We invited Get Ahead readers to share rainy-day recipes with us -- pakoras, samosas and every other kind of tasty preparation that has you smacking your lips during the monsoons. We've been flooded with responses and as part of an ongoing series, present three recipes that you can make the most of this season.
First up is Reetu Ram's recipe for Potato Cutlets:
Ingredients:
- 2 large potato, peeled
- 2 chopped green chillies
- Coriander leaves chopped
- Peanuts
- Sooji/ rawa (semolina)
- Salt to taste
- 1 pinch baking soda
- Kadi patta (curry leaves)
Method of preparation:
- Boil the potatoes and keep aside.
- Heat oil in a pan and fry kadi patta and peanuts for a few seconds.
- Then add the boiled potato, green chilies, coriander leaves, salt, fried peanut, kadi patta.
- Mix well and shape into cutlets.
- Take a plate add put 4-5 spoon of rawa, a pinch of baking soda and mix well (don't add water).
- Take each cutlet and gently coat with rawa.
- Heat oil in a pan and place the cutlets in.
- Cook till light brown and flip.
- Serve with green chutney and/ or ketchup.
Next is Swetha Iyer's recipe for Crispy Bread Rolls:
Ingredients:
- 6 slices sandwich bread
- 2 baked potatoes
- 1 chopped onion
- 2 green chillies
- Oil and seasoning
Method of preparation:
- Add a teaspoon of oil into a frying pan and add the chopped onions.
- When the onion turns golden, mash the baked potatoes and add them along with the finely cut green chillies.
- Add seasonings like finely chopped curry leaves, appropriate quantity of salt, turmeric and mix well over a medium flame. The filling that goes into the bread pakoda is ready.
- Cut the sides of the bread slices.
- Slightly dampen the bread with a little water but ensure it does not turn soggy or too moist.
- Place two or more spoons of the above masala filling in the centre of the bread and slowly roll into a ball.
- Fry these in a pan of oil till they turn golden brown. Remove and drain well.
- Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.
- Cheat code: The bread roll can be made more easily when the filling is substituted with any dry bhaji or poori masala made earlier in the day.
Last is Asha Suturia's recipe for Green Bonda:
Ingredients:
- 1 cup green saboot moong (whole green gram)
- 1 tbsp rice
- 4-5 green chillies,
- 1 inch ginger piece
- One onion, finely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped spinach
- 1 pinch of hing (asafoetida)
- 1/2 tsp black pepper coarsely powdered
- 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
- Salt to taste
- Oil for deep fyring
Method of preparation:
- Soak the moong and rice together for 4-5 hours.
- Grind the soaked moong, rice, ginger, green chillies, spinach coarsely and add the rest of ingredients.
- Mix well and drop lemon-size balls in hot oil.
- Fry light golden and drain.
- Serve hot with tomato ketchup or mint chutney.
Do you have any special monsoon recipes that you'd like to share with us and other readers? Simply write in to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Monsoon Recipes') with instructions on how to prepare lip-smacking rainy-day foods and we'll publish your recipes right here on rediff.com. Make sure to include your name, age and hometown and try to come up with the hottest, tastiest snacks you can this rainy season.
We're smacking our lips and waiting, so write in right away!