Onion Crunchies (Pyaz ke Pakode)

Hey friends! Reposting the recipe with my clicks which were missing earlier.

These crunchies taste best with hot tea. We enjoy it whenever it rains in Delhi. You can enjoy them this winter too. When I was younger I have eaten them for lunch with rasam rice & have loved it.

Ingredients:

• 3 medium sized Onions - thinly sliced
• 4 green chillies - slit lengthwise & then chopped
• Red Chilli Powder - as per taste
• Gramflour (Besan) - 4 tbsps
• Rice flour - 1 tbsps
• Salt - As per taste
• Water - 1/2 cup
• Oil - for frying

Method:
After slicing the onions just work them with your hands to separate the slices. Now in a separate bowl add the gramflour, rice flour, red chilli powder, chopped green chillies & salt. Pour some water to it & make a paste. The paste shouldn't be very thin or thick. Now, add the onions to this batter. It should be such that the onions stick to it & the batter shouldn't drip. In a wok add oil to fry the crunchies. When the oil is about to smoke scatter small portions of these pakodas in the wok. These will get fried fast as the coating is not major & as the oil was very hot. As soon as you finish adding pakodas into the oil lower the flame. Keep turning them. When they start browning take them off the oil onto paper napkins.

Note:
1. These are best served with green chutney & tomato sauce
2. Riceflour has been used to make it tastier & crunchier

Italian Spaghetti - Perfecto Primo

Love Italian food!!!

Perla, is my Italian friend. We became friends in college & I used to force her to get into the kitchen & cook some mouthwatering Italian dishes for us. This one is one of those I learnt from her.

It makes for a wonderful dinner at my home.

The Italian cuisine is considered as a prime example for a 'perfecto' cuisine, and is imitated all over the world.

Here's one of the 'Perfecto Primo' Italian recipe I cook. 

If you're wondering what primo means then it is The First Course of an Italian meal which usually consists of some hot dish like pasta, risotto or soup. 

YOU NEED:

• Spaghetti Pasta - 200 gms
• Large Ripe tomatoes - 4 nos.
• Onion - 1 no.
• Green Chillies - 5 nos.
• Garlic - 2 cloves
• Red chilli sauce - as per tolerance level
• Grated Parmesan Cheese - as much as you require
• Salt
• Olive oil - 1 tbsp

METHOD
Pasta:
 Boil water in a deep stock pot, add half teaspoon oil & some salt in it. Slowly, add the pasta & keep stirring for a uniform cooking. Do not cover the pot as it might get over cooked. Cook as per instructions on the pack. When it gets cooked remove from heat & add some cold water so it stops cooking in the hot water. The pasta should be cooked yet firm. Now drain it in a colander & keep aside. Make sure you don't cover it with any lid. If your sauce is not ready keep working them with your hands to avoid clumping. If you feel it might then run some more cold water through it. It might clump only if you do not add oil during the boiling process.


Sauce:
In a skillet pour the olive oil & sauté the onions, crushed garlic until the onions are translucent. Blanch & purée the tomatoes with green chillies in a blender, add to the skillet.  Add salt & some red chilli sauce.


Mix it up:
Now, add the spaghetti pasta to this sauce & sprinkle the grated parmesan cheese on top. Add as much as you want unless you're on a diet :) 
Serve your Perfecto immediately!


NOTE: 

• You could use any other cooking oil instead of olive oil
• You could avoid using red chilli sauce

Do leave in a comment or write to me at relishdelish@gmail.com for any queries.

Spicy Hot Chilli Cauliflower/Gobhi Chilli

It is a starter & can be commonly found on the restaurant menu in India. 

This is made dry however you can order it with some thick gravy too which is prepared with the sauces.

If you have a liking for spicy food then you are in for a tongue tickling experience.

Here's how you experience it...

• Cauliflower florets - 3 cups
• Diced onion chunks - 1 cup
• Slit green chillies - 10
• Cornflour - 3 tbsp
• Maize flour (Maida) - 3 tbsp
• Salt - As per taste
• Edible red/orange color - as required
• Red chilli powder - as per tolerance
• Red chilli sauce - as required
• Green chilli sauce - as required
• Tomato sauce - as required

Method:
In a deep pan boil water with 2 tsp salt. Immerse the cauliflower florets in it & let it cook till just done. Do not over cook it. Take them out when done & dry them on a paper towel. Mean while ready the batter by mixing in the maize flour, cornflour, salt, edible color & water. Be careful while preparing the batter. The consistency of the batter should be just as much to cover the florets well with a thin layer on top.
Now dip the florets & deep fry them in oil. You will not need to wait for long as the florets are already boiled so will cook fast. Now, take them out when done & place them on a paper towel to let the extra oil get absorbed in the paper towel. Next, check the pan/wok for remaining oil in which you deep fried the florets. We now need only 2 tbsp of oil in the wok so if there is extra oil take it out. Heat the oil on high flame & when it is about to get smoky add the diced onions & slit green chillies with salt & some red chilli powder. The onions should not get soft & soggy. You just need to saute them for a minute & then add green chilli sauce, red chilli sauce, soya sauce & tomato sauce & continue to saute for another 30 seconds. Now add the cauliflower florets & mix in with sauces to enjoy the spicy hot chilli cauliflower.

Note:

• This is a dry dish. To make it with thick gravy just add the sauces in a larger quantity.
• Some recipes will ask you to directly fry the florets however that will make the florets soggy so better boil them then pat dry before coating with the batter & frying.
• I have seen my cousin adding diced capsicum to the recipe however I feel capsicum dominates the taste so I prefer not to make it an ingredient in this recipe.
• You can enjoy them as snacks, starters or with fried rice, roti (indian flat bread).
• Tomato sauce if put in larger quantity will make the dish sweet so be careful while adding it.