WINTER MUNCHIES !!

Hello everybody, we have a warm winter going on in here in North Carolina Piedmont but cold is moving in!:D Oh well! here are some winter munchies to enjoy the cold weather while it lasts anyway.Some veg Sankranti dishes and some are non-Indian(HUH! broke my promise already!:D) non-vegetarian! Go ahead, pick your choice,smile and enjoy.Life is too short to be sad,worried and deathly skinny folks!!:D

This week's Menu:
Sankranti Goodies:Coconut-Carrot Burfi,Savory Pongal, Kanda Pakode with Raita.
Mediterranean/Middle East Falafel in Pita,(akin to Indian Dal vada)
Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes with Spicy Remoulade Sauce.
And,Susan's Fettuccine Alfredo and Linda's Sixteen Bean Soup and others at 'Aroma'!

Some dishes I made for Sankranti last Sunday:
Sankrathi is also celebrated as a beginning of Harvest season.My both grandparents' celebrate it grandly as they are land owners.We didn't with as much enthusiasm at my parents' home though.My grandfather always teased my father who was a District Judge as "he gets his harvest every month anyway,so he doesn't have to celebrate Sankranthi!":D Only if he knew how hard my father worked for that "monthly harvest!" Here in US,Diwali and Shiv Ratri are the only two festivals we are really interested!:)

Coconut-Carrot Burfi:


How To:Add 1 cup grated Carrots,2 cups Coconut,2 cups milk,boil until milk reduces to half.Add in 1 cup or more sugar,boil until thick.Drizzle in 2-3 tbsp Ghee as it leaves the sides of the pan and looks lumpy.Add 1 tsp Cardamom pd,mix and put into a greased plate and flatten. Sprinkle and press toasted Almond slivers on top and cut into 10-12 squares.

Savory Pongal/Ven Pongal:


Heat 1/2 tbsp each oil and ghee,add 1 bay leaf,1 red chilli, pounded masala,saute for a min.Add 1/2 cup Masoor(Red Lentils) or Moong dal saute until it's reddish.Add 1 cup long grain rice saute for a min and add about 3cups of water,1 chopped Tomato,turmeric,boil for 5mins and reduce heat to simmer.Cover and cook until done,or you can microwave all.Add salt,cilantro,toasted Cashew nuts and mix well.
Masala:Toast 1" cinnamon(Dalchini),2 dry red chillies,4-6 Peppercorns,4 cloves,2 tsp Cumin seeds,1/2 tsp Mustard seeds lightly and pound coarsely.


Serve: with Yogurt-cucumber-carrot raita and Onion Pakoras.

Note:I used Masoor dal (instead of Moong dal which is traditional dal to use in Pongal),it gives the dish a nice pinkish color.You can also cook rice and dal seperately in the microwave and then season it and mix well.Cooking both together sometimes makes it mushy similar to Rissotto.It's up to you.

Erulli(Onion)Pakodas (Kanda Pakode):

Cut 2 big Vidalia onions into thick slices.Sprinkle 1/2 tsp salt and let it sit for 20mins.Squeeze the onion slices,discard water and put it in a bowl.Sprinkle 1 cup Besan(Chickpea Flour),1 tbsp rice flour,1 tbsp cornstarch,chilli flakes or 2 green chillies,cilantro,1 tsp cumin seeds,1 tsp pounded coriander seeds,1/2 Ajwain seeds,1/2 tsp baking soda to the onion and mix well squeezing the onions to release the water,adjust the salt.Don't add water unless it's too dry.If it's too wet,add little more besan just enough to cling to the Onion slices.Less water you use,crisper the Pakoras will be!


To Fry:Heat oil to 375F, take a fork and drop onion slices in clumps into the oil and deep fry until crisp and golden.
(Took the photo under the artificial light,excuse me for not so good pic!;D)

Falafel served in Pita bread stuffed with salad and Tahini sauce:
A very popular Middle Eastern snack,Falafel is also a national street dish of Israel as I have heard like our own Vada Pav! A snack full of beans,spiced,ground and fried and served with different fillings depending on the country you are serving these,very tasty on a cold day!:)

Recipe sounds very much like Indian Chanadal Masala Vada with a Fava and Chole beans twist,doesn't it?!:)) Tastes great too,make them when you have time and enjoy!!

You Need:

1 cup dried fava beans or Baby Lima,1/2 cup dried chickpeas(canned or frozen will do fine too and quicker but dried and soaked taste better),soak overnight,peel the skin,1 small onion minced,2 tbsp each cilantro and parsley,1 tsp garlic powder,1 tbsp cracked wheat and Corn meal,1/2 tsp cooking soda,1/4 tsp Baking powder,salt,1 tsp cumin pd,1 tsp or more dry red chilli flakes,1 tbsp or more corn starch,2 tbsp or less water or milk only if needed.




Tahini Sauce:Toast 1/4 cup Sesame seeds,and grind with salt,hot sauce and some olive or Canola oil to a smooth pourable paste like ketchup.

Salad:Shredded Lettuce,sliced Tomatoes,Cucumber,sliced red sweet onions,lemon juice or sour cream or anything you like to fill.




NOTE:
1. If you don't have Fava beans,you can add any beans like Lima,Navy etc.I used dry baby Lima beans,since I don't know how Fava beans look like!:D When googled,they do look similar to baby Lima beans but I am not sure they are the same as Lima beans.
2. Also addition of corn meal and cracked wheat to Falafel are optional.It gives that extra crunch but not absolutely necessary! You can also wrap these in warm tortillas too,sounds really good!I will do that next time I make Falafel for my family!:)

How To:



Drain both the beans and put them in a blender. Add all the ingredients above except milk,blend until you get a coarse paste.Add a little water or milk if needed, mix until you get a thick dough.Take it out into a bowl.Adjust the salt and spices.







Make medium sized balls and press a little to flatten and deep fry in hot 375F oil until reddish and crisp both sides, Drain on paper towels.Cool.Do not fry too much,it gets very crispy if you do.Softer Falafel is better fill in the Pita.




To Serve: Take a warm Pita,layer with lettuce and others,place one or two Falafel in the middle and drizzle with Tahini Sauce or any other chutney you like as well.To warm Pita,cover them with foil and heat in the oven for 15-20mins at 350F.Use thicker and deep pocket Pita to use for Falafel.

That's one tasty meal in itself rather than a snack. Enjoy!!

CRAB CAKES WITH SPICY REMOULADE:
We as a family usually like very few sea food dishes because of the fishy smell but these crab cakes with spicy sauce tastes so good,it's our favorite!You don't get that fishy smell if you use premium crab meat.We always order Crab cakes in the restaurant for appetizers and love it.I wanted to try and make these at home,so here they are. They taste great!!

Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes:


How To:



Mix 1/2 lb Jumbo lump Crab meat,1 egg,1 tbsp Dijon mustard or brown grainy mustard,2-3 tbsp Mayonnaise,2 tbsp minced onion,1 tsp garlic pd,few dashes hot sauce,2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce,1 tbsp dry or fresh chopped parsley,2-4 tbsp bread crumbs,3 tbsp minced red bell pepper,salt and pepper gently just until combined.





Sprinkle 2tbsp or more corn starch if is not binding well and you will get a cohesive lump.Divide into four portions and roll gently into balle and press to flatten.Chill covered in the fridge for about 1hr.Take them out and shallow fry in hot 375F oil both sides until golden.Serve with spicy Remoulade sauce.





For my version of spicy Remoulade Sauce: mix 1/4 cup Hellman's mayonnaise,1 tbsp sour cream,hot sauce as much as you want,salt and pepper,1/2tsp garlic pd,1/2 tsp mustard pd,minced chives and parsley to taste.Mix well and chill until needed.Do not keep it outside if you add raw egg yolk.



(Optional additions: minced onion,Anchovies,1 egg yolk,minced scallions.I didn't add all these to my sauce but you could if you like!)

Fettucine Alfredo With Chicken and Broccoli:
Sixteen Bean Soup:
Susan in Italy of "Porcini Chronicles" has posted a Alfredo sauce and Linda of "out of the garden" has a 16 Bean soup, both of which I have re-produced adding some additional ingredients.You can also see Southern style Banana Pudding and Elvis's fav. sandwiches,Spicy Chana,16 Bean masala at 'Aroma'!:)

Since the start of new year,many of my blog buddies have launched their own monthly blog events which makes me very happy and eager to contribute. So I decided to open "Aroma!", a separate blog just to post dishes for these events so I can contribute more frequently than my "weekly" post at FH. I will link those dishes here too so you can click on them to go to "Aroma!" and take a look if you like!:))

In addition, you might also enjoy these very Indian winter munchies from my previous posts!






SPINACH PAKORAS













STUFFED MIRCHI BAJJIS(CUBANOS FRITTERS/TEMPURAS)












SAGO VADAS(TAPIOCA FRITTERS) WITH COCONUT-MINT CHUTNEY











See you all next week with JFI-GINGER dish my friends!:)