Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

8-10 small to medium ripe tomatoes
6-8 garlic cloves (or as many as you want!)
1 tbsp olive oil
1 sprig of basil or parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Slice the tomatoes into half and place cut side up in a baking pan. Add the peeled garlic to the pan as well. Drizzle the olive oil over the tomatoes and garlic. Sprinkle salt and pepper. Place the basil sprig on top.

Place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly charred.

Serve hot with some toasted french bread.

Deliciiiiiiiiiious!

Gobi Manchurian

This is an Indo-Chinese fusion dish that is very popular in India.

Ingredients:

For Gravy:

2 Large onions chopped

7-8 Garlic cloves chopped

Equal amount of Ginger chopped

7-8 Green Jalapenos

1-2 Spring Onions

Ajinamoto (tasting salt) (optional)

6-7 tsp Tomato ketchup as needed

2 tsp Soy sauce

For Batter:

1 Small Cauliflower

1 cup All Purpose Flour

2 tsp Corn Flour (optional)

1/2 tsp Baking Soda (Optional)

3 cups Vegetable oil or needed to deep fry

1 tsp Salt or as needed

1/2 tsp Kashmiri mirch (or Chilli Pwd)

Batter Preparation:

In a bowl mix All purpose flour, Corn Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Kashmiri mirch (or red pepper powder) with water to make a paste.

Dip the Gobi florets in the paste and deep fry till golden brown and keep aside.

In a large pot add oil and saute ginger, garlic and chillis and then add onions, Spring Onions until light brown. Then add salt as needed, Tomato Ketchup (or Maggi hot & Sweet Sauce), Soy Sauce, Ajanomoto.

At last add the fried Gobi which is kept aside and mix well. And let it soak for an hour.

Garnish with Chopped Cilantro, Cashews, Grated Carrot & Cucumber.
Serve hot with fried rice.

(Recipe contributed by Sahi)

Samosa

Samosa can be enjoyed as an appetizer or snack any time of the day. Although on a wet rainy day, it is extremely delicious when enjoyed hot with a cup of tea!

Ingredients:
Filling
1-2 medium potatoes
1 onion chopped
1 jalapeno
1cup peas
1-2 cloves garlic
a little piece of ginger
1 tsp dried mango powder (amchur)
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp red pepper powder
1-2 tbsp oil
turmeric powder
cilantro
1 tsp cumin seeds

Dough
2 cups all purpose flour (or maida)
1-2 tbsp butter or ghee
salt to taste

Mix the flour, with butter (or ghee) and salt. Add some water and mix into a ball. Cover and set aside.

Boil the potatoes unpeeled and set aside. In a pan, add the oil, turmeric powder, some cumin seeds and fry. Add the chopped onion, jalapeno, garlic and ginger and continue frying until slightly brown. Add the peas and cook for 5-10 minutes on low flame. Peel the cooked potatoes, mash and add them to the pan. Add salt, red pepper powder, garam masala. Mix well and continue cooking for another 5-10 minutes. Finally add the chopped cilantro and remove from heat.

In a frying pan, add 2 cups of oil and heat. Meanwhile knead the dough and divide into 4-6 portions. Roll out each portion on a flat surface with a rolling stick into a six or eight inch circle. Cut the circle into two halves. Add 1-2 tbsp of filling to each half and fold into a triangle sealing the edges. Deep fry each samosa in the oil until lightly golden.

Serve hot with mint chutney and sweet and sour tamarind date chutney. Enjoy with a hot cup of tea!

See also:
Mint Chutney
Tamarind and date chutney
Curry Puff

Vegetable Curry Puff

One cannot go wrong with a curry puff. It can go well as an appetizer, a snack for that lazy Saturday afternoon or you can snag two for breakfast just because they were so delicious at dinner last night and you have leftovers!

Ingredients
2 medium potatoes
1 medium onion chopped
1 cup frozen peas
2-3 garlic cloves minced
a small piece of ginger minced
1 jalapeno (optional) minced
some cilantro chopped
2-3 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 tsp paprika or red chilli powder
1 tsp amchur (ground dried mango powder)
1 tsp salt or as needed
1tsp garam masala
1 packet filo pastry sheet
Other vegetables that can be added include: 1 carrot (chopped), a few beans chopped, chopped spinach

In a pan boil the potato until cooked and set aside. Lightly saute the  onion in the oil along with garlic, ginger and jalapeno until lightly brown. If using any other vegetables, add to the onion and fry until slightly soft. Peel and mash the potatoes and add to the frying pan with onions. Add the spices- paprika, amchur, garam masala and salt. Adjust spices to suit personal needs. Add the chopped cilantro and mix well. Cook for another 5-10 minutes in low flame and set aside.

Thaw filo pastry sheet for 40 minutes on a flat surface. To make the curry puff, cut the filo sheet into 6 equal halves. Gently roll out each piece with a rolling pin. Add 1-2 tbsp of the curry onto the rolled piece and fold the half across and seal at the ends. Preheat oven to 400 deg F. Set each filled puff on a baking tray or sheet and bake until dough puffs and turns slightly brown about 10-15 minutes. Remove from the oven and serve hot with sweet and sour tamarind chutney and mint chutney.

See also:
Mint Chutney
Sweet and Sour Tamarind Date Chutney