IMBB #18- Let's get frying

Indians love frying, the bad deep frying, of course. I love this month's IMBB topic hosted by Linda of At our table. It gives me an excuse to make some things I crave for but always seem to resist making them because they are out-of-fashion 'coz they are DEEP-FRIED. Samosas were my all-time favorite snack with tea but the ones available here are those with a leathery sorry-looking skin and a mashed potato filling that lacks the flavor that true Indian samosas have. So before I leave for a short vacation to the Oregon coast, I felt I had to make it and participate in this month's IMBB event with this great theme. So here is my spicy samosa with a crispy shell that stays that way for quite a while. The secret is frying for as much as 5 minutes on medium-low flame.

Sanjeev Kapoor is a famous chef in India and this is from his book. It is the crust that makes or breaks a samosa recipe and his crust comes up to the mark.

Punjabi Samosa (makes about 24 medium samosas)

1 cup all-purpose Flour
3 T oil/ghee
salt

Mix the above ingredients and add water tbsp at a time to make a stiff dough. Knead it until smooth. Keep covered for 10-15 minutes.

Filling:
4 large waxy potatoes, boiled, peeled and mashed
1/2 cup cooked peas, drained well
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coarsely crushed coriander seeds
1 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1-2 tsp garam masala
salt
4-5 broken cashewnuts (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped mint (optional)
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
1 tsp dried mango powder or 1 Tbsp lemon juice
salt (filling should be well-salted)

Oil for deep frying

Heat a tsp of oil. Add cumin seeds and crushed coriander and fry them for 30 sec or so. Add cashewnuts, ginger, mint and green chilies and saute for 1 min. Add mashed potatoes, peas, turmeric, salt, red chili powder and garam masala. Saute for another minute. Finally mix in cilantro and lemon juice or mango powder. Taste for salt before using. Let the filling cool completely.

Divide the dough into 12 pieces. Roll each piece into an oval, the dough being quite thin and pliable. Cut each oval in its diameter. Here is a link with some nice pictures of this complicated procedure. Form triangular pockets with each half, sealing edges well using a little water. Place the traingles in your hand, and open up the pockets and stuff with a tbsp of filling. Seal them up once again with water.

All the samosas can be made before starting the frying process and kept covered under a paper towel. Deep fry in medium hot oil for 5 min or so until a nice golden brown. Serve with green chutney or ketchup.

Pasta at last

Things have been hectic at work and so many holy days that seem to be coming every week. So many things cooked but no real posts. There have been several cooking sprees followed by days of lethargy with only rice and vegetables to eat. It surprises me that I never think of pasta for an easy meal. May be it has everything to do with my south Indian upbringing. When a quick meal is required, a hastily made rice, dal and vegetables (thanks to my trusted pressure cooker from India) seems easier to make than pasta. Clearly if only cooking times are considered pasta certainly wins hands down.

Eating rice is becoming very habitual. So to break out from my cooking 'block', I decided to make some pasta from my newly acquired Lidia's family table cookbook. Lidia Bastianich is quite detailed about sauteeing times and cooking times. Her soups sound very warming and interesting in their use of sofrito that is added at the end of the cooking process. But for now here is her recipe for sun-dried tomato and cannellini bean with rigatoni.

Sun-dried tomato and cannellini bean pasta

3 T EVOO
2 T oil from sun-dried tomatoes
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes
1.5 cups cooked beans
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil that have been sliced into strips
salt
1 T chopped parsley
grated parmigiano-reggiano
Hot pasta cooking water
1 lb rigatoni

Start cooking pasta. In a skillet, heat both the oils, add garlic and chili flakes and cook until colored lightly. Add the tomato strips and toast for a minute. Pour in 1 cup of pasta water and cook until liquid reduces to half the quantity. Stir in cannelini beans and 1/2 tsp salt and another 1 cup or more pasta water. Bring to a rapid boil for 4 min or so. The sauce would have become sort of thicker 'coz of the beans. Scoop the pasta onto the sauce and saute pasta until done to your liking. Toss in parsley and cheese.

The dish is so flavorful although I added only about 1/2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes to reduce the oiliness. The tender and creamy beans are a great contrast too. According to Lidia, spinach also is a great addition to this sauce.

First-ever blog party- Fried Halloumi bites

Another new blog event happening. This time it is an ingenious idea by Stephanie of Dispensing Happiness. Stephanie will be busy plating up finger foods this Thursday. My contribution to her table is Fried Halloumi bites with lime-caper dressing. For those who have not tried the cyprus Halloumi yet, it tastes like a salty, more flavorful paneer. It becomes soft when subjected to any heat treatment but does not become stringy and melted.

Fried Halloumi Cheese with Lime and Caper dressing- A Delia Smith recipe

1 (8.8 oz) pack halloumi cheese

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 level tablespoons well-seasoned flour

For the dressing:

juice and zest 1 lime
1 heaped tablespoon capers, drained
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon grain mustard
1 level tablespoon chopped fresh coriander leaves
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pat cheese dry with kitchen paper. Then, using a sharp knife, slice it into 8 slices, including the ends. Now prepare the dressing: Mash the capers slightly and mix in all other ingredients together in a small mixing bowl. Go easy on the salt since halloumi is quite salty.

When you're ready to serve the halloumi, heat the oil in a frying pan over a medium heat. When the oil is really hot, press each slice of cheese into seasoned flour to coat it on both sides, then add them to the hot pan and cook 1 min on each side. The color should be a nice golden brown. Serve them straight away on warmed plates with the dressing poured over and garnished with coriander.

They are flavor-packed bites. You can also serve them on pita or grilled polenta squares. Thanks Stephanie for coming up with a wonderful idea. I can't wait to read the round-up of all the appetizers.