanted to make something fried. Finally, my eyes caught on a can of chickpeas sitting at the corner on the counter top. First thing that flashed through my mind is Falafel, a very popular Middle Eastern appetizer. I always order Falafel whenever I go to Middle Eastern restaurant. Since I was looking for fried snack, Falafel was the right one to make. The best thing about making Falafel is that, it only calls for easily available ingredients and it could be made in no time.

Ingredients:

• Chick peas( cooked)- 15 ounce can
• Onion finely chopped-1
• Garlic minced-1 tsp
• Parsley chopped- 3tsp
• Cumin powder-1tsp
• Coriander powder-1tsp
• Pepper powder-1tsp
• All purpose flour-3tbsp
• salt- as required
• Oil- for frying

Preparation:

• Pat dry the canned chick peas. If you don’t have canned chick peas, boil dried chick peas with water in  pressure-cooker until it is well cooked.
• Combine the chick peas with all the other ingredients.
• Mash the chick peas with a wooden fork or you could even combine in a food processor and make into a coarse thick paste.
• Make the mixture into small round balls and flatten it in between the palm of your hands.
• Deep fry it in oil, until golden brown.
• Serve hot with Hummus or Tahini sauce. If you don’t have any of these, serve with Tomato ketchup.