Muthiya / Steam vegetable Dumplings (from Rajasthan)

Muthias are steamed vegetable dumplings. I have selected to make them with cabbage, but you can make muthias using zucchini (Italian squash) or Bottle gourd. This is a ery healthy snack for the entire family. Serve them hot/cold along with green chutney or tomato chutney.

Ingredients:
Finly shredded red-cabbage 1 medium size
Gram flour/Besan - 1 cup or as required
Lemon juice 1-2 tblspn
Kastoori methi 2 tblspn (dry roasted and powdered between plams)
Green chilli chopped 2/ as per taste
Cumin seed 1 tspn
Turmeric 1/2 tspn
Salt to taste
Oil 3 tblspn
Mustard seeds 1/2 tblspn
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (til)
Whole red chilli 4
Seasame seeds 2-3 tblspn
Coriander leaves chopped 1/2 cup

Preparation:
Mix gram flour, fenugreek, cumin seed, turmeric, green chili, sugar, lemon juice, oil, and salt in a bowl.
Add the cabbage and mix well. Mixture should be like a very soft dough. (add 1-2 tblspn more gram flour if required)
Divide the mixture with greased fingers into small balls and drop them on a greased idli maker/steamer slowly.
Steam them covered for 18 to 20 minutes.
Put a fork through and check if ready. (fork should come out clean).
Keep them aside to cool and slice them into two.

Heat the oil in frying pan on medium high.
Add mustard seeds after they crackle add sesame seeds and red chili and stir-fry for few seconds.
Add muthias and stir-fry them for three to four minutes until they are light brown.
Garnish them with chopped corriander leaves.
Serve them hot or at room temperature.


Tips:
Make the mixture just before you are ready to steam them. Squeeze them between the palm after shredding.
If you have more quantity, add the salt as and well frying.
You could store these in air-tight container inside fridge for more than a week or freeze them before seasoning.
Thaw the frozen muthias and season them when you wish to serve.

Soya Roll with Sour Cream-Tomato Ketchup Dip

Ingredients:
soya bean (not the soya chunks) - 1 cup boiled
potatoes boiled 2 medium size
Onion chopped 2 medium size
Ginger paste 1 tblspn
Garlic 3-4 cloves paste
Green chilli 3-4 or as per taste
cumin powder 1 tblspn
Cumin 1/2 tspn
Garam masala 1/2 tspn (powders cardamom, cinnamon & cloves)
Salt to taste
Oil to deep fry - about 1 and 1/2 inch of the pan you are using.
Black salt 2-3 pinch, optional
Sour cream - 1 cup
Tomato ketchup - 1/2 cup

Preparation:
Boil the soya beans in pressure cooker with 1 and 1/2 cup water and salt to taste. (They should boil such that they mash when pressed between fingers)
Boil the potatoes with salt and mash them well.
Take oil in a non-stick pan and add cumin to fry.
Add onion & fry till the onion turns brown.
Add ginger, garlic, cumin powder, chilli and fry in medium heat.
Add the soya beans(without water) and fry well.
Add the mashed potatoes, salt to taste, garam-masala.
Mix well and fry.
Let it cool and then make euqal size small balls.

Take bread and dip it in water. Squeeze the water well.
Place the soya stuffings and roll the bread to close all the sides.

Take oil in the frying pan and heat it well.
Place the roll and fry well all the sides till it turns light brown.
While serving sprinkle a pinch of black salt.

For the Dip:
Take tomato ketchup and sour cream and mix well to serve along with this dip.

Fish Cutlet - fried Fish nuggets in Bengali style

This is a typical Bengali style of cooking and is served as snack to the guests or no special occasions in almost every household. West Bengal is in the eastern part of India. Bengalis are known to be fish lovers so much so that have it every day as a daily diet almost like Americans eat Burgers!

Ingredients:

Tinned Tun fish in water - 300 gm (or any other as per your choice)
Potato - 3 medium size boiled and mashed (lesser than the fish)
Onion - 1 medium sized chopped
Ginger paste - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 1/2 tsp
Green chilli paste/chopped - 2 tsp/as per taste
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Cumin - 1/2 tsp dry roasted
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp (cinnamon, cardamon & cloves in equal quantity)
Salt to taste
Egg - 2 or more
Bread crumbs - 1 cup or more
Oil to deep fry - atleast 1 and 1/2 inch of the pan you are using

Preparation:
1. Boil the potatoes with salt and mash them well.
2. Take 2 tblspn oil in a non-stick pan.
3. Fry the onion till it starts to change the colour.
4. Add the ginger and garlic paste and keep frying.
5. Drain the water from the tinned fish and add them.
6. Add the chilli paste, turmeric, cumin powder, salt and reduce the flame to low heat.
7. Cover the lid of the pan.
8. Keep stirring in between so that the fish do not stick to the bottom.
9. Keep frying till the raw smell of the spices are gone and the fish is well cooked.
10. Add the mashed potato and stir for a minute or two.
11. Add garam masala and switch off the flame and keep it covered.

Note:
Don't overcook the fish and make it dry.
Let this mixture cool down.

12. After its cool enough to keep on the palm, make equal potions of circular or oval shapes - around 20 or more as per the size you wish to serve.
13. Beat the eggs well and place on a flattened plate.
14. On another flat plate place bread crumbs.
15. Take a deep frying pan and heat oil to fry.
16. Take the cutlet and dip it into the egg.
17. Remove it from the egg and roll it well on the bread crumbs.
18. Dust the excess breadcrmbs and place it slowly into the oil.
19. Fry on medium heat till the colour starts to change to light brown and then fry the other side.
20. Remove the cutlet on a paper towel to soak excess oil.
21. Sprinkle a pinch of black salt on the cutlets & serve them hot along with good portion of shredded salad & tomato ketchup or capsicum dip or green chutney.

Note:
While rolling on breadcrumbs excess of it should be avoided. If the breadcrumbs is in excess, they will brun on the bottom of the pan.
Always fry in medium heat to cook the entire cutlet or the middle portion may not cook well.
In case tinned fish is not available:
- Choose a fish with less or just a single thick bone, my favorite is Bhetki(Red snapper) when its available.
- Cook the fish in salted water. Let it cook and remove the bones carefully.
- Further recipe follows as usual.


Cook time: 1 hours