MADHUR VADA

A crispy spicy snack from Karnataka

INGREDIENTS

1 cup flour
1¼ cup rice flour
salt, to taste
1 onion, chopped
½ cup roasted semolina
4½ cups peanut or vegetable oil
1/3 cup coarsely chopped peanuts
15 dried red chillies, chopped
1/3 cup green chillies, chopped fine
2 sprigs curry leaves
2 to 3 cups water

1 Mix flours with salt, and add onion and semolina. Set aside.

2 Heat ½ cup oil in a pan and fry peanuts and red chillies for two minutes on low heat. Add green chillies and curry leaves and immediately take off heat.

3 Allow to cool slightly and add to the flour mixture. Add water to make a thick dough, and knead until it comes together.

4 Roll into small patties and deep fry in the remaining oil til golden brown. Serve hot.

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ALOO TIKKIES

A street snack from North India

INGREDIENTS

30 ml oil + extra, for frying
4 tsp cumin seeds
a pinch of asafoetida
100 g green peas, chopped fine
2 tsp chopped ginger
4 green chillies, chopped fine
¾ tsp cumin powder
4 tsp chaat masala powder
salt, to taste
400 g potatoes, boiled, peeled and grated
20 g coriander leaves, chopped fine
100 g cornflour

1 To make the stuffing, heat 30 ml oil in a pan and add 2 tsp cumin seeds. When they splutter, add asafoetida, green peas, ginger and green chillies, and sauté until peas are crispy. Add cumin and chaat masala powders and salt. Set aside.

2 To make the tikki, mix grated potato with remaining cumin seeds, salt, coriander leaves and cornflour. Stuff portions of the potato mixture with the stuffing, and make tikkis.

3 Deep-fry tikkis in hot oil till golden brown. Serve hot.

SUKHIYAN

The sweet goodness of jaggery and green gram, served up in a crispy deep-fried shell.

INGREDIENTS

200 g whole green gram (moong dal)
salt, to taste
2 cups water
2 tsp ghee
200 g jaggery
200 g coconut, grated
½ tsp cardamom powder

1 Pressure-cook whole green gram with a pinch of salt and water. When done, drain water and set aside.

2 In a heavy-bottom pan, heat ghee and add jaggery. When jaggery has almost melted, add coconut,

cardamom powder and cooked green gram. Sauté until mixture comes together and then remove from heat.

3 Once cool, make lemon sized roundels of the mixture and set aside.

4 Mix flour with a pinch of salt, and add enough water to make a medium thick batter. Dip each of the roundels in the batter and deep-fry in hot oil until golden and crisp. Serve hot.