Pudina Onion Pakora

One of the most famous evening snacks of South India, hot and crispy pakoras are loved by all. Here's one of the most simple and easy to cook evening snack.

You need:

1. Pudina (mint) - 1 bunch
2. Onions - 3-4
3. Green Chillies - 4-5
4. Coriander Leaves
5. Curry Leaves (optional)

Batter:

1. Gram Flour - 2 cups
2. Rice Flour - 1/2 cup
3. Chilly Powder
4. Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
5. Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
6. Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
7. Baking Soda (optional) - 1 pinch
8. Salt
9. Cooking Oil 

All you need to do is:

1. Chop Onions thin and long and separate mint leaves from the stock. Chop coriander, curry leaves and green chillies finely. Keep them aside.
2. For the batter take gram flour, rice flour, baking soda, chilly powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder, coriander powder, 1 tbsp of hot cooking oil and salt. Add water little by little and mix well to make it a fine batter neither too sticky nor too watery.
3. Put the onions, mint leaves, green chillies, curry leaves to the batter.
4. Heat oil and put the pakora mixture in spoon. Fry until it turns golden brown. Serve hot.

Tips:

• Serve the pakoras hot with tomato sauce or mint leaves chutney.
• Use tissue paper to put the fried pakoras so that it absorbs excess oil. 

Vegetable Masala Rice

This is definitely a self invented recipe. Anyone can create their own recipe by just adding the perfect ingredients to make it tasty and healthy. This rice variety is easy to prepare especially because it does not need any grinding.

You need:

1. Basmati Rice - 2 cups
2. Onions - 2
3. Tomato - 1
4. Beans - 100 g
5. Carrot - 100 g
6. Green Peas - 100 g
7. Garlic - 6 cloves
8. Ginger - 1 inch
9. Green Chillies
10. Coriander leaves
11. Mustard
12. Cumin Seeds (Jeera)
13. Clove
14. Cinnamon 
15. Garam Masala
16. Turmeric Powder
17. Salt
18. Oil

All you need to do is:

1. Cook rice and vegetables (beans, peas and carrots) in a pressure cooker or an electric cooker. Keep it aside.
2. Take a huge pan, put oil, mustard seeds, cumin seeds, cloves, cinnamon, turmeric powder, crushed ginger-garlic, finely chopped green chillies and chopped onions. Saute it well.
3. To the same pan, add chopped tomato, garam masala, and salt.
4. Once the tomato is cooked well, add the cooked vegetables. Saute it for 2 mins and add the cooked rice. Mix well and serve hot. 

Tips:

• Do not make the rice very sticky. 
• Can be served with Raita. 

Hot Garlic Sauce

Hot Garlic Sauce goes good with all the Chinese Rice and Noodles. According to me, it is the tastiest and easiest sauce ever to prepare.

You need:

1. Garlic - 1-2
2. Dry Red Chillies
3. Ginger - 1/2 inch
4. Spring onions
5. Soy Sauce
6. Salt
7. Oil

All you need to do is:

1. Take a pan, add oil, finely chopped garlic, crushed ginger, finely chopped dry red chillies, finely chopped spring onions and saute it well.
2. Add soy sauce, salt and boil for 3-4 minutes. Put off the stove. 

Tips: 

1. You can also add more veggies with this sauce to make it healthier. 
2. Do not add a lot of soy sauce. It might turn your sauce black in colour. 

Chilli Garlic Fried Rice

Chilli and Garlic make a great combination in most of the Asian dishes. Especially when mixed with rice, it gives a lingering aroma treating your taste buds.

You Need:

1. Basmati Rice - 1/2 cup
2. Regular Rice - 1/2 cup
3. Spring Onions 
4. Green Chillies - 5-6
5. Dry Red Chillies - 4-5
6. Garlic - 1- 2
7. Ginger - 2 inches
8. Soya Sauce
9. Salt
10. Oil

All you need to do is:

1. Mix and cook both the rice together without making it sticky. Keep it aside.
2. Take a huge pan, add oil, crushed ginger/garlic, green chilli paste, finely chopped red chillies and spring onions, add soya sauce and salt. Saute it well. Reduce the flame. 
3. Take the cooked rice and add it to the same pan and mix well. Serve hot.

Tips:

1. By adding more oil, you can prevent the rice from becoming dry. 
2. You can also finely chop the green chillies instead of making a paste.

Potato Cheese Balls

There are in fact, many ways to make these potato cheese balls. However made, it is always tasty with the combination of world's favorite vegetable 'Potato' and of course! Cheese. All you diet conscious people can try this out and prepare to run for an extra lap ;-)

You need:

1. Potato - 3-4
2. Cheese - 200 g
3. Corn Flour - 1-2 tbsp
4. Bread Crumbs- 1 cup
5. Chilli Powder
6. Garam Masala 
7. Green Chillies
8. Ginger - 1 inch
9.  Salt
10. Oil to fry

All you need to do is:

• Cook the potato in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles. After cooling, mash.

Mixture: 

• Take a bowl, add some part of mashed potato, grated cheese,  finely chopped green chillies, crushed ginger, garam masala, chilli powder, salt and mix well.

Dough:

• Take a bowl, add the remaining mashed potato, corn flour, bread crumbs, chilli powder, salt and make a dough with Chapati consistency.

To fry:

1. Take the dough, make small balls, flatten them to make circles.
2. Add 2tsp of the mixture into each circle and cover it to make balls.
3. Take a Kadai (pan), put oil and deep fry the potato cheese balls until golden brown. Serve hot.

Tips:

1. Do not add water while making the dough. 
2. Put the deep fried balls on a tissue paper, so that extra oil will be absorbed.
3. Potato cheese balls taste the best with tomato sauce and mayonnaise.