Shammi Kebabs

Overview
A good appetizer that can be made with any ground meat. Here I have used ground beef. Channa Dal(Split chick pea) is soaked and ground to a smooth paste that makes the binding agent for this kebab. Finely chopped mint and cilantro adds additional flavor to this Kebab. You can make this as spicy as you like just reduce the amount of green chillies added.

Beef Shammi Kebabs

Beef Shammi Kebabs Ingredients 

Ingredients
Browned ground beef - 1 1/2 cups
Channa Dal soaked - 1/2 cup
Finely chopped onions - 1 cup
Finely chopped ginger 2 teaspoon
Finely chopped garlic - 1 teaspoon
Finely chopped green chilly 3 - 4
Finely chopped fresh mint leaves - 3 tablespoons
Finely chopped fresh cilantro  leaves - 3 tablespoon
Ground black pepper  - 1/2 teaspoon
Garam masala powder 1/2 teaspoon
Salt o taste
Oil for frying Kebabs

Steps
1. Brown the ground beef and keep aside.
2. Soak the Channa Dal for 6 - 8 hours and bring to a smooth paste adding little little water at a time. This should be a thick paste.
3.  Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in pan and saute the finely chopped onions, ginger, garlic and green chilly till the onions are soft. Turn off heat and let it cool to room temperature.
4. In a big bowl mix the ground beef and the sauteed onions ginger, garlic and green chilly to this. Add the finely chopped cilantro and mint leaves. Add the ground Channa Dal and black pepper powder, garam masala powder and enough salt to this. Mix well.
5. Shape the beef mixture into desired kebab shapes and deep fry in hot oil.

Serve hot with mint chutney and simple onion salad or Ketchup.

Onion Pakoda

Overview
Pakoda's are spicy crispy Indian fritters served as a snack or appetizer. These are quick and easy to make. Onion Pakoda is the most common pakoda served through out India but pakodas can be made with any vegetables. Common vegetables used for pakoda are eggplant, broccoli, cauliflower and potatoes. Chickpea flour is used to make the pakoda, a little rice flour is added to this to make the pakoda crispy.

Onion Pakoda

Ingredients
Onions  - 4 medium sized thin sliced
Curry leaves - 4 sprigs
Chick pea flour 1 1/2 cups
Rice flour - 2 - 3 tablespoons
Chilly powder 1 -2 teaspoon
Asafoetida powder - 1/2 teaspoon
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying the pakodas

Steps
1. Add the sliced onions in a big bowl. Add a teaspoon of salt and mix well and keep it aside for about 5 - 10 minutes. Squeeze out the water
2. Mix all the dry ingredients. Add water little at a time to make a thick batter. Add the prepared onions and curry leaves to this and mix well.
3. Heat oil for deep frying in a heavy bottom pan, When the oil gets hot add the prepared pakoda batter a teaspoon at a time. Deep fry till golden brown

Serve hot with tomato sauce or tamarind chutney

Vegetable Cutlets

Overview
A very popular appetizer in India made with a variety of vegetables. I have used beetroot, carrots, green  peas, green beans and potatoes to make this cutlet. Any vegetable of your choice can be used to make this cutlets. All vegetables should be finely chopped so that they cook evenly. The base that binds the cutlet is the mashed potatoes.

Ingredients for Cutlet - Beetroot, Carrots, Green Beans, Green Peas, Mashed Potatoes,
Red Onions, Ginger, Green chilly and Cilantro

Vegetable Cutlets with Onion Salad

Ingredients
Mashed potatoes - 2 cups
Finely chopped beetroot -1 cup
Carrots finely chopped - 1 cup
Green beans finely chopped - 1 cup
Green peas - 1 cup
Red Onions finely chopped - 1 cup
Ginger 2 inch piece finely chopped
Green chilly 4 - 6 finely chopped
Cilantro - 1./2 cup finely chopped
Black pepper powder - 1 teaspoon
Fennel seed powder  - 1 teaspoon
Turmeric powder - 1/4 teaspoon
Bread crumbs to coat the cutlets
Egg whites 2 to coat the cutlets
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying the cutlets

Steps
1. Boil two large potatoes peel and mash it  and keep it aside.
2. Heat two tablespoons oil in a pan. Add the finely chopped red onions, ginger green chilly to it a saute few minutes till the onions become light brown. Add turmeric and saute few more minutes.
3. Mix all the finely chopped beetroot, carrots, green beans and green peas to this  and mix well. Add salt and cook on low flame by covering the pan till the vegetables are fully cooked about 10 minutes. Stir occasionally. Once cooked turn off heat and let this cool to room temperature.
4. Take a big mixing bowl and add the mashed potatoes and the cooked vegetables to it. Add cilantro, black pepper powder, fennel powder and salt as needed and mix well
5. Take a lemon size ball of the mixed vegetables and flatten with hand to make a smooth round patty.
6. Dip each vegetable patty in lightly beaten egg whites and coat in bread crumbs.
7. Deep fry the bread crumbs coated vegetable patty in hot oil

Serve hot with Onion salad and Ketchup

Puff Pastry with Spicy Potatoes

Overview
Puffs is a very common Indian snack found in all bakeries in Kerala. Puff pastry is stuffed with all different kinds of fillings like meat, egg and potatoes. I have made these Puffs a little different than the traditional way. Puffed pastry sheet is covered with spicy potato filling rolled spirally and then cut into slices and baked.

Puff Pastry with Spicy potatoes

Ingredients 
Frozen Puff pastry sheet 2
Potatoes medium size - 4
Green peas frozen - 1/2 cups
Red Onion - 1 medium finely chopped
Ginger 1 inch piece finely chopped
Garlic 3 cloves finely chopped
Green chillies - 2 -4 finely chopped
Cilantro leaves chopped 1/2 cup
Red chilly powder 1 teaspoon
Coriander powder - 1
Lemon juice 1 tablespoon
Cumin - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 3 tablespoon
Salt to taste

Steps
1. Cook the potatoes whole in 1/2 cup water in a pressure cooker or in a heavy bottom vessel till it is cooked well. Peel the potatoes and  mash it well and keep aside.
2. Cook the frozen green peas and keep aside.
3. Heat oil in a pan. When the oil gets hot add the cumin seeds to it followed by the chopped onions, garlic, ginger and green chillies. Saute few minutes till the onions turn light brown. Add the chilly, coriander and turmeric powder to this and saute few minutes.
4. Add the mashed potatoes, green peas, lemon juice and salt to this and mix well.
5. Add chopped cilantro to this and mix well. Let this potato filling cool to room temperature.
6. Thaw the frozen puff pastry sheet to room temperature.  Spread the pastry sheet flat and add half the potato filling on it and spread all over the surface.
7. Roll the pastry sheet spirally and then cut into thick slices. Spread on a baking sheet and bake at 375 for about 10 minutes till the pastry sheet turns light brown.

Serve hot as an appetizer

Wings with Peanut Sauce

Overview
Chicken wings are one of my favorite appetizer. I like to use wing drummettes in place of whole chicken wings which makes a very beautiful presentation. These wing drummettes are baked in the oven and are full of flavor. The amount of hot sauce and the red pepper flakes used can be adjusted to your taste.

Wings with Peanut Sauce

Ingredients
Wing drummettes  - 2 pounds
Garlic paste  - 2 teaspoon
Ginger paste - 2 teaspoon
Hot sauce  1 - 2 teaspoon
Soya sauce - 2 teaspoon
Red pepper flakes - 1 teaspoon
Oil - 2 teaspoon
Salt to taste

For Peanut Sauce
3 tablespoon peanut butter
1 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon soya sauce
1 teaspoon sugar
 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
 Salt - 1/4 teaspoon

Mix all ingredients for the peanut sauce in a bowl

Steps
1. Marinate the chicken wing drummettes in garlic, ginger paste, soya sauce, red pepper flakes, oil, salt and hot sauce for about 1 - 4 hours.

2. Heat oven to 375 degree Fahrenheit.  Place the wing drummettes in a oiled tray and bake in oven .

3. Bake til the wings are done about 30 - 40 minutes. do turn over the wings 2 -3 times so that it gets the crisp on all sides.

Serve hot with prepared peanut sauce and hot sauce.