Crunchy Vegetable Croquettes

A croquette is a small bread crumbed fried food roll. Usually croquettes’ main ingredients varies from mashed

potatoes and/or ground meat (veal, beef, chicken, or turkey), shellfish, fish, cheese, vegetables and mixed with

soaked white bread, egg, onion, spices and herbs, milk, sauteed onions or mushrooms, boiled eggs. The croquette is

usually shaped into a cylinder, disk or oval shape and then deep-fried. The croquette has gained worldwide

popularity, both as a delicacy and as a fast food.

Below is the simplest vegetable croquettes recipe which can be prepared within 15 minutes and most of the

ingredients you can find in your home as well.

Ingredients:

1 Cup grated cheese

8 bread slices

1/2 cup spring onion (finely chopped)

1/2 cup carrots (finely chopped or grated)

1/4 cup green capsicum (finely chopped)

1 tbsp chopped coriander leaves

2 green chillies (finely chopped)

2 tbsp corn flour

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method:

Mix the grated cheese, chopped spring onions, carrots, coriander leaves and chillies thoroughly to make the filling

mixture and set it aside. Now dampen a slice of bread and put a portion of the filling mixture over it. Roll the bread

carefully and seal the edges using damp palms. You can decide which shape you want to give to your croquettes. It

can be cylindrical, oval, round or heart shaped. (Optional: You can also put a cheese slice over the dampen bread

and put a portion of the filling mixture and roll it into cylindrical shape to make it more cheesy and yummy).

Now repeat the same procedure with the remaining bread slices and set them aside. Now take a bowl and make a

thick batter by mixing the corn flour and salt with water. Heat the oil in a pan, dip the rolls in the batter and deep-fry

until they are golden yellow. Make sure you do not deep fry all the rolls at one go if you are using a small frying pan.

Now serve hot vegetable croquettes with tomato ketchup or a dip of your choice.

 

Technorati Tags: vegetable,croquettes,crunchy,crispy,cheesy,tikki,tea time,snacks,easy

Posted by Sirji at 4:49 AM 0 comments

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Friday, January 18, 2013

Vegetable Biryani

Everyone knows the origin of Biryani is from the kitchen of Mughal Emperors. Once considered royal food, biryani

has now come to every kitchen in our country however Hyderabad, Lucknow, Kolkata and Delhi are considered to be

the main centers of biryani and one can find many variants of biryani in here.

Vegetable biryani is prepared in two parts. First basmati rice is soaked in water for 30 minutes and then its half

cooked with whole garam masala. Second all vegetables are marinated and then cooked with half cooked rice.

Presenting here is vegetable biryani recipe so that everyone can try it and enjoy its great taste.

Ingredients to serve 4 persons

The Rice:

1 and half cup basmati rice

2 green cardamoms

2 black cardamoms

2 cloves

1 cinnamon stick of 1 inch

1 bay leaf

2 mace strands / Javitri

3 cups water

Salt

The Vegetable Preparation:

(all vegetables are diced in bigger pieces so that we can have their taste while eating)

1 cup cauliflower florets

1 carrot, chopped

1 large potato, cubed

1 cup chopped french beans

½ cup green peas

2 onion, finely sliced

1 green chili, slit

2 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

100 gms whisked curd

1 tsp caraway seeds/shahi jeera

2 green cardamom

2 black cardamoms

2 cloves

1 cinnamon of 1 inch

1 bay leaf

2 mace strands

½ tsp red chili powder

10-15 cashewnuts rosted

Few raisins

6-8 almonds, blanched, peeled and sliced

3 tbsp ghee

Salt

Herbs and Spices for the assembling:

½ cup chopped coriander/cilantro leaves

½ cup mint leaves

100 gms whisked curd

a few saffron strands

1 tbsp milk

1 tsp rose water

Preparation methods

Cooking the Rice:

Soak the rice in water for 30 minutes.

Cook soaked rice in boiling water with all spices mentioned above (for preparing rice) and 1 tsp oil till its

70% done. Remember rice shouldn’t be fully cooked but almost cooked.

Drain boiling water and keep 70% cooked rice separate bowl.

Preparing the Vegetable Gravy:

Heat ghee /oil in pan.

Roast sliced onion till brown in color and keep it aside

Heat ghee / oil in pan and add all whole garam masala: cardamoms, mace, cloves, cinnamon, bay

leaves and roast them.

Add ginger garlic paste to it along with green chilli paste and sauté.

Add all cut vegetables and stir for a minute.

Add whisked curd and salt to taste

Cook vegetable for few minutes but don’t cook them completely.

Final preparation for Biryani:

Warm the milk. Add saffron to it.

Now take a deep pan with a lid. Put half cooked vegetables at the bottom.

Pour remaining 100 gms of whisked curd to it.

Cover the vegetable with previously cooked rice (use half of the cooked rice to cover vegetable

Sprinkle roasted onions.

Sprinkle finely chopped coriander and mint leaves over rice and cover it with remaining cooked rice.

Add roasted cashew nuts, raisins and almonds.

Now pour saffron milk over the rice.

Add rose water over the rice as well.

Now cover the lid and cook the preparation over low heat for about 15-20 minutes

Serve hot with raita.

Technorati Tags: vegetable,biryani,vegetarian,mughlai,recipe

Posted by Sirji at 10:45 AM 0 comments

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Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Shahi Paneer

As the name Shahi, its taste is absolutely royal. Its taste and fragrance is so vibrant, you won’t be able to hide it in

your kitchen.

Ingredients (serving for 3 persons):

250 gms Cottage cheese (paneer)

2 medium Onions

1 tsp Ginger paste

1 tsp Garlic paste

Green chillies

1 Bay leaf

3-4 Cloves

1-2 stick Cinnamon

4-5 Black Peppercorns

1 tsp Garam Masala powder

1/2 cup Yogurt

1/2 cup Cream

Salt – to taste

Sugar (optional) – to taste

15-20 whole pieces Cashew nuts

2-3 tbsp Milk

2 Cardamoms

Preparation Steps:

Cut the paneer into desired size (1 inch by 1/2 inch) and boil it in water with salt (1/4 tsp) for 2 minutes if it

has been refrigerated otherwise boiling is not necessary.

Soak the cashew nuts in milk and keep aside for few minutes and grind them to make paste. (Soaking

cashew nuts will help them in softening and will be easy to grind them into paste)

Boil half cut onions in water for about 5 minutes, drain the water out and allow onions to cool and grind it to

make fine paste.

Heat oil in a pan and add bay leaves, cloves, cinnamon and black peppercorns. Sauté them till you feel their

fragrance.

Add green chillies paste along with onion paste and sauté it for few minutes on low flame to prevent onion

getting colored.

Add ginger and garlic paste and mix well.

Now add cashew paste and sauté it for another 2 minutes

Add yogurt and cook the mixture till all water of yogurt gets absorbed.

Now slowly add cream while you are stirring the mixture.

Add salt to taste and ½ tsp sugar (optional) and add garam masala and sauté

Add paneer cubes and mix it well and let the mixture simmer for 2 minutes. While it is simmering stir it gently

time to time.

Remove the pan from heat and sprinkle cardamom’s powder and serve hot with roti, naan, paratha or rice.

Technorati Tags: shahi,paneer,mughlai,roti,naan,paratha,rice,cottage,cheese

Posted by Sirji at 12:11 PM 0 comments

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Monday, January 14, 2013

Vegetable Korma / Navratan Korma

Navratan Korma is a Mughlai recipe and often ate with naan, parantha, roti and rice. "Navratan" means nine gems

and hence the preparation of Navratan Korma must include nine vegetables or likes and it is common for the recipe

to include nine different vegetables. As this preparation is a good blend of different vegetables, it becomes very

healthy and nutritious.

Ingredients (serving for 3 persons):

3 Onions (medium size/chopped)

1/2tsp Ginger paste

1/2tsp Garlic paste

3 Tomatoes (puree)

1 cup Mixed vegetables (carrot, cabbage, green peas, capsicum, cauliflower, pineapple, french beans and

potato)

1 cup Cashew nut (paste)

1 tsp Red chili powder

2 tsp Coriander powder

1/4 tsp Turmeric powder

2 Green chilies

Salt as per taste

100 gm Paneer (pieces/fried)

1 cup Milk

1/2 tbsp Oil or 1/2 tbsp Ghee / Butter

Coriander leaves (for garnishing)

Preparation Steps:

Boil and cook mix vegetables except pineapple and capsicum in water for 5 minutes

Heat oil / butter in a pan

Add chopped onions till it turns soft and transparent

Add ginger-garlic paste and green chilies and stir the mixture for few minutes

Add tomato puree and mix it well with onions

Now add coriander powder, red chili powder, turmeric powder and salt

Stir all spices till it cooks

Now add boiled and cubed vegetables, chopped capsicum and cubed pineapple and give it a stir

Add a cup of milk and cashew paste and give it a boil

Add cubed paneer and allow the mixture to cook for few minutes

Remove korma from flame and garnish it with coriander leaves

Serve Navratan Korma with either of naan, parantha, roti and rice.