Mince and Peas salad

This recipe is taken from Vanitha magazine.

Ingredients:

1. 2 cups cooked mince
2. 1/4 cup finely chopped onions
3. 1 cup boiled peas
4. 1/4 cup chopped celery (stem)
5. 1/2 cup chopped apples
6. 1/4 cup grated carrots
7. 1/4 cup chopped red peppers
8. few chopped coriander leaves
9. 1 tblsp. oil

Dressing:

1. 1/2 cup fat free plain yogurt
2. 4 tblsp. chopped coriander leaves
3. 1/2 tsp. paprika powder
4. salt to taste

Method:

• Mix onions, celery, peas, apple, red peppers and carrot in a salad bowl.
• In a non stick pan heat the oil and saute the cooked mince for a few minutes. Keep it aside.
• Mix all the ingredients for dressing in a blender.
• Now add the mince on top of the fruit and veg mixture.
• Add the dressing on top and garnish with a few coriander leaves.

Poori

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup white bread flour
2. 1/2 cup brown bread flour (In countries those who get atta or good wheat flour use 1 1/2 cup of it).
3. Warm water
4. 2 tsp. oil
5. salt to taste
6. Oil for frying

Method:

• Mix the water, flour and salt to make a soft dough.
• Keep the dough for 30 minutes covered with a damp cloth.
• Divide the dough into 12 balls.
• Roll out on a lightly floured board into circles of approximately 4 to 5 inches.
• Deep fry one at a time in oil.
• If a small pressure is given to the poori when it is put in oil with the spoon or ladle it puffs up the poori.
• Fry to a golden brown colour then lift and strain.
• Serve it with curry or shrikand.

Chicken sandwich

While sitting down to write this post, I was thinking of the different recipes I would like to post today. A conversation two days back with a friend on packing lunches for children gave me the inspiration to write this post. It is very important that we send a healthy lunch to school for our children everyday. I personally discourage the potato chips, soft drink and sweets in children's tiffin. Sandwiches can be made easily with available ingredients . It is not time consuming and children get a balanced diet. Here is my version of chicken sandwich which I would like to share.

Ingredients:

1. 2 slices of sandwich bread
2. 1/2 chicken breast
3. Butter or any spread
4. 2 cocktail tomatoes
5. 1 leaf of lettuce
6. 1 tsp. of green pepper cut small
7. 1 tsp. creamy salad dressing or mayonnaise
8. 1/4 tsp. chicken masala
9. 1/2 inch ginger and a few small slices of onion

Method:-

• Cut the chicken breasts into small cubes.
• Saute these pieces along with onion and ginger in a little oil until cooked. Add the chicken masala and remove from fire.
• When this is cold use a hand blender which has chopper attachment and mince the chicken in it.
• Add the salad dressing to this chicken mince and keep it aside.
• Butter the slices of bread. Layer the lettuce and then put a spoonful of chicken mixture on it. Now layer it with cut cocktail tomatoes and green pepper.
• Close the sandwich with the other buttered bread slice.
• Sandwich is ready. These sandwiches should be cut into two diagonally or straight into two halves.

Dum Aloo (Baby potatoes in yogurt sauce)

Dum Aloo is a very popular North Indian Recipe. It is a curry in a rich sauce. Prepared in a number of ways aloo dum is one of the Indian ready to eat curries found in the South African supermarket shelves. Baby potatoes are found in abundance in our fruit and vegetable shops so why do we need the curries with preservatives in it. Here is a version of dum aloo which does not take much of an effort. When I talk about Indian shops, in Cape Town they are found in the Rylands area and there is a shop near Salt River also.

Ingredients:

1. 15 baby potatoes, skin off


2. 2 medium sized onions sliced thinly


3. 1 tblsp. tandoori masala (available in Indian shops)


4. 1 tsp. turmeric powder


5. 2 green chillies chopped


6. 200 gms. plain yogurt


7. 3 cloves


8. 3 cardamoms


9. 1/2 inch cinnamon whole


10. 8 to 10 pepper corns whole


11. 1 tsp. cumin seeds


12. Oil for frying


13. salt to taste


14. coriander leaves to garnish

Method:

• Fry the sliced onions and drain it on a kitchen towel, keep it aside.


• Shallow fry the baby potatoes and keep it aside.


• Grind the fried onions, tandoori masala and turmeric.


• Mix the grounded mixture with yogurt, green chillies and salt.


• Put in the baby potatoes and coat it with the mixture and marinate it for 3 hours.


• In a heavy bottomed pan heat 1 tblsp. oil and put in the whole spices at items 7 to 11 and saute for half a minute.


• Put in the marinated potatoes along with the yogurt sauce and let it cook on low fire, until the potatoes are fully cooked. The vessel should be kept covered during the cooking process,


• Remove and garnish with coriander leaves.


• Serve with rotis, purees or rice.