Sizzling Pakodas

The winter is fast approaching. With it arrive the days of bundling up in heavy coats and scarves, wearing boots everyday, going to and coming back from work in the dark, forgetting how it feels to wear a light shirt and jeans and ( atlast the silver lining ...) drinking lots of garam garam (hot) chai or suda suda (hot) coffee. Chai and coffee kinda make up for the bitter cold days, don't you think? And what makes it even more enjoyable is when the hot beverage is accompanied by karu-muru (crunchy) pakodas. Thoughts of rainy days, the only time when the weather gets a little chilly, in Madras bring back to me memories of freshly fried pakodas laced with onions and chillies. When the temperature dipped very slightly here a few days back, my rantings about the cold started. But on a positive note, I decided to fry some pakodas.

Pakodas are very simple to make. They are made of besan (gram flour) and usually have spinach or onions in them. Bhajjis, which are similar to pakodas are made with more vegetables (brinjal, plantain, potato); the difference between them being that pakodas are bite sized and bhajjis are made with thick slices of vegetables. So here's the recipes for onion pakodas. If you want to maje spinach pakodas, substitute spinach instead of onions.



Assemble

1 cup of gram flour
1 small onion chopped in thin long slices
2 green chillies (jalapenos) finely chopped
Handful of cilantro leaves, finely chopped
Salt to season
Oil for deep frying (canola or vegetable oil not olive oil)

Method

• Mix the onions,gram flour and salt (to taste) in a bowl and let sit for 5 - 10 mins. The salt dehydrates the onions, so when you later add water it ensures that the mix does not end up very watery.

• Add the green chillies and cilantro and pour 2-3 tbsp of water and mix everything into a crumbly paste. The consistency should neither be too dry or too watery. You should be able to make clumps out of the mixture with your hand. If the mix is too dry it will usually disintegrate when added to the oil.

• In the meantime, heat oil in a shallow kadai. To test if the oil is ready for frying, add a little bit of the besan-onion mix to the oil, you will know the oil is ready if the mix rises up immediately with a sizzle.

• Make small clumps (do not have to be equal size or shape) and deep fry till golden.

The pakodas can be stored for a few days in air tight containers. You could reheat in the oven or eat it at room temperature. Is this not the best way to welcome the winter with some spice?!

Hot Spinach Artichoke Dip

The football is season is here. With the TV remote being monopolized by hubby dear, my precious TV watching time is now free for me to use constructively, maybe get some work done..... or maybe not. As I hover around to watch my favorite shows during commercial breaks (usually re-runs that I have watched a 100 times), I end up being drawn into the game. Although I am not a big fan, I must admit that I prefer watching American football to other sports (yes, even over cricket!). And the game is made more interesting if there is food to chomp on. Is it the game or the food I wonder now that keeps me near the couch?
The usual spread is chips, salsa ,soda, cookies and more chips. We had some friends over last nite to watch the Florida Miami game and I decided to kick it up a notch. Made my all time favorite dip with artichokes and spinach. This dish is always my first choice at Olive Garden. And googling, which I have great talent for, found me 3 different recipes which claimed to be the exact the copy cat recipe as Olive Garden. I chose the best ingredients from the three, made some adjustments of my own and was really pleased with my success. Thick toasted French bread dipped in cheesy spinach and artichokes definetely made the Gators win more enjoyable.

Assemble
1 (8 oz.) pkg Cream Cheese
1 can Artichoke Hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup chopped Spinach (I used fresh, frozen should do too)
1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese
1 clove garlic, finely minced
1 tablespoon fresh basil
1/4 cup Mozzarella Cheese grated
Salt and Pepper to taste

Method
Allow the cream cheese to come to room temperature. Combine together the cream cheese, Parmesan cheese, garlic and basil. Mix well. Add the artichoke hearts and spinach (careful to drain this well), and mix until blended. You could refrigerate this until you are ready to use. Spray a pan with cooking spray, pour in the dip, and top with Mozzarella cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until the top is browned. Serve with toasted bread, chips or pita.
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