Why settle for boring food when you can impress your guests with something interesting?

Food blogger Siddhi Panchal shares her recipes for three finger-licking appetisers.  

Photograph: Courtesy www.cookingwithsiddhi.com

Maggi Pakoda

Ingredients: 

• 2 packets of Maggi noodles, boiled 
• 1 tomato, finely chopped 
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 capsicum, finely chopped
• ½ cup corn, boiled 
• A pinch of asafoetida
• A pinch of turmeric powder
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 2 tbsp besan
• 1 tbsp sooji
• 1 tbsp rice flour
• 2 packets Maggi Magic Masala
• Salt to taste

Method:

• Add chopped tomatoes, capsicum, onion, corn, asafoetida, turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, salt, Maggi Magic Masala and mix well.
• Add gram flour, sooji, rice flour and mix. Add the noodles and mix again. 
• Heat oil in pan to fry the pakodas. When the oil is hot, take some of the mixture in your hands and press it to make a ball.
• When the oil is hot enough, gently slide the balls into the pan and let the pakodas fry till they turn golden brown. Let it fry on medium flame. 
• Flip the pakodas and continue to fry on medium heat until they turn golden and crunchy.
• Remove the pakodas and place them on a paper towel. Maggi Pakodas are ready to be served hot with ketchup.

Basket Pizza

Ingredients:

• 1 capsicum, finely chopped
• 1 tomato, finely chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• ½ bowl sweetcorn, boiled
• ½ bowl pizza sauce
• 4-5 cheese cubes
• 1 pack of puri baskets (20-30 pieces)
• Chilli flakes
• Oregano

Method:

• Pour pizza sauce into all baskets. Add around ½ tsp capsicum into all baskets. Add similar quantities of tomato, onion and corn into all baskets.
• Grate cheese on the top of the baskets.
• Sprinkle oregano and chilli flakes. If you are making pizza baskets for children, then avoid adding chilli flakes.
• The basket pizzas are ready to serve. If you like melted cheese, then place the baskets in the microwave for a minute. If you don't have a microwave, you can put it on a non-stick pan on low flame till the cheese melts.

 Stuffed Sabudana Vada

• 1 cup sabudana/ tapioca pearls (soak it in normal water for 4-5 hours)
• 4 medium-sized boiled potato
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (roast it for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame and then coarsely grind it)
• ½ cup finely chopped coriander
• 2 green chillies, finely chopped 
• 1 tsp ginger paste
• ½ tsp roasted cumin seeds powder
• Black salt/rock salt as per taste
• Cooking oil for frying

For the stuffing:

• 2 boiled and grated potatoes
• Cashew and raisins
• Black/rock salt
• 1 tbsp ginger and green chilli paste
• 1/2 tsp saunf
• 1 tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp amchur powder
• 1 tbsp grated coconut
• 1 tsp sugar
• 2 tbsp roasted peanuts (roast it for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame and then coarsely grind it)
• 2 tbsp sesame seeds (roast it for 2-3 minutes on low-medium flame and then coarsely grind it)

Method for vada:

• Mash the potatoes and add the soaked and drained sabudana. Add peanuts, coriander, green chili, ginger paste, garam masala, salt to taste and mix all the ingredients well.

For the stuffing:

• Grate the potatoes. Add peanuts, til, ginger chili paste, saunf, red chili powder, amchur powder, coconut, sugar, salt to taste and cashew and raisins. Mix all the ingredients very well.
• Take 1 tbsp of the vada mixture and shape it like a shell. Put the stuffing mixture in it and cover it. 
• Heat oil for deep frying in a pan. When the oil becomes hot, slide the vadas into the pan and fry it till golden crispy from both the sides. Take it out on kitchen towel to remove the excess oil. Serve it with masala curd or green chutney.