Vegetable Biryani

Remember those days when Vegetarians(mainly the bachelors)traveling abroad carried a lot of homemade pastes,MTR ready to eats,easy to cook meals etc,often attracting the attention of the customs.This made me wonder if it was indeed difficult to survive as a “veggie” in the US? It’s a common misconception people have about the scarcity of Vegetarian food.Things have changed dramatically in the past few years owing to an increase in the Indian Immigrant population.Most restaurants cater to the needs of vegetarians giving them a fair deal.Two days back, P and I we went to TGIF and were bowled over seeing a customized menu card for “vegetarians”.

Of course there are times when we have to compromise on our likings, like am fond of Burgers and I don’t find any Veggie ones in any of the Burger joints like a Mc Donalds,Wendys or even in Burger King.I cudn’t care less as there are many other things to indulge on and enjoy.

I belong to school of thought that any food with the right blend of spices and timely cooking will taste as good regardless of whether it has meat or not.And I enjoy conversations with my ardent Non vegetarian friends on the same.Recently,a friend of mine argued on Biryani being the best when cooked with meat.According to him, a true Biryani is with either Mutton or Chicken and there is no such thing called Vegetable Biryani .While I can understand the tastebuds of my fellow Non Veg friends,I took it as a friendly challenge and made this spicy,aroma filled “Vegetable Biryani”(Basmati Rice layered with spices and vegetables).The word “Biryani” is a Persian word which means “fried before cooking”.This is a very popular dish in India,Pakistan,Iraq(my recent visit to a Kurdish restaurant helped me taste some,will talk about it in my next post),Afghanistan etc.There are also different types of Biryani ,Hyderabadi Biryani being the most popular one. Needless to say this was a royal dish for the Nawabs and Nizams.

I did mention about the origin of Pulao in my earlier post on “Tawa Pulao”.The difference between a Pulao and Biryani is - In Pulao the vegetables and rice are stirred/mixed before cooking,where as in Biryani the vegetables and rice are layered during cooking.And also Biryani is made more spicy and colorful,thus being my fav one too!

Prep Time - 20min
Start to Finish - 45-50min
Servings – 5

Ingredients :

For the masala (to be grinded to a smooth paste)

Ginger – an inch
Garlic – 2 large pods
Red Onion – 1
Tomato – 1 small
Poppy seed – 2 tbsp
Mint leaves – a few leaves
Coriander leaves – 2tbsp
Chilli powder – 1 tbsp

Main Ingredients:

Basmati Rice – 2 cups
Ghee – 6 tbsp
Bay leaf – 1
Red Onion – 1 (sliced)
Cashewnuts and Raisins – 3 tbsp (roasted in li’l bit of ghee)
Tomatoes – 2 chopped (I used Roma tomatoes)
Boiled Vegetables (Carrots,French Beans,Peas,Cauliflower,Potato) – 2- 3 cups chopped to an inch thickness
Black Pepper corns – 1 tsp
Milk – 3 tbsp
Coriander Powder – 1 tbsp
Cilantro - 3 tbsp
Saffron – a pinch(soak in 3 tbsp warm milk/water)
Cinnamon – 2 sticks
Cardamom – 4 nos
Salt to taste

Method :

1.Cook rice along with salt and ensure each and every grain is separated. Mix saffron and allow it to cool.
2.Heat Ghee (4 tbsp),add Bay leaf,Cinnamon Sticks,Cardamom,Pepper corns and Onions. Saute the Onions until translucent,add the masala paste(already grinded),turmeric powder and Coriander powder. When you see the Oil separating from the sides,add the tomatoes and sauté for few minutes.
3.Now add the boiled vegetables,salt and coriander leaves.Cook for a while until you see the veggies completely coated with the masalas.If needed, you may add ½ cup of water.
4.Preheat the oven to 375F,on a large baking pan,smear ghee(remaining) in the bottom,spread one layer of cooked rice,cashewnuts and raisins and then spread li’l bit of the vegetable gravy on top,thus forming layers of vegetables,nuts and rice.End it with the rice,sprinkle milk and ½ tsp of ghee on the top.
5.Cover and bake for 20min.Serve hot along with raita.Also, if you wish you may turn it upside down before serving.



The Rice already has salt in it,hence be careful when you add salt to the veggies.You may also add grated Paneer at the end,this would give a richer taste.And trust me,after baking the Aroma that it brings is simple mind blowing.

This is off to "Ravishing Rice" event hosted my Nags of the Edible Garden,originally started by Meeta of Monthly mingle

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Kesar Badam Phirni( Saffron Almond Rice Pudding)

Weather is a great metaphor for life.The change in weather gets me everytime.Just a week back in India,I was sweating like a pig at 115F,jes in a day when I reached here it was 60F and I needed a light jacket.Awww,I really admire mother nature for the way she has made things for us.As soon as I landed in Delhi,the first thing I enjoyed was to walk barefoot,no socks.....hurray!The weather was just so perfect,no sweater,no jackets,no ear protectors & no gloves. Here,towards the end of winter,I was a l’il irritated with everything white around me…I mean the snow,but now its Spring time,the greening of the grass,the leaves,flowers and blooms starting to come etc,it brings a whole new life together.Wonderful!

Well coming to the post, heard about “Phirni”? It’s a traditional Indian dessert,a rice pudding to be precise which is primarily made with milk,sugar and rice.This has been introduced to us by the Mughals.It’s very similar to the “Kheer” that we make.However,Kheer is Pakistani in origin,while Phirni is Indian.Though the original would always be the Kesar Badam Phirni, the variations to this are endless,the others include - Pistachios,Gulab(Rose),Chocolate,Mango,Apple & Banana Phirnis.



Ingredients:

Basmati Rice/Sona Masoori Rice – 4tbsp
Milk – 1 Gallon
Almond(Badam) – ½ cup
Saffron – a pinch (soaked in warm milk for 30mins)
Sugar – 1 cup
Cardamom Powder – ½ tsp
Silvered Almonds – 1 tbsp(for garnishing)

Method:

Wash and soak rice for about an hour.Soak Badam for about 6 hours,peel the skin and blend it into a smooth paste along with the rice.Boil milk,add sugar & cardamom powder,continue boiling until it reduces to 3/4th quantity.Stir well in between.Add the paste and saffron(already soaked in milk).Allow it to boil until it thickens completely(custard like consistency).Pour into individual cups,garnish with silvered almonds and refrigerate for about 6 hours.Serve chilled.



The last time I made this,instead of soaking the rice for long,I microwaved it for 2mins.Also,if you are too lazy to wait for the milk to thicken,you may add 2 tbsp of rice flour mixed with 1/4 cup of water,this will help in thickening faster.Adding Mango to this would be Mango Phirni,adding Banana would be Banana Phirni and so on.

This is off to "Ravishing Rice" event hosted my Nags of the Edible Garden,originally started by Meeta of Monthly mingle

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Bourbon Biscuits and am back!!!!

Okie…am back,not that I ever left,am back to the blogging world! I thought I would take a moment today to welcome myself back from a long and a wonderful vacation.Am I happy or sad???? Well,I have mixed feelings,feeling bad coz am missing my family,happy coz am back to my space,my sweet home. It was a long long….very long vacation,huh and its over now!

As it is said,”If you come as happy as you leave,you have had a good vacation”.I am thoroughly happy to get back,whatever it is end of the day you really wana get back to your den!. Have you heard this one too – “No one needs a vacation more than the person who just had one”.So am ready,P wat say,eh?

Few bloggers thought I disappeared, few kept checking on me…felt nice with all responses.Thanks a lot for stopping by my blog even in my absence. To kick off,I decided to make something sweet, which is actually both P’s & my favourite – Bourbon Biscuits.Does it ring a bell??? Yeah this is the one which is like a sandwich biscuit consisting of two thin dark chocolate biscuits with a chocolate cream filling.This one was one of my all time fav as a kid,I remember licking the cream inside first and then have the biscuit. It surely is a hit amongst kids.The chocolaty color makes this all the more appealing:)

This is P's cousins recipe, I believe she learnt baking before her wedding and his Aunt collated all the recipes n gave it to me during my visit this year.I did change a li’l as per requirement.

Ingredients –

All Purpose Flour/Maida – 1 cup
Sugar – 1/3 cup
Butter – ¼ cup
Baking Soda – 1/4tsp
Honey – 1tsp(optional)
Baking Powder – 1 tsp
Cocoa – 3 tsp
Vanilla Essence – 2tsp
Cold milk – 3-4 tbsp

For Filling(Butter icing)-

Butter – 1/4cup
Icing Sugar – 1/3 cup
Cocoa – 1 tsp
Vanilla Essence – a few drops

Method:

Beat the butter and sugar till light and fluffy. Add essence,honey and Baking Soda and blend well.Sieve the Flour with Cocoa and baking powder.Mix the Flour to the creamed mixture and form a soft dough.Add cold milk to this dough.Roll out the prepared dough on a board(You may use a li’l flour for dusting) and cut with a biscuit cutter(I cudn’t find mine,hence used a knife to cut into rectangles).Prick on top of the cut shapes with a toothpick and sprinkle sugar.Place on a greased and floured baking tray and bake at 355F for 8-10mins.Cool it for 2mins before using the filling.

For the filling:

Mix all the filling ingredients to a smooth paste.Sandwich the biscuits with this chocolate butter icing.



Brown is one of my fav colors too,hence this recipe perfectly fits in for FIC:Favourite.So here it goes to Curry Leaf who is hosting this event originally started by Harini of Tongueticklers.

Except for the baking,which is less than 10min this one is an easy stuff to make.So off it goes to 15 minutes cooking,hosted by Mahima of the Indian Vegetarian Kitchen.

I have missed alot of awards,i did see messages from alot of them about the same.Am yet to check and accept,however would like to thank each and every individual for having thought about me & passing it to me.Thanks a bunch!

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Litchi Cinnamon Custard Bar and Awards!

Social networking sites/social media - tell me who is not addicted? This is something that has caught up with youngsters and elders alike. While at work, never did I have a chance to indulge in such activities,now that I have all the time in the world I got lured into it too. Just a couple days back in Facebook, a friend of mine tagged me for something called – 25 things you have to say about yourself and keep passing the baton. It was funny, yet intriguing. Once done, I decided to do something similar in our very own blogging world ,at least this would give us an opportunity to know our fellow bloggers better other than their culinary expertise. Instead of 25 things, I thought 5 to 7 was good enough to kick start.Coincidentally,Varsha proposed something similar too and tagged me. “Great minds think alike”,don’t they? Let me not bore you much,I am just writing seven of them,will leave the rest to your imagination :-D

1.Kitchen is my exclusive paradise, an area where I pursue my culinary endeavors , no one gets to cook..It’s MY SPACE!

2.I am a cleanliness freak, particularly Kitchen & Bathroom. Utensils lying in the sink is a good enough reason for me to lose my temper.P bares the brunt most times.

3.I drink gallons of water,so I use the loo a lot:-P My friends always take a dig at me for this!

4. I believe,am not only good in making friends but keeping them too,still in touch with folks I’ve known since I was 5yrs old. Touchwood!

5.As a kid I’ve been told” books are like god”,if your feet happens to touch it,take it immediately and hold it close to your eyes (actually its like saying sorry god).Just for fun,my Dad and bro torture me by actually taking a newspaper,touch it to my feet,hide it & make me run around the entire house,I would be relieved only when I find it. Its quite funny but I still believe in this.

6.I don’t claim to be a Master neither a geek,but certainly good at excel and numbers, after all that’s been my bread & butter for long.

7. I drool over Death by Chocolate & Tiramisu,the latter being my fav one.Am crazy to the extent of naming P’s number on my mobile phone as “Tiramisu”

I would be happy to see your responses too, however I leave the choice to you.I am tagging seven of them – Asha,Mahimaa,Supershef,Vidhya,Alka,Hema,Malar

This is also going to be my last post before a long vacation to India.Whenever I get time,I will surely try and check all your blogs.If not,I will catch up with all your posts once am back.I thought to wind up with a sweet dish using any fruit and the soft gui gui Litchi is the fruit that came into my mind first.Its also spelt as “Lychee” and called “Litchu” or “Laichi”.The original recipe was called “Pear Custard Bar” from the book “Taste of Home Desserts”.Instead of Pear, I used Litchi and also tweaked the recipe a li’l and made this gorgeous looking dessert. So here it is….


Ingredients:

Sugar – 1/3 cup
All Purpose Flour – 3/4cup
Vanilla extract/essence – 1 tsp
Pecans – ½ cup
Cashewnuts – ½ cup
Macadamia nuts – ¼ cup(optional)- Ididn’t add this

For the topping:

Cream cheese – 1 package (8 ounces),softened
Sugar – ¼ cup
Vanilla extract/essence – 1 tsp
Litchi – 1 can (this had about 18 pieces),drained
Sugar - ½ tsp
Ground Cinnamon – ½ tsp

Method:

1.Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.Add Vanilla extract,gradually add flour to the creamed mixture.Mix well and stir in the nuts.
2.Press into a greased 8-in square baking pan.Bake at 350F for about 20min or until lightly brown.Cool it.
3.In a small mixing bowl,beat cream cheese until smooth.Beat in sugar(1/2 cup),egg and vanilla.Pour over the crust.
4.Cut the litchi into half,arrange in a single layer over filling.Combine sugar(1/2tsp) and cinnamon;sprinkle over the litchi.Bake at 375F for 30min.Cool on a wire rack for an hour.


5.Cover and refrigerate for at least 2-3 hrs before cutting.


Once its done,the centre will be soft set and will become firmer upon cooling.Store in the refrigerator.

Its time for Awards - Superchef and Malar has passed on these awards to me....thanks so much.

.Also Jaishree has passed on the above mentioned award and the Yumblog award.Thanks so much.


I want to take time,appreciate and thank each of the bloggers,you truly make a difference to the blogging world.Hence,am passing on all these awards to-Varsha,Asha,Mahimaa,Vidhya,Trupti,Alka,Hema,Rajeshwari,Malar,

Jaishree,Priya,Paru,Harini,Usha,Mangala,DeepaHari,

Rekha,Superchef,Dershana,Daily Meals,Ujwal,Preety,

Pavithra,Vani,Redchillies,Cham,Madhu,Madhumitha,

Priya,Lubna,Uma,Lavanya,AnuSriram,Sia,

Navita,Shama,Aparna,Madhuram,Chitra,Ashwini,Vibaas,

Jayasree,Indhu,Akal's SaapaduLG,Maya,

Veggiebelly and Sowmya.

Have fun blogging:)

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Tandoori Gobi

I have been waiting over a month to see some snowfall for all the hype P had given. Am I crazy to wish for it???? Nah,all I wanted is to make a Snowman. Living in the Midwest that is certainly not a big ask.Though the weather has been cold,we haven’t witnessed much snow this year. The nature’s way of creating it white, reflects so well in the night. I wish to have a snowball fight, taste the icicle, skiing and enjoy the wondrous splendor of the nature, there’s always a next winter for these activities. Remember the fairy tales – Little Match girl, trying to sell matchsticks on a wintry New Year’s eve? I have fond memories of my school Annual Day celebration where I won this book as first prize in the Drawing competition while in Class I .My first tryst with snow was through this book.Little did I know that this would turn to reality many years later!

God was kind enough to shower some last week. I was freezing but knowing the stubborn I am didn’t quite listen to P, after a lot of “to do” and “not to do”, went ahead with it . I had a tuff time making one, the snow wasn’t wet (wet granular one is the best one to use),it was difficult to assemble them together. I finally ended up making a snow baby and not a snowman:-D. And the wonderful coincidence to this is the state wide alert for heavy snow storm today:-P


In this weather, what could be more delicious than a hot Tandoori Gobi?


Ingredients –

Cauliflower – 1 (carefully cut into large florets,big chunk would be good)
Thick Curd – 1 cup (I used low fat curd)
Ginger Garlic paste – ¼ tsp(Optional)
Coriander powder -1tsp
Chilli Powder – 2 tsp (Change the spice level as per your taste)
Turmeric Powder – ¼ tsp
Besan – 2 tbsp
Garam Masala – 1tsp
Chunky Chaat Masala – 1 tsp(I used MDH chunky chaat masala)
Green Chillies – 1tsp (Crushed/minced) This is optional.
Olive oil – 1tsp
Lemon juice – 2tsp
Asafoetida/hing – a pinch
Onions – ¼ cup(thinly sliced)
Cilantro – For garnishing
Salt – as required

Method –

1.If you don’t have thick curd, hang curd in a muslin cloth for about half an hour to drain water.
2.Mix the curd along with all the powders (Chilli,Turmeric,Besan,Garam Masala, coriander powder & chaat Masala)in a bowl.If using ginger garlic paste & green chillies,add them too.Add salt & hing.The addition of Turmeric & Chilli powder gives it a nice Orange Color.
3.Cauliflower needs to be steamed so that it turns out to be l’il soft while eating.Either use the microwave or use our conventional method,parboil it with salt water.Ensure not to overcook.
4.Drop the Cauliflower to the mixture and mix well.Use a plastic wrap/a lid and close the bowl and allow it to marinate for about 4-5hrs in the refrigerator.
5.These are made in the Tandoor/Griller. If using a griller,push the florets onto bamboo skewers,keep some marinate mixture aside & brush the florets once in a while and grill them.I used the broil option in the Oven.Place the florets on a baking tray, sprinkle Olive oil and broil at 350F until color changes.In between flip the florets.Be watchful as it might get charred soon,as the heat is directly applied to the food in this method.However,the charred ones taste a lot better.
6.Toss sliced onions and lemon juice together and garnish it on the Gobi along with Cilantro.Serve it with Mint Chutney.The hotter the better:)


Oil can be avoided as broiling doesn’t need oil.Broiler is a process of cooking food in high heat, so be very careful. In fact while making this, the smoke alarm got triggered at home:-P.It ain’t that bad,its just that I wasn’t paying attention to it. You may also place a silver foil on the baking tray, as the cauliflower has a tendency to stick to the tray.

This is off to JFI,Cauliflower is the theme for JFI:Cauliflower,hosted by Mythreyee of Paajaka Recipes.The event was originally started by Indira of Mahanadi.

Since this is orange in color,this goes to FIC Orange hosted by Aparna of Diverse Kitchen,originally started my Harini of Tongueticklers.

Also,Rachna of the Gourmet Launchpad is hosting A Healthy Bite event,this is off to her event too.Rachna this appetizer is neither fried nor has any fatty food,am not sure if this qualifies,you may take a call.Thanks!

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Cherimoya Custard and an Award!

It was Oscar fever at home too. However,I wasn’t too keen on watching it,but P insisted and dragged me to see the program.I didn’t quite enjoy Slumdog Millionaire,except for Rehman nothing else seemed right to me.I am a diehard fan of A R Rehman, so he being nominated was the only enthu that kept me on with the award ceremony. I was jumping to glory to see him receive the much coveted award. And to add to this,his performance at the Oscars was mind blowing.I was touched by his “Thanksgiving speech”.When he won the first award for the Best Original Score,along with his thanking note he said “Mere paas Ma hain”(ofcourse he translated this- I have my mother),apparently his Mom had accompanied him for the ceremony and for the second award he said “Ella Pugazhum Iraivanuke” meaning - All praises/tributes is to God. I am in complete awe of his simplicity and humility.Hats off to him – Jai ho!

Coming to my recipe,Cherimoya is nothing but Custard Apple.I happened to find it at the local Chinese market here.This is one fruit that I’ve missed eating for long.It brought back memories of the Custard Apple tree at my house back in India.Although the tree bore delicious fruit, it was tedious to remove the zillion seeds in it. To my pleasant surprise the one here had less than ten seeds ,making my job much simpler.It makes me wonder,the wonders of Nature’s creation,the same fruit being different yet so similar across continents



Ingredients:

Cherimoya/Custard Apple – 1
Sugar – ½ cup
Cream – ½ cup
Milk – 1 cup
Vanilla Extract/essence – 1tsp
Egg Yolk – 1(optional)
Kit Kat chocolate – 1 (small – chopped)

Method :

1.Cut and deseed the Cherimoya,extract the pulp and mash it.
2.If using egg,beat the yolk along with Vanilla Extract.
3.Add sugar,mashed pulp and Milk.Mix well,add the cream. Refrigerate it add the chopped chocolate before serving.



A friend of ours actually served Custard along with Chocolate which was delicious, this was originally her idea. I added egg thinking it would make it smooth, but this can be avoided.



Vidhas of the "Appetizing Recipes" has passed on this award to me.Thanks so much! I would like to pass it on to Varsha,Mangala and Jaishree

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Easy appetizers - Spring Rolls & Dim sum

A recent visit to one of the Chinese Grocers here was such a revelation, I found almost all the veggies that I’ve been missing here.It was actually my Bro’s engagement in India, I was feeling pathetic sitting here and to cheer up my mood P took me for shopping,which always helps me:-P. Apart from the other shopping,I thoroughly enjoyed my veggie shopping too.I picked up Banana Flower(Vazhai Poo),White Pumpkin,Small Green Brinjals to name a few. I also picked up Wanton wraps and spring roll sheets from there and made these yummy appetizers:-P

Dim sum which is a Cantonese word literally means “Touch the heart” .This appetizer has surely touched my heart,an all time fav one:) Remember Mainland China/Beijing bites in India???? These are served in small steamer baskets. In most of the places these are ordered from a menu,in few other places these are brought & served by the servers in a trolley, one such restaurant that I remember visiting is Civet in Bangalore,India which followed this.Dim Sum can be made by steaming or frying ,even pan fried ones are very common. The Chinese prefer having Chinese tea (Jasmine Tea to be precise) along with them, because it helps in digestion. Here in the US, the shallow fried ones are called “Potstickers”. Nowadays things are getting Indianized, but still Dim Sum rules! Its believed that making Dim sum is an art by itself.These days it’s a lot easier to make one,thanks to the wraps which are easily available. In India they are quite popular as “Momos”. I’ve personally known these as Momos only,which are mainly made with rice flour.Dim Sums however, use some kind of specialty rice flour.

They are called Wantons & Dumplings too. Momos are Tibetan name for Dumpling. And Wantons are type of dumpling common in Chinese cuisine.Huh…..confusing,eh? Well I made both steamed and the fried ones. As far as I’ve known Wantons are always associated with the fried and Momos with the steamed ones. Whatever the name is, it’s surely is a winner. For the sauce, I just randomly added the ingredients, didn’t actually have any definite recipe in mind, the outcome was super duper!

Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

Spring Roll Pastry Sheets – As many as u need. I used 10 of them
Cabbage – 1 cup(shredded)
Carrot – 1 (grated)
Noodles – ½ cup cooked (I used veg hakka noodles)
Capsicum – ½ cup(finely chopped)
Onions – ½ cup(finely chopped)
Ginger Garlic Paste -1 tsp
Soy Sauce – 2 tsp
Green Chillies – 4 (finely chopped/crushed)
Oil – 2tsp + for frying
Salt – as per taste

For the sealing -

Cornstarch – 1 tbsp mixed with 5tbsp of water.


Method :

1.In a wok/pan,heat 2 tsp of oil.Add Ginger Garlic paste and Onion, sauté for a minute. Add the remaining ingredients one by one.Saute it well for 3-4mins,do not overcook the veggies they need to be crispy.Allow it to cool.
2.Remove each pastry sheet carefully and place a spoon full of mixture and roll it tightly. First from the end, then the sides and then the opposite side. Mix cornstarch with water and use it for sealing.
3.Deep fry in hot oil, until brown.



The filled rolls can also be frozen and fried as and when required.

Chilli Garlic Sauce

Ingredients:

Ginger – 1 inch piece
Garlic – 2 small pods
Red Chillies – 5-6(increase as per individual spice levels)
Onions – ½ cup(roughly chopped)
Soy Sauce – 2 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup – 2 tbsp
Salt – as per taste

Method –

1.Grind the onions,redchillies,ginger and garlic together.
2.Heat a cup of water,add the paste and the remaining ingredients.
3.Allow it to boil and switch of the flame when it turns thick.



This was actually red in color,because of the bright light it looks orangish.In the final display with the Dim sum it looks fine.


Steamed Dim Sum

Ingredients:

Wanton wraps – 10 (use as many as u want)
Cabbage – 1 cup (finely chopped)
Onion – ¼ cup (finely chopped)
Tofu – ¼ cup(crumbled)
Oil – 2 tsp
Ginger Garlic paste – 1 tsp
Green chillies - 4 (finely chopped/crushed)
Soy Sauce – 1 tsp
Salt – as per taste

Method

1.In a Wok/pan,heat oil,add ginger garlic paste,green chillies and onions, sauté for a minute,add the remaining ingredients. Sauté well, don’t overcook the veggies. Allow it to cool.
2.Remove each wrap carefully, place the filling in the centre and fold as per your choice.



Moisten the ends of the wrapper with a dab of water.Fold the wrap as per your choice be it a single fold/similar to our very own Modaks(Kozhakattai) or even fold it into half and press/crimp the edges forming a pleat(saree pleat) like structure.

3.Steam it for about 10-12mins.



Always serve these hot,else it looses its taste.

Fried Dim Sum

Ingredients:

Wanton wraps – as per requirement
Cheese – 3 tbsp

Method –

1.Place l’il bit of cheese in the centre and fold it as per your choice.Just like the steamed ones,a single fold would do good too ie., fold it diagonally than seal the edges using water. Ensure it is folded well, else the cheese would ooze out and melt.
2.Deep fry in hot oil until brown. Serve hot with the sauce.



Any kind of cheese can be used. Instead of cheese,the filling used for steamed ones can also be used.The Spring Roll Pastry sheets and Wanton wraps can be found in the frozen section in any Chinese grocers. Wanton wraps are available in different thickness; I used the thin ones.Instead of Frying these can be Pan fried too.

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