Poha Tikki (Beaten Rice Tikki)

Poha or Beaten rice is a very very well used breakfast item used by almost everyone in this country. It is not just easy to cook but it also quite healthy. It is mostly eaten by Maharastrians as they claim but honestly it is served at every state differently but as much as the Maharashtrians do.

Yesterday evening a few friends visited us without prior notice. Well, we always have friends coming over and when they call to inform we find it too formal so we appreciate and love surprise visits from friends. But, hey it was an evening visit so obviously drinks are on the house for them but how do I quickly come up with something delicious which is not too oily.

Known for cooking a quick snack I rushed into the kitchen and found my ref stocked up with all kinds of ready to eat snack from McCain's and Al kabeer's etc. But I just was in no mood to even look at oil after having eaten an oily Chhole Puri for lunch at a food corner close by. Not that we do not like the oily fritters but I was not in a mood this time. So I zeroed in on POHA TIKKI

So here is what I did and you will need:

1 cup beaten rice  - washed and soaked for a minute or depending on the thickness of the poha
2 Big Potatoes - Boiled and mashed
3 Green chillies - chopped
1 medium Onion - chopped
Coriander leaves - chopped
Red chilly powder - 1 teaspoon or as per your heat preference
Garam Masala - 1 teaspoon
Handful of peanuts
Half Lemon Juice
Ginger - finely chopped


Method:

In a bowl, add the beaten rice with the lemon juice, salt, green chillies and ginger. Mix once and set aside for the flavors to mix into the poha. It really works even if you are making a normal poha, just try once and write back.

Take a pan and roast the peanuts. Add into the beaten rice all the ingredients and mix well. Shape the round and flat like a tikki.

Now take a tawa/griddle and pour a teaspoon of oil and roast the tikkis till the top layer is brown and looks crispy. Try to cook on a low flame for more crispiness.

Serve with tomato ketchup/green chutney or sweet and sour tamarind chutney.

Note:

• Do not minus the lemon juice from the recipe. The tangyness really works and once you try, you would always want to add some
• You may serve sandwiched between bread slices 

Do write back to me if you tried and liked this.

Tangy Paneer Do Pyaza

Hello friends! I have been taking too many breaks from my blogging world. Well, all thanks to my juggling between work & home. But, honestly there is nothing better than spending time with your sweet little one. All the tiredness and worries fly away. What do you say?

With little time & opportunity to cook at length we have been managing all kinds of quick food. Honestly we also often end up eating out during lunch due to meetings or because I did not have had enough time to really cook. So, all these days whenever we get an opportunity we try to eat at home and try eating healthy, easy to cook food.

So, I had gone to the grocery store close by and there is a local chinese food vendor cooking on the street. No, I did not eat there but the aroma was too tempting to resist. So, one thing was sure for today I was to cook something chinese. I quickly picked up a packet of Mother Dairy Paneer (Cottage Cheese) and directly went to the sauce section. There I saw the new brand SAMS sauce, my husband did not want to experiment with the sauces but I did. Its an introductory pack of 3 sauces - Soy, Green chilly & Red Chilly. Reached home within 15 mts & headed to the kitchen to cook the TANGY PANEER DO PYAZA. It is cottage cheese tossed in chunks of onions/tomatoes & capsicum. It is generally cooked tangy & hot.

Here's how you make this awesomely delicious & quick dish.


Get hold of:
2 Onions  - Halve them chop them a little thick
2 Tomatoes - Halve them & chop them same as the onions
1 Big Capsicum - Halve it & slice it the same way
4 Green Chillies - Slit them  (add as much/less as you wish to)
Cottage Cheese - Long Slices as thick as the other items
Turmeric Powder - a pinch (you may not add if you wish)
Salt - as per taste
Oil - 1 Tbsp
Tomato Sauce - 2 Tsp
Soy Sauce - 1 Tsp

Method:
Heat the wok & add oil. As soon as it is about to smoke add all the onions, tomatoes, capsicum & green chillies in. Toss till they are just cooked. Add turmeric powder, paneer, salt, tomato sauce & the soy sauce. Toss for a minute and serve hot with Chappatis/Paranthas/Rotis or Noodles. You may wish to serve them just as a snack.

Note:
You may add some vinegar for tang. But just the tomatoes also worked for me.
I do not like frozen paneer, the Mother Dairy or Gopaljee which are soft are good to use. You could even buy the local paneer available in the Indian shops or make fresh paneer at home.
I used Heinz Tomato Ketchup & SAMS Soy Sauce  - We liked the SAMS soy sauce.