Jaipur Pyaaz ki Kachori Recipe (Spicy Snack with Onion Filling)

I wasn't much of a kachori maker unless you count the seasonal lilva or fresh toor kachoris (recipe here) we made once in winters. Why would I when I can step out of my home and get awesome kachoris around the corner? It is now when I have stopped getting kachoris at a wish that I have tried making them at home.

Jaipur Pyaaz Ki Kachori Recipe

Kachoris are a very popular snack in northern, western and eastern parts of India, particularly Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Bengal, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Mahrashtra, Each one has their own variations of the kachori.

Delhi and Uttar Pradesh have the pungent heeng kachoris which are filled with udad dal tempered with asafoetida are popular. Uttar Pradesh also boasts of badiyon ki kachori made from sun-dried lentil dumplings. Bihar's popular sattu (roasted gram flour) ki kachori is served with chutneys and a version of chokha of their favourite litthi-chokha combination. In Bengal you'll see people pairing rossogullas and sondesh at local sweet shops with radhaballabhi which are lentil kachoris served with a spicy potato gravy or gorging on koraishutir (peas) kachori in winters.


And a little further south on the map of India, you have some more variations of kachoris. Rajasthan's, especially Jaipur's, street food is dominated by the onion-filled pyaaz ki kachori and the sweet version mawa ki kachori. Gujaratis like their khasta kachori which is filled with tempered moong dal and served by popping open the top and filling it up with yoghurt, date-tamarind chutney (recipe here), corriander mint chutney (recipe here), chopped onions and sev and their liva or fresh toor kachori in winters. Maharashtrians like the fennel and green chilly flavoured lentil filled Shegaon kachori invented by a shop opposite the Shegaon railways station. I have seen people from these areas debate for hours about which of these is the best kind of kachori.

Jaipur Pyaaz Ki Kachori Recipe

Preparation Time: 20 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Makes: 3 kachoris

Ingredients

For the Cover:

1 cup maida (all-purpose flour)
1 tbsp vegetable oil (peanut or sunflower)
1/2 cup water
A pinch of salt

For the Filling:

1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp asafoetida
1 small green chilly finely sliced
1 medium-sized potato boiled and mashed
2 medium-sized onions finely chopped
1 tsbp gram flour (besan)
1 tsps red chilly powder
2 tsps corriander powder
1 tsp dried mango (amchur) powder
1 tsp garam masala
Salt to taste

Vegetable oil for deep frying

Method

For the Dough:

In a large bowl, take the flour, add a pinch of salt and 1 tbsp vegetable oil. Mix with light fingers.

Add in the water slowly and knead a stiff dough. Knead well for about 3-4 minutes.

Cover and keep for 10 minutes.

For the Filling:

Heat 1 tbsp oil in another pan.

Temper with the cumin and asafoetida.

Add in the sliced green chilly and fry for 30 seconds.

Now add the onions and saute them for 3-4 mins on a low flame.

Next add the dry spice powders, besan and salt and mix well.

Mix in the mashed potatoes and cook for about 3 minutes on a low flame. Keep aside to cool.

Making the Kachoris:

Keep the oil for frying to heat in a deep-frying pan.

Make 3 equal-sized balls of the prepared dough.

Roll out the dough into a poori of about 4 inches diameter.

Fill in about 1 tbsp of the prepared filling in the centre.

Pinch the sides together and make a filled ball of the dough.

Roll it out till it is about 5 inches in diameter.

Poke holes on both sides with a fork so that it doesn't fluff up during frying and becomes crispy.

Fry one kachori at a time in the heated oil.

Keep pressing with the slotted spoon allowing the air to escape as you fry it for about 4-5 minutes on each side on a low flame till it turns brown on both sides.

Serve hot with date-tamarind and corriander-mint chutneys.

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes Recipe

My potato-loving husband had a great time when we were travelling (and eating) through Europe last year. Every main course we ordered- be it fish or meat- had with it a side of potatoes. Roasted potatoes, mashed potatoes, creamy potatoes, garlicky and herbed potatoes... ah potatoes!

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Roasted potatoes make for a great side dish with any continental dish. They take the dish to the next level and make a complete meal out of it.

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes Recipe

I always wanted to make roasted potatoes at home, but I was stumped by the lack of an oven. Yeah, well, moving on... I got over that when I got the new oven at home. I tried mixing up some rosemary and garlic with the traditional salt and olive oil tossed roasted potatoes. The results were just brilliant! And here I am typing away the recipe for all you lovely readers. Do try it at home, and let me know how it turns out for you!

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Garlic Rosemary Roasted Potatoes Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes


Serves: 2

Ingredients:

300 gms potatoes diced into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tbsps olive oil+ additional for greasing
1 tbsp chopped garlic
2 tsps dried rosemary
Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius for 10-12 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the olive oil, salt, garlic and rosemary.

Put the diced potatoes in and toss them well with your hands. Make sure the potatoes are coated all over by the oil, garlic and herb mixture.

Grease a baking tray. Place the coated potatoes on it such that they form one across it.

Bake at 180 degrees Celsius for 30 minutes.

Serve as a side with grilled meats or pasta dishes.

Cajun Spiced Grilled Prawns Recipe

I am getting more comfortable with cooking meats and seafood. Especially seafood. I am becoming a complete fish-eater like baba (my father-in-law). Since I have company now to eat all kinds of seafood, I am all for cooking different types of seafood.

Cajun Spiced Grilled Prawns Recipe

Cajun spiced grilled prawns is something I came up with because I had Cajun Spice in my pantry. It is easily available in India now. If you can't find it, you can try making it at home with this recipe (I haven't tried it, but it reads like it would taste like the one I have at home). I had some prawns in the fridge and I didn't want to cook them like always. I mixed the two and voila! Magic happened.

Cajun Spiced Grilled Prawns Recipe

This dish is a perfect weekday or weekend barbecue dish. You need to marinate the prawns in the spice rub for 15 minutes and throw it on the grill for another 5 minutes. It is juicy prawns coated in a spicy mix, served with a dash of lime. Do I have your attention yet?

Cajun Spiced Grilled Prawns 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes
Cooking Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

200 gms prawns de-shelled and de-veined
1 tsp olive oil divided
3 tsps cajun spice
Salt to taste

Lime wedges to serve

Method

Marinate the prawns with 1/2 tsp olive oil, cajun spice mix and salt. Rub the marinade well into the prawns.

Heat a grill pan (a normal tawa will do if you don't have one). When the pan is heated well, brush it with the rest of the oil.

Put the prawns on the pan. Cook for 2 minutes and turn them over. Cook for another minute.

Serve hot with lime wedges.  Squeeze the juice of the lemons on to the prawns and eat fresh. 

Mixed Vegetable Thalipeeth Recipe

Cabbage, carrots and beetroots were never this interesting to eat!

Mixed Vegetable Thalipeeth Recipe

This thalipeeth is mainly made of vegetables with very little crushed peanuts and rice flour for binding. The taste of pan-fried crispy vegetables with salt, chilly powder and a dash of lemon juice makes this easy on our palate.

Mixed Vegetable Thalipeeth Recipe

The thalipeeth also has an interesting combination of textures. The slight softness of cooked vegetables goes really well with the crispiness that the rice flour and cooking brings to the dish.

Mixed Vegetable Thalipeeth

I served the thalipeeth with a chutney made of yoghurt, salt, red chilly powder, finely crushed peanuts and red garlic chutney (see recipe here). Plain yoghurt with just salt and red chilly powder will also go well with this.

Mixed Vegetable Thalipeeth Recipe:

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes per thalipeeth

Makes: 6 thalipeeths

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups grated cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 beetroot grated

1 tsp asafoetida powder

2 tsps red chilly powder

1 tbsp lemon juice

1 tbsp finely crushed peanuts

2 tbsps rice flour

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

Method:

In a large bowl mix all the grated vegetables.

Add in the salt, red chilly powder and the asafoetida. Mix well with your fingers.

Next add the lemon juice, finely crushed peanuts and rice flour. Knead lightly with your fingers till a dough is formed. The vegetables will release water that will help the binding. This might take a couple of minutes. Add about a couple of tbsps of water if needed here. 

Take a cold tawa or a flat shallow frying pan. Don't heat it yet!! Spread about 2 tsps oil all over it. 

Make a ball of about 3 inch diameter from the dough and put it on the tawa . 

Wet your fingers a little and pat the dough ball lightly with them to flatten it. Do it from the center outwards till you get  a flat thalipeeth. It should be about 2 cms in thickness when done. 

Don't worry  about the shape. It's better when it's not  a perfect circle. It makes it look nice and rustic.

Make three holes in the center of the thalipeeth with your index finger (see picture). It will help the thalipeeth cook through.

Put the tawa on the gas now and start heating  it on a high flame. Lower the flame to medium high after about 1 minute. 

Cook the thalipeeth on a medium high flame for about 3 minutes till it is crisp and golden brown on one side. 

Flip and cook for another 2 minutes on the other side. 

Serve hot with chutney or yoghurt!

Tip: Let the tawa cool a little after making one thalipeeth. It makes it easier to pat the next one with your fingers. I use two tawas at a time to serve the thalipeeths faster. 

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

A few of hubby's friends had decided to meet up at our local Starbucks a few days back. I thought, "Why?!" I asked him to just invite them home! Since the wedding I've been looking out for chances to show off my cooking and inventing skills. I jumped at another chance to do so!

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

Since it was evening time just before dinner and we had not made dinner plans, I thought chaat would just be perfect for this time! I also had the chutneys ready. But I had only a half an hour head's up so I couldn't boil potatoes and make the regular tikkis. I needed something quick.

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

That's when I this idea came to me. Hubby and I had had this amazing chaat at a friend's wedding in Bangalore where the aloo tikki was a shallow fried patty of grated potato. Since I love tikkis made this way, I thought why not try it at home?! They're very easy to make, need only 3 ingredients that are always in our pantry, and don't take much time... pretty much a great combination of things for me!

The chaat was a quick cooking affair. The tikkis were made in about 20 minutes. I had made and stocked the chutneys from before like I always do. And I quickly chopped an onion for topping. It took less than half and hour and was more-so satisfying because because it got hubby's and his friends' thumbs-ups! It is a great recipe to put in my quick party starters brain file.

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

Preparation Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

200 gms potatoes
2 tsps red chilly powder
Salt to taste
Oil for shallow frying

For Serving

2 cups yoghurt
1 tsp red chilly powder
6 tbsps date and tamarind chutney (recipe here)
4 tbsps green mint chutney (recipe here)
2 medium sized onions finely chopped
4 tbsps sev
2 tbsps corriander leaves

Method

Peel and grate the potatoes with a grater of medium thickness.

Squeeze the potatoes a couple of times with your hand to remove the starchy water in them. There is no salt added yet, the potatoes will give out water even before salt is added.

In a shallow frying pan, heat the oil.

Lower the flame. Take a handful lump of the grated potato and press onto the pan. It should be like this.

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

Press down with the help of a spatula. Make 5-6 such tikkis in one go.

Sprinkle salt and a pinch of red chilly powder on each tikki.

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

Let the tikkis cook on one side till golden brown. Keep pressing with a spatula every 30 seconds or so to make sure it binds together. It takes about 5 minutes on a medium high flame to cook it to golden brown.

Quick Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe

Flip and cook the other side by pressing it again and again till it's golden brown.

When it's done on both sides, remove from the pan.

Quick Aloo Tikki (Aloo Tikki Chaat Recipe)

To serve, take a tikki. Top it with yoghurt, date and tamarind chutney, green mint chutney, onions, sev and corriander leaves.

Relish it with great delight! 

Anna's Baked Beans and Toast Recipe

Baked beans and toast hold a lot of memories for me. They were my early morning sustenance for almost three years at Xavier's.

Baked Beans and Toast Recipe

Our undergraduate classes at Xavier's used to start at 8 am in the morning. Which meant I HAD to leave from home by 6.15 am sharp. There was no way I'd feel hungry that early in the morning... I'd have barely woken up! So the first thing I would do on reaching college is go to the canteen or mess and order myself a large breakfast!

Baked Beans and Toast Recipe

Anna's (our mess owner) baked beans and toast were the first time I'd ever had baked beans. We'd never gotten them home before because we did not know what they were. I had loved them and I started eating them regularly. I also thought that's how they came out of the can. Till one day I had them at a restaurant... the ones served straight out of the can were horrible! That's when I realised Anna did something magical with them. It seems I have finally made that recipe work!

Anna's Baked Beans and Toast Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes
Cooking Time: 10 minutes
Serves: 4

Ingredients

2 tbsps peanut/ sunflower/ olive oil
1 large onion finely chopped
2 cups baked beans
1 tsp red chilly powder
2 tsps mixed herbs (oregano, parsley, thyme, basil etc)  or pizza mix
1 tsp black pepper powder
Salt to taste

Bread slices and butter to serve.

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Saute the onions till they turn translucent.

Add in the baked beans, red chilly powder, and mixed herbs.

Season with pepper and salt to taste.

Cook for about 2 minutes on high flame.


Serve with buttered toast.

Misal Pav Recipe

Misal pav has recently beat many dishes around the world to be named as the world's tastiest vegetarian snack! I was not surprised when I read this. Who'd be? If you've had misal pav, you'll know what I am talking of!

Misal Pav Recipe

Misal pav comes from Maharashtra in India. The snack usually comprises of sprouted moth beans cooked in a thin gravy of onion, garlic, coconut and a special spice mix. This gravy is topped with a farsan mix that has gathiya, theekha gathiya, shev, chana dal etc, sev, chopped onions and tomatoes. A squeeze of lime is the final touch needed to mix it all up. And you have it with soft laadi pavs dipped in the gravy.

Misal Pav Recipe

There are however some regional differences in how misal is made and served. In some places like Nashik, misal is made of a combination of pulses and not just moth beans. Some places serve misal pav with khajur imli or teekhi chutney. And of course, the main difference, the spice mix varies from place to place. However, it's easy to find misal masala around the country in stores. If not, chana masala or chhole masala can be used, but try for the misal masala! 

Misal Pav recipe

Misal Recipe 

Preparation Time: 20 minutes (not including sprouting time for moth beans)
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the vaatan (ground paste for gravy)

2 tbsps peanut/ sunflower/ olive oil
3 medium sized onions roughly diced
3 tbsps dried coconut shavings
10 cloves of garlic
1/2 cup water


For the misal 

3 tbsps peanut/ sunflower/ olive oil
2 tps asafoetida powder
2 star anises
3 dried bay leaves
Vaatan as made above
2 tbsps misal masala
2 cups sprouted moth beans
3 cups water
Salt to taste

For Serving

Laadi pav
Lemon wedges
150 grms mixed farsaan
150 grms sev
1 cup finely chopped onions
1 cup finely chopped tomatoes
1/2 cup finely chopped corriander leaves

Method

Put the moth beans to pressure cook first. Cook for about 3 whistles and they'll be done.

In a kadhai heat 2 tbsps oil. Add in the roughly diced onions and saute on a medium high flame. Keep stirring. The onions will start turning brownish in about 5-7 minuutes.

Add in the dried coconut shavings immediately to the browning onions. Keep stirring. In about 3-4 minutes, they'll start turning brown.

When the coconut turns brown, add in the garlic and saute for another 2-3 minutes on medium high flame.

Grind the mixture with 1/2 cup water till it forms a smooth paste. This is our vaatan.

To make the misal, heat oil in a kadhai. Add the asafoetida, star anises and bay leaves. Fry for about 30 seconds.

Add in the prepared vaatan and the misal masala. Saute on a medium high flame till the  mixture starts releasing oil (about 10-12 minutes). This shows that the mixture is cooked and the spices have bloomed.

Add in the pressure cooked moth beans, salt and water. The consistency should be of a thin gravy. Bring to a boil and then lower the flame and cook for about 5 minutes.

To serve, fill a bowl with about 4-5 serving spoonfuls of misal. Add in 2 tbsps of mixed farsan, 1 tbsp of onion, 1 tbsp of tomatoes, 1 tbsps of sev and 1/2 tsps of corriander leaves. Serve with two pavs and wedge of lime to be squeezed on top as per preference.

Pan- Fried Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe

Baba (my father-in-law) loves food. There's no two ways about it. You can see his passion in how enthusiastically he talks of food, eats it with gusto and is involved in planning menus as much as possible. The ball doesn't just stop there. He always is up for trying new dishes in the kitchen- from new recipes to just simple addition of different herbs and spices to our regular dishes. When I try something new, he will be right there in the kitchen asking me how I am making it or with suggestions about what else I could try with it. That makes for great company in the kitchen!

Pan-Fried Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe

This dish has come from a simple request he came to me with. He has got a bottle of dried rosemary from Singapore when he was at my sister-in-law's (yes he shops for new food stuff too!) which he uses for anything and everything. He loves it's flavour so much! He asked me if I can find fresh rosemary somewhere in Mumbai since he'd had it in Singapore and really liked it. And I laughed and said that it has become available at the supermarket in the mall near our house. On our next shopping trip we got some fresh rosemary leaves. 

Pan-Fried Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe

In this dish, I have tried to highlight the  anise-seed-y pungent flavour of rosemary by keeping it simple and pairing it only with the complementary taste of garlic. This dish takes exactly 10 minutes to make. While it is great to have just like that as a starter, I am thinking of using it the next time in a salad with iceberg lettuce and a dash of mayo or in a chapati roll with some mayo again. 

Pan- Fried Garlic Rosemary Chicken Recipe

Preparation Time: 5 minutes

Cooking Time:  10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

200 grams chicken breasts

2 tbsps olive oil

8-10 cloves of garlic finely chopped

2 stalks of fresh rosemary, leaves separated

1 tsp pepper

Salt to taste

Method

Clean the chicken breasts and dice them into 1 inch cubes.

In a pan heat the olive oil.

Lower the flame and fry the garlic in it slowly till it starts turning brown (about 1-2 minutes).

Add in the chicken, the rosemary leaves and salt and pepper. Cook for about 3-4 minutes till the chicken is done. 

Serve fresh. 

You can add a dash of lime juice to the chicken if you wish. 

Veg Coleslaw Sandwich Recipe

Creamy and crunchy. Those are the first words that come to me as I sit to write about this sandwich. And that is something I cannot move past as I think of this sandwich.

Veg Coleslaw Sandwich Recipe

But I should move on and talk a little bit about coleslaw. It is foreign to us, after all. Coleslaw is a salad made primarily of shredded raw cabbage dressed with vinaigrette. However, mayonnaise has replaced vinaigrette in many ways, so whatever coleslaw I've had till date has been dressed with mayo.

Veg Coleslaw Sandwich Recipe

I was craving some really good coleslaw day before, but I am off mayonnaise (though I use the veg version) for some time. So I  racked my brains, used some substitutions, and came up with this! A healthy, veg coleslaw sandwich recipe!

Veg Coleslaw Sandwich Recipe

Preparation Time: 15 minutes

Assembly Time: 2 minutes per sandwich

Serving size: 8 sandwiches

Ingredients

2 cups grated cabbage

1 cup grated carrots

2 cups hung curd

1 tsp garlic paste

1/2 tsp pepper

Salt to taste

16 slices of brown bread

Method

In a bowl mix together the hung curd, garlic paste, salt and pepper. Whip them well so they form a smooth and even dressing.

Add in the grated cabbage and carrots and mix well. The dressing should coat the vegetables well. 

Taste and adjust seasoning.

To make the sandwiches, spread a 1/2 inch thick, even layer of the coleslaw between the two breads. Cut diagonally or vertically and serve!

Top 10 Mumbai Street Foods (Vegetarian)

Mumbai is a foodie heaven. So many different cultures reside here that there is a diversity of food available here. There are dishes here that suit every taste palate. Every street food lover will find something here that he/she will really enjoy!

This is a list of my top 10 favourite Mumbai foods. Now for some wada pav to eat!

1. Wada Pav/ Vada Pav

My recipe of Wada Pav can be found here.

Wada Pav/ Vada Pav

Wada pav has often been compared to Indian burger. I disagree, strongly! Wada pav is a very unique dish in itself. Mashed potatoes are slowly cooked with ginger, garlic and basic spices. Then they're coated in a gram flour cover and deep fried till crispy. They're then served in a pav (a bread) with mint-corriander chutney or tamarind-jaggery chutney or a dry roasted garlic chutney. Each bite is poetry of soft pav, crispy spicy wada and pungent and sweet chutneys.

While any street corner will have a shop or cart selling wada pav, some of the highly recommended places in Mumbai to have wada pav are Ashok wada pav (near Kirti College, Prabhadevi), Anand wada pav (Vile Parle), Aram Milk bar (CST) and my favourite for its amazing chutney Gajanan wada pav (Vishnu Nagar, Thane). 

2. Pani Puri

Pani Puri
Image from: http://www.walkthroughindia.com/cuisines/top-10-best-road-side-food-of-india/

Golden crispy puris are slightly broken on the top.  They'refilled with boiled ragda (white chickpea), boiled potatoes, boondi (gram flour fried balls), tamarind and jaggery chutney. The whole puri is then dunked in pungent and sour mint water. Open your mouth wide and pout the entire puri in. And then let the juices flow!

You can have a wonderful version of this firecracker of a dish at Elco (Hill Road, Bandra), Prashant Corner (Panchpakhadi, Thane), Sindhi pani puri house (Chembur). 

3. Frankie

My recipe of veg frankie can be found here.

Veg Frankie Recipe

Frankie is one of Mumbai's favourite pick me up meal. A potato-vegetable, paneer, egg or chicken filling drenched in ketchup, chutney, mayonnaise, or schezwan sauce, with fresh shredded crunchy onions, cabbage, carrots served in a soft roti, is a good substitute for a meal, on the run.

There are Tibbs outlets all across Mumbai that I would recommend. Their Dadar outlet opposite Shivaji Park is still one of the best places to eat it at! 

4. Pav Bhaji

My recipe of Pav Bhaji can be found here.

Mumbai Pav Bhaji

The Mumbai Pav Bhaji is a very famous dish that needs no introduction. The bhaji is a mixture of mashed vegetables cooked with onions, garlic, tomatoes and specific spices for a long, long time in a kadhai or the thick iron tawa. Pav is a special bread which is roasted with a big dollop of butter just before serving, so that when you pick it up the butter just drips from it. Eat it with your fingers, lick them, repeat! 

For me, pav bhaji is only the one at Cannon Pav Bhaji (opposite CST station). Other places serving good pav bhaji are Sardar Pav Bhaji (Tardeo), Amar Juice Center (Vile Parle West), and Shiv Sagar (Opp Singhania school, Thane).

5. Dosa

Paneer Schezwan Dosa

Be it the classic dosa or dosa with a twist, Mumbai takes dosa to another level! The picture above is that of a paneer schezwan dosa, where the vegetables, boiled noodles and paneer are cooked with schezwan sauce, tomato ketchup, chilly sauce, soy sauce and vinegar on the dosa as it cooks itself. And then this is served on the side. Who'd have thought of flavouring dosa like this?

For your classic dosas go to any Udipi in and around Matunga and King's Circle like Madras Cafe, Ramashray and Mani's. The Mumbai version of dosas can be found at Khau Galli Dosawala (Vallabh Bag lane, Ghatkopar East), the dosa waala outside the amin gate of Kalina campus of University of Mumbai, and Vikas Complex Dosa Waala (near Vikas Complex, Thane).

6. Indian Chinese

My recipe of Hakka noodles can be found here

Veg Hakka Noodles

Like with other cuisines, we Indians have our own spicy version of Chinese cuisine called Indian Chinese. You'll find this version of Chinese on roadsides as well as in fancy restaurants all over Mumbai. Hot spicy Manchow soup with fried noodles, crispy Manchurian balls, salty and tangy Hakka Noodles, punjent Schezwan Rice, sweet and sour American Chopsuey are names that will make any Indian salivate. We love this version of Chinese and are pulled to it again and again.

7. Mumbai Sandwich

Mumbai Sandwich, Image from : http://mumbaiboss.com/2012/06/11/mumbais-21-best-sandwiches-2/

Mumbai sandwich with it's pungent corriander-mint chutney, vegetable filling and unique way of toasting using a hand toaster on an open flame is another famous street food in Mumbai. A sandwich is something that can be eaten any time of the day, and hence you'll always find large crowds outside sandwich stalls throughout the day.

One of my most favourite places to eat a Mumbai sandwich is the sandwich stall outside St. Xavier's college. He makes sandwiches with the most delightful fillings like spinach cheese, navratna kurma, chhole, maggi. You name it and he might just have a sandwich version of it!


8. Ragda Pattice

My recipe of Ragda pattice can be found here 

Ragda Pattice Recipe

Delhi may have it's aloo tikki, but Mumbai's ragda pattice can give it a run for it's money any day! A soft yet crsipy aloo patty is served topped with a spicy white chickpea curry and tangy, sweet and pungent (yes all at the same time) chutneys, onions, crunchy sev and corriander leaves. That's a mouthful of ragda pattice for you!

9. Misal Pav

Misal Pav

Misal Pav is another street food you shouldn't miss in Mumbai. In this dish soft unroasted pavs are served with a garlicky, onion-y, tomato-ey, spiced curry of legumes like moong and matki topped with crunchy salty farsaan and chopped tomatoes and onions. Dip the pav in the gravy and gobble it up. Follow it up with a spoonful of the misal topped with farsan. Heaven!

10. Thalipeeth

My recipe of thalipeeth can be found here. 

Thalipeeth Recipe

This one is an unusual choice and may not usually appear on Mumbai street food conventional lists. However this is something you should definitely try if you are in Mumbai! Thalipeeth is flatbread made by flattening dough made of a flour of slow roasted pulses with onions, chillies and corriander with your fingers on a tawa and then shallow frying it. It is crisp on the outside yet soft on the inside and has a lovely melody of tastes from the flours, onion and corriander. 

Healthy Falafel Rolls Recipe

Falafels are an integral part of the Lebanese, Palastenian, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean cuisines. Like any traditional dish, there are different versions of its recipe and preparation. The underlying similarity among them is that they are made of chickpeas. It's the herbs and spices that vary across cuisines.

Healthy Falafel Rolls Recipe

Falafels are traditionally served in a pita pocket with dips, condiments and pickles to spice it up. In my healthy version, I've shallow-fried the falafels instead of deep frying them (though the recipe remains the same if you wish to deep fry them) with little effect on the texture and wrapped them in a whole-wheat roti (an Indian unleavened bread) instead of a refined flour pita.

Healthy Falafel Rolls Recipe

Preparation Time: 8 hours (overnight soaking of chickpeas)

Cooking Time: 30 minutes

Assembly Time:  2 minutes per roll

Serves: 4

Ingredients

For the Falafels

2 cups chickpeas (kabuli chana) soaked overnight
1 medium onion finely chopped
2 tbsp finely chopped flat parsley
2 tsps cumin powder
2 tsps corriander powder
2 tbsps sesame seeds
1 tbsp gram flour (besan) for binding
3 tbsps olive oil
Salt to taste

For the rotis

3 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsps whole wheat flour for sprinkling
1 1/2 cups water
1 tbsp oil

For the Lebanese Yoghurt Dip

1 cup hung curd
2 garlic cloves crushed
Salt to taste

For Serving

1 medium onion cut into thin slices
3-4 pickled jalapeno slices per roll

Method

Falafels 

Cook the chickpeas in a pressure cooker till done (about 15 minutes). Drain the extra water.

In a grinder, coarsely grind the chickpeas.

Add in the onion, chopped flat parsley, cumin and corriander powder, sesame seeds, salt and gram flour and make a dry mixture.

Make 1 inch balls from the mixture, flatten them a little and shallow fry on both sides on a medium high flame. Make sure they turn golden brown on both sides to get the falafel crispiness.

Roti 

Knead a pliant dough out of the wheat flour and water.

Use the oil to ensure the dough doesn't stick onto the plate or your hands. It will make for a better mixed dough.

Make a dough ball of 1 inch diameter. Sprinkle some dry whole wheat flour on the rolling suface, use a rolling pin in circular motion between both hands till you get a thin roti.

Heat a flat griddle and roast the rolled out roti on both sides till done.

Lebanese Yoghurt Dip

In a bowl mix together the hung curd, crushed garlic and salt. Whip together till you get a creamy smooth mixture.

Assembling the Rolls

Whole Wheat Rotis for Healthy Falafel Rolls

First take the roti and arrange the shallow-fried falafels on it.

Whole Wheat Rotis and Falafels for Healthy Falafel Rolls

Now add a layer of the creamy Lebanese yoghurt dip

Whole Wheat Rotis, Falafels topped with Lebanese Yoghurt dip for Healthy Falafel Rolls

Finally add in the onion slices, pickles and some parsley leaves.

Healthy Falafel Rolls

Roll it all together and serve!

Healthy Falafel Rolls

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe Recipe (Spicy Flatbreads Recipe)

A few years ago when I was about 12 years old, I saw a T.V. food and travel show episode on Delhi's very famous Paranthe wali Gali. I was fascinated on finding out that there is a whole lane of just parantha walas! One of the parantha walas interviewed on the show demonstrated the recipe of his very popular paranthas and I immediately noted and made this recipe the same day.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe

I have tried this recipe many times over the years and am in love with these crisp, flaky and spicy paranthas. Though these take some more effort to make than our regular paranthas, they are really worth the little extra effort. This step-by-step recipe with pictures should make it easier to make them. The paranthas can be eaten for breakfast, lunch or dinner.  They are best served with Amul butter and eaten as is or with some yummy dal makkhani.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe Recipe

Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Making Time: 5 minutes for each parantha

Serves: 4

Ingredients:

For the dough

3 cups whole wheat flour

2 tsps oil

A pinch of salt

1 1/2 cups water

For the spice mix

2 tbsps salt

2 tbsps red chilly powder

2 tbsps garam masala powder

Ghee or oil to apply on the paranthas when rolling them out

Ghee or oil for shallow frying the paranthas

Method

For the dough

Mix the salt and the oil in the whole wheat flour using your fingers. 

Keep adding in the water slowly and knead a firm dough.

Cover and let it rest for about 15 minutes.

For the spice mix

In a bowl mix together the salt, red chilly powder and the garam masala well.

To make the parantha

Make a ball of the prepared dough about two inches in diameter.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 1

Flatten in and roll out a thin flatbread of about 6 inches in diameter

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 2

Now take 1 teaspoonful of ghee or oil and spread it well all over this rolled out dough.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 3

Now take the spice mix and spread it liberally all over the rolled out dough. 

Using your fingers mix it with the oil so that the spice mix sticks to the dough well. 

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 4

Next, make horizontal and vertical cuts about an inch apart from each other on the parantha such that you get squares.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 5

Start stacking these squares on top of each other.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 6

You will get a pile like this.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 7

Now, flatten out this stack to make it ready for rolling out the parantha.

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 8

And roll out a parantha. Don't worry much about getting a perfect round shape, it will look like this!

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 9

Heat ghee or oil on a flat girdle (tawa). 

Place the parantha on it and lower the flame to a medium high. 

Shallow fry the parantha till it is golden-brown and crispy on one side (as seen below).

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Step 10

Flip over and fry till golden-brown on the other side too. 

Serve hot with a dollop of butter!

Delhi ki Paranthe wali Gali ke Paranthe: Ready to Eat!