Small Party Themes

VEGGIE MOCKTAIL

2006-11-17T05:10:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
2 tbsp. mint leaves
1 cup carrot smooth pulp, strain
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup tomato puree
1/2 tsp. lemon juice
1/2 tsp. salt
2 pinches black pepper powder
600 ml. ice cold water

Method
Mix carrot pulp and tomato puree Chill the mixture.
Put 100ml. water with sugar to heat on slow till dissolved.
Just before serving : Blend mint leaves and sugar syrup in a blender.
Add carrot-tomato mixture, salt, pepper and cold water.
Run till frothy. Pour into tall glasses, serve immediately.

PEAS VADA

2006-11-17T05:00:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

500g green peas
4 tbsp gram flour
4 green chilies, chopped
2 tbsp chopped coriander leaves
1/3 tsp red chili powder
1/3 tsp black pepper powder
a pinch of sodium bicarbonate
oil for frying

Method

Boil the peas with 1/2 cup of salted water in a vessel until tender. Cool and mash it.
Mix the gram flour, green chilies, coriander leaves, salt, red chili and black pepper powders, sodium bicarbonate and knead to a smooth mixture.
Heat sufficient oil for frying, wet the palm of your hand with little water so that the mixture does not stick, take a little mixture and form flat balls out of it.
Make a small hole in the center of the ball by piercing with your finger.
Gently drop them one by one into the oil and fry until they are golden brown on both sides.
Serve hot with peanut or mint chutney

CAULIFLOWER CHEESE DELITE

2006-11-17T04:48:00.000-08:00

Ingredients
1 - medium cauliflower, cleaned into small florets
5 - cheese slices
5 slices - fresh breadoil to deep frysome
cornflour for dusting
Mix to form a Marinate:
3 to 4 - garlic flakes crushed
1” piece - ginger grated
3 to 4 - green chillies
1 tsp - mustard paste
1 tsp - tomato sauce
1/2 tsp - soya sauce
1/2 tsp - white vinegar
1/2 tsp - grated lemon rind (optional)
1 tsp - finely chopped mint leaves
1 tbsp - finely chopped coriander leaves
1 tbsp - cornflour
1 tbsp - water
1 tbsp - olive oil
salt to taste

Method:

Mix marinate ingredients thoroughly.
Use an egg beater if required.
Wipe cauliflower with absorbent cloth.
Pour marinate over cauliflower, toss to coat evenly.
Moisten one slice of bread a little by placing between layers of wet cloth.
Press gently to flatten a bit.
Place a slice of cheese on the bread.
Place a few florets in centre of slice.
Now either roll like an oblong or pull up to make a pouch.
Make sure the cheese and filling are well enclosed in the bread.
Press into shape, roll in cornflour, keep aside.
Refrigerate for 15-20 minutes, or till required.
Put oil to heat in a deep frying pan.
Fry a few pieces at a time, gently flipping to brown all over.
Drain when crisp and golden.
Serve hot and crisp, with chutney or sauce.
Cut into halves before serving if desired.

APPLE PUDDING

2006-11-17T04:42:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

4 firm apples, peeled, cored and diced
1 cup plain flour
1/2 cup milk powder or 1/2 tin condensed milk
1/4 cup sugar (if using milk powder)
1/2 cup walnut chopped roughly
1/2 tsp. vanilla essence
1 tsp. baking powder
2-3 pinches cinnamon powder
3 pinches salt
1 tsp. lemon rind grated
1 cup chilled cream
2 tbsp. sugar ground

Method

Sieve together flour, salt, baking powder, cinnamon powder,
In another bowl, make paste (with water) of milk powder, or pour condensed milk.
Beat till light and fluffy. If using powder, add sugar while beating.
Stir in rind, essence, followed by dry ingredients mixture.
Fold in apples and walnuts.
Turn into a 9" greased cake mould, bake in preheated oven at 180C for 30 minutes.
A skewer inserted should come out clean, if done.
Whip cream in chilled bowl till stiff.
Gently fold in sugar.
Serve warm or hot with chilled whipped cream.

PINEAPPLE CRUMBLE - PIE

2006-10-31T04:19:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

3 to 4 slices - canned pineapples
1 tbsp - brown sugar
2 cups - plain flour
75 gms - butter (cold)
pinch of salt
2 to 3 pinches - cardamom powder
2 to 3 pinches - nutmeg powder
2 to 3 pinches - cinnamon powder
Cold water
8” pie - plate

Method

Sieve flour with salt into a large plate. Cut butter into sieved flour. Rub lightly between fingers, till mixture resembles bread crumbs.

Store 1/3 mixture in fridge till required.

Sprinkle a little cold water on remaining mixture. Light knead into a dough, do not handle too much.

Shape into a lump, roll out using dry flour to dust. Press into pie plate, pulling up edges where necessary.

Prick lightly with a fork all over.

Refrigerate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile:

Drain syrup from pineapple slices. Press out all excess liquid, chop into pieces.

Put in a heavy pan, sprinkle sugar. Heat, stirring continuously, till liquid is not watery.

Add all spice powders.

Take off fire, allow to cool.
Line pie mould with aluminium foil. Put a fistful of rajma or other bean to keep the shape.

Bake at 180oC in preheated oven for 10 minutes or very light golden.

Take out, remove beans and foil, allow to cool to room temp.

Pour pineapple mixture into pie mould, spread evenly.

Sprinkle flour mixture to cover filling evenly.

Return to bake at 180oC for 10-12 minutes, or light golden.

Allow to cool a little before cutting with a pie cutter.

Serve warm as is or with icecream.

Making time: 1 hour
Makes: 6-7 servings
Shelflife: 2 days

DAHI BHALLAS

2006-10-31T04:15:00.000-08:00

For Bhallas (Dumplings)

250 gms - black gram split (skinless) soaked overnight
2 tbsp - raisins
½ tsp - red chilli powder
1 tsp - cumin seeds
2 tbsp - coriander leaves, chopped
1 pinch - soda bicarbonate
Oil for deep frying1 tsp - salt

For Dahi

1 kg - yoghurt
2 tsp - cumin seeds, dry roasted and crushed
1 tsp - black salt
salt to taste

For Toppings

1 tsp – Red Chilli powder
Tamarind Chutney
Green Chutney
Corriander leaves.

Method

Grind the soaked black gram daal in a blender adding as little water as possible, so that a thick batter is made.

Add to it all the ingredients for the dumplings except the oil and whisk with hand for at least 3-4 mins.

So that air is incorporated in the batter.

Heat oil in a kadhai (wok) on medium-low heat.

Make walnut-size balls of the batter and release gently into the oil.

Fry 6-8 balls at a time.

Remove dumplings from oil when they are just turning to light brown (should take 3-4 mins. approximately).

Adjust the heat if they are getting brown too soon.

Remove dumplings from oil and immerse into a pan of hot water.

After they have soaked for about 5 mins, squeeze the dumplings between your palms lightly (taking care not to break the balls) to remove water and place them in a flat serving dish.

Whisk the yoghurt over the dumplings and refrigerate for 30 mins.

Before serving sprinkle Red powder chillies, Chaat Masala, some Tamarind Chutney, Green Chutney and top it with coriander leaves.

CORN CUTLETS

2006-10-31T04:11:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

Fresh soft maize (grated)
1 tablespoon gram flour (besan)
1 tablespoon rava
1 cup boiled peas
1 teaspoon ginger paste or grated ginger
2 green chillies finely chopped
2 teaspoon finely chopped coriander
1 lime juice
Chat masala or Garam masala

For frying:

refined vegetable oil
2 table spoon rava
1 teaspoon roasted sesame seeds

Method

Take grated maize (this will be like a paste with some juice try to take thick portion of this and take off juice with the help of spoon and by pressing the thick portion)

Put the thick portion of grated maze in a hollow big bowl, add gram flour, rava, ginger paste, boiled peas without water, chopped chillies and coriander, salt, lime juice and chat masala or garam masala if you like.

Mix this mixture well keep this mixture in refrigerator for 1/2 hour to set.

Take out the mixture out of fridge and see if the mixture is very loose and you find difficult to make shapes then add some more rava till you are comfortable but let this mixture not be very tight.

If you have followed the instruction well this problem will not arise.

Heat the oil in frying pan.

Take a plate and spread thick layer of rava and sesame seeds over it.

Make flat oval shapes of the batter and put it on this plate.

Try to wrap the rava and sesame seeds all over the shape and put in the heated oil carefully for deep frying.

Let the cutlets be brown on slow flame in heated oil.

Take out the cutlets over blotting paper.

Serve it with Tomato Sauce or with Green Chutney and Tamarind Chutney.

MINTY LEMONADE

2006-10-31T04:08:00.000-08:00

Ingredients

Juice of 1 lemon
6 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp pepper powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger powder or juice of fresh ginger
1 bottle chilled soda or 2 glasses water (as desired)
2-3 mint leaves chopped fine

Method

Mix all ingredients in very little water.
When dissolved add the soda or iced water. Pour in 2 glass.
Sprinkle chopped mint. Serve immediately.