How to make aloo/ potato / traditional samosa at home

Aloo / Potato Samosa / Indian snacks samosa

Samosa are one of the best snacks in India. In my colleges days I loved it to eat at evening in most of times. 

Most of us think making samosa is difficult. But it is easy to cook, Check out below you will agree it.

Preparation  time - under 20 mins
Cooking time - under 30 mins
Yields- approximately 10-12 samosas

To make samosa we have to prepare a maida/ All purpose flour dough.

Ingredients needed for maida/all purpose flour dough 

All purpose flour/ maida - 1 cup
Carom seeds / Ajwain  /omam - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt - to taste

Method 

In a bowl mix together all purpose flour/maida, salt and oil nicely with your finger tips.The flour should be well mixed with the oil. This is done to get crispy samosas.

Then add carom seeds, water little at a time and make a pliable dough, not too soft.

Cover it with a moist cloth (to prevent it from drying) and let the dough rest for 20 minutes.

In the meantime we will prepare the stuffing for samosa.

Ingredients for potato filling

Onion - 1, Chop it
Green chilli -3
Ginger/garlic paste - 1/2 table spoon
boiled Potatos - 3 , Smash them
Chopped Coriander leaves
1/2 cup boiled peas
Chilli powder -1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander powder -1 tsp
Cumin powder -1/2 tsp
Lemon juice to taste

Preparation:

Now, heat a vessel, add oil, add cumin powder, green chilies  and chopped onions and allow them to brown. Add the ginger-garlic paste, spice powders and a tbsp of water and saute for a few secs. Add the smashed potato and boiled peas and cook over medium flame for a few minutes, approx 3-4 mts. Add kasuri methi and lemon juice, mix them. Add the chopped coriander leaves and turn off heat.

Now Stuff is ready.

Let's start preparation for outer layer of Samosa.

Now, make balls from the dough. Smaller balls for smaller samosa, bigger balls for bigger samosa.

Now take a ball from balls of dough and Roll each ball with the rolling pin into a slightly thin puri ( round shape ) or an oval.  Take a knife and Cut it into half( to the center ).

Now take a semi-circle( half ) piece of the roti, and make a fold in the shape of a triangle as shown in the image. Seal along the fold with wet fingers. Now place this cone between your thumb and index finger and place a ball of the stuffing inside. Wet your finger and run it along the edges of the dough with water and seal to enclose the stuffing.

Press the ends firmly so that the filling does not come out when they are deep fried. Repeat the process until all dough ball are complete.

Add oil in a wide vessel. Heat the wide vessel to deep fry the samosas. Heat the oil till it is hot enough to fry samosa.

Now, the flame to medium and drop 2-3 samosas into the oil slowly and deep fry them till its color changes to golden brown, turning them carefully to the other side so that it cooks both sides.

Fry remaining samosas in the same manner.

Now, you can enjoy eating it.

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How to make Laddu/Ladoo

How to make Laddu/Ladoo at Home

Boondi Laddu is a delicious Indian sweet make for special occasions and for festivals like Diwali.  It gets its very cute name from the Hindi word for drops or droplets - Boond. Another name for it is Motichoor Laddoo (Moti means bead or pearl in Hindi). Read the recipe and you'll see why! Once you're through reading, make some Boondi Ke Laddoo, you WILL NOT regret it!

I am here showing you 2 methods:

Method 1:

Ingredients:

·        1/2 kg bengal gram flour

·        Enough milk to make a thick batter (use full cream milk)

·        1/4 tsp baking powder

·        4 cups water

·        1/2 kg sugar

·        1 1/2 tsps cardamom powder (made from green cardamoms)

·        10 strands saffron (optional but highly recommended)

·        3/4 cup finely chopped dried fruits - cashews, almonds, pistachios

·        6 tbsps milk

·        Ghee (recipe below) for deep frying (you could use vegetable/ canola/ sunflower oil but ghee gives tastier results)

·        Special equipment: A very fine metal sieve

Preparation:

·        Heat your oven for 10 minutes at 150 C/ 300 F/ Gas Mark 2 and then turn off. Keep the oven shut to contain heat.

·        While the oven is heating, put the 4 cups of water and the sugar in a deep pan and boil. As it boils scum will rise to the top. Skim this off with a metal sieve. The sugar syrup must be boiled till it reaches a one-thread consistency. To see how this is done, take a look at Making Sugar Syrup For Indian Desserts.

·        Once the syrup has reached the one-thread consistency, remove from the fire immediately, add the cardamom powder, stir and place the pan in the previously heated oven to keep the syrup warm.

·        Now put the bengal gram flour and baking powder in a large bowl and mix well.

·        Add a little milk at a time till you get a thick batter. Whisk to ensure all lumps are removed and the batter is very smooth.

·        Now heat the ghee on a medium flame till hot. Reduce flame a little.

·        Hold the sieve about 4 inches above the hot ghee and fill a ladle with the batter. Pour the batter into the sieve. Now use another spoon to gently press the batter through the sieve and into the ghee. It will fall like tiny drops/ beads - Boondi - into the oil! This is what gives the Laddoos their name! Press through all the batter you had put into the sieve like this.

·        Now fry the Boondi till they are a very pale golden colour. When done, drain, remove and put into a separate bowl. The fried Boondi should be cooked but not crispy.

·        Repeat till all the batter is used up.

·        Once all your Boondi is ready, coarsely crush about 1/4 of it with a fork. Add the finely chopped dried fruits, pour the warm syrup over all the Boondi and keep aside for 10 minutes. The Boondi will soak up the sugar syrup and soften.

·        While this is happening warm the 6 tbsps of milk very slightly and then soak the saffron strands in it.

·        After the Boondi has sat in the syrup for 10 minutes, pour this saffron milk (remove strands before pouring) over it. Mix well.

·        Now grease your hands lightly with some ghee and start forming the syrup-soaked Boondi into walnut-sized (or slightly larger) balls (Laddoo in Hindi). Press gently but firmly to bind the Laddoos together. Arrange as you go, on a lightly greased platter .

·        Allow the Laddoos to cool to room temperature before serving.

·        Boondi Laddoos can be made ahead of time and stored in a cool, dry place in an airtight container for about a week.

Method 2:

Ingredients needed

Kadalai mavu /Bengal gram flour - 1/2 kg (500 grams)
Rice flour - 1/4 cup
Cooking soda - 1/4 tsp and a pinch
Lemon Yellow food color - a pinch
Ghee - 1 1/2 tbsp

For the sugar syrup

Sugar - 3/4 kg ( 750 grams )
Water - 2 cups
Milk - 1/4 cup to remove impurities from sugar

Cardamom powder - 1/4 tsp
Pachai karpuram /Edible camphor- a generous pinch
Cashew nuts -25 grams (break it )
Raisins -50 grams
Cloves - 5-6

Preparation

Sieve both bengal gram flour and rice flour separately.

Fry cashew nuts, raisin and cloves in ghee separately and keep it aside.


Now,  you have to prepare the sugar syrup and keep it ready.


Take a pan, add water and sugar, mix well first. Then bring it to boil.

Add 1/4 cup of milk to it, all the impurities in sugar will come to the surface. Remove it with a ladle.

Boil sugar syrup till you get a one string consistency.

How to find one string consistency?

1.When you pour a little sugar syrup in a plate with little water, it should not dissolve.

2.When you touch it between your index finger and thumb and pull it apart, it should form a string.

3.Or just lift the ladle from the sugar syrup and wait for a few seconds- it will form a string. Switch off the flame.

Add cardamom powder, pachai karpuram, fried cashew nuts, raisins and cloves to the sugar syrup.

For Making boondi

Mix both bengal gram flour and rice flour, add cooking soda and a pinch of yellow color.

Add water and make a batter. I added around 2 cups + 1/3 cup of water and it was perfect for me. You add water little by little carefully to get the batter  consistency.  It should neither be too thin nor thick.

Heat oil and pour a little batter on the boondi ladle and gently tap it. Tiny droplets of batter will fall into the hot oil. Fry till golden brown. Keep aside.

Note - Do not fry it too crispy . Remove it from oil a stage before that.

Repeat the process for the rest of the batter.

After the boondi cools a little, add half of it to the sugar syrup.

Put the rest of the boondi in a blender and grind it a little. Take a small mixie jar and blend it little by little only for a few seconds.

Now add this also to the sugar syrup. Mix both well together.

Making of laddu/ladoo


Add a tbsp of ghee and make balls out of it. Yummm…. !!!!!!!! laddus are ready


Enjoy the day with yummy laddus and also parcel it beautifully and gift to your near and dear ones.


If you have any doubts regarding this recipe, do leave a comment in the comment section, I will be happy to answer your queries as I am just a click away!

How to make payasam/samiya

What would tempt you to learn how to make semiya payasam, also known as vermicelli payasam or shavige payasa? Its fine taste and its ease of making are perhaps the two reasons. Semiya payasam is a dish that is made on the day of most festivals and functions. This traditional sweet does not require deep frying. Even this dish is gives health, few items are enough to make this dish.

As cooking the semiya payasam / vermicelli payasam is not complex, the steps to make this sweet are few. You can savor this food even if it is cold.

Ingredients

1-1/2 litres of milk 

1/2 cup of semiya/ vermicelli/shavige

1/2 cup sugar or to taste

3 tablespoons of halved cashewnuts and Badam

3 tablespoons of raisins/dried grapes

a few strands of saffron

1/4 teaspoon of cardamom/Elachi powder

1 + 1 teaspoon of ghee

Method:

-> Boil milk in a utensil/deep bowl/vessel. Keep aside.

NOTE: It is better to boil the milk. Otherwise, when you add sugar to it, the milk may curdle.

-> Heat ghee in a thick-bottom utensil.

Add cashew nuts, Badam and dry grapes. Fry till the cashewnuts turn to golden brown.

Remove the cashew nuts, Badam and grapes. Keep aside.

-> In the same utensil, fry semiya / shavige / vermicelli till it turns to golden brown. 

-> Add 2 cups of boiling milk and 1 cup of boiling water.

Cook till the semiya becomes soft.

-> Add the remaining milk and sugar. Boil for another 3-5 minutes.

-> Add the fried cashew nuts and grapes.

Add cardamom powder. 

Mix.

Switch off the stove.  Let the semiya absorb most of the milk.

Semiya payasam / vermicelli payasam / shavige payasa is ready.

Tips:

          *  You can cook the semiya entirely in milk, without adding water. Note, however, you may have to cook the semiya for more time, depending on the semiya.

           * To make the semiya payasam taste richer, add about 1/2 a cup of Milkmaid. Because it already contains sugar, use additional sugar only as required.

          *  I add cardamom as a whole,crushed a little.I feel this adds more flavour to the finished dish.Yo can remove the peels of cardamom before serving.Or if you prefer,add crushed cardamom seeds alone.
           
            *  Adding the nuts while the semiya is cooking makes the nuts soft and delicious.However,if you like some crunch in the nuts,add half in the payasam while cooking and the other half as garnish.