Back to School with Egg Bhurji Stuffed Pita Pockets

Egg Bhurji stuffed Pita pockets is a great for the kids lunch box or for a lazy weekend brunch or very handy as a meal/snack ‘on-the-go’. You can even involve the kids to make their own lunch/snack.

India’s Best blogger, Khadya Jatra and Khandeshi Cuisine

India’s Best blogger, Khadya Jatra and Khandeshi Cuisine….confused? …read on 🙂

2016 seems to have started on a very positive note! Betterbutter had organized ‘ India’s top blogger contest ‘.To participate we had to Curate a meal for two in a foodbook to make a complete meal. I participated and my foodbook menu included- Meetha Pan spritzer, Mini Thalipeeth Tostadas, Garam Masala spiced Palak Paneer Timbale and Meringue nests topped with Mango curd and fruits.

As you must have guessed by now, I won the India’s top blogger contest! The prize is as awesome as the concept & contest- a gorgeous orange coloured Le Creuset Casserole! Thank you again Betterbutter for this!

The recipes are already on the blog or you can check out the foodbook and some of my recipes here on betterbutter.

Khadya Jatra: I wrote this article for a Facebook group initiated by Saee of My Jhola– Angat Pangat, which re-discovers traditional Maharashtrian cuisine. We are starting with a new series on the group called ‘Khadya Jatra’ #APKhafyaJatra ,where a specialist of a particular sub-cuisine of Maharashtra will curate some background information about it and give an authentic recipe with step by step images.Members can then try out the recipe and thus get a chance to learn about the sub-cuisine and recipes.

I am fortunate to be the first ‘specialist’ and Saee invited me to curate some information and a recipe about Khandeshi Cuisine.Thank you Saee for this,I am honoured.

Spicy, fiery gravies with a thick sinful layer of oil floating on top (tarri) -that’s a trademark Khandeshi dish for you!

Nashik (where I stay) borders the Khandesh region (some parts of present Nashik district are part of Khandesh),has a strong influence of the Khandesi cuisine and you can see specialties like Misal and Shev Bhaji dished out at every nook and corner.

The quintessential Kala Masala forms the base of most gravies (rassa) along with dry coconut (khobra), onion and garlic. These are traditionally served with Bhakri or Rice.

Peanuts and peanut oil is also extensively used for cooking. Peanuts, small green lavangi mirchi or fiery Red mirchi, garlic are roasted on an iron griddle or directly on charcoal, pounded in a wooden mortar and pestle (Badgi-musal) to make the famed Thecha. Apart from the staple Jowar Bhakri, Kalnyachi Bhakri- Chutney is very popular with most Khandeshi’s. Kalna is a blend of Jowar + Urad and is served with a spicy peanut chutney.

The Khandeshi love for eggplants need not be stressed. Be it Bharit made using large green eggplants (Jalgaoni Vangi) or small eggplants stuffed with kala masala or mashed eggplants (Ghotleli Bhaji), every Khandeshi loves this vegetable! The Ghotleli Bhaji and Dal batti are part of many festivities in most Khandeshi households.

Mande (Khandeshi version of Puran Poli) and Wheat Kheer are the popular sweets from the region.

The hot summers are utilized to make different types of Papads and Vade (Valvan) like the laborious yet rewarding Bibde.

A very popular Khandeshi preparation is Patodyachi (or Patvadya) Bhaji. Rolled out Besan flour dough is cut into strips and cooked in a spicy kala masala gravy. The other lesser known form of this preparation is called ‘Dubuk Vade’. Instead of making strips, dumplings are made from the besan batter and cooked in a similar gravy. I am guessing the name Dubuk comes from the noise it makes when a dumpling is dropped in the gravy-I am not sure of this though 🙂

 It is simple, it is spicy, it is fiery, it uses Kalal masala gravy and it is absolutely lip smacking- ticking all the right boxes for typical Khandeshi, homestyle food. I have toned down the heat and oil to suit our taste; you can adjust it to yours.

Here’s the recipe for Dubuk Vade

Recipe serves ~ 3-4 persons

Ingredients

For the Rassa

2 onions, sliced

¼ cup dry coconut, grated (Khobra)

4-5 garlic cloves

Handful of fresh coriander leaves, cleaned and washed

2 teaspoons Kala Masala (or to taste)

1 teaspoon Red chilli powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

2+2 tablespoon oil, divided (or more if you like)

2 teaspoon Cumene seeds (jeera)

Salt to taste

Water as required

For the vade (dumplings)

¾ cup Besan, sieved (gram flour)

2-3 garlic cloves, finely minced or grated

½- 1 teaspoon red chilli powder

½ teaspoon turmeric powder

¼ teaspoon asafoetida (hing)

Salt to taste

Method

To make the Rassa

Heat 2 tablespoon oil on an iron griddle or in an iron wok.

Add the onions and garlic and sauté till the onions start browning. Stir so that the onions and garlic are sautéed evenly.

Add the grated coconut and sauté till it just starts browning and starts emitting the aroma.

Add the coriander. Stir around to mix.

Take it off the heat and add the red chilli powder and kala masala.

Mix and cool completely.

Grind the masala, in a blender, using very little water to a smooth paste.

Heat the remaining oil in a saucepan/wok.

Add the cumin seeds.

Once they sizzle, add the ground masala and sauté.

Cook till the water evaporates and the oil starts oozing out, taking care not to burn the masala.

Add sufficient water (about 2 ½ -3 cups) to make a medium consistency gravy.

Season with salt and let the Rassa boil for a few minutes.

Meanwhile make the dumplings

Mix all the ingredients under dumplings. Add water to make a batter of dropping consistency (~ ½ cup)

Drop spoonfuls of the batter in the boiling Rassa, working quickly so that all the dumplings cook evenly. Add little water to the bowl/vessel in which you made the dumpling batter, whisk and add that to the gravy so that it will thicken a bit.

Cook for a few minutes till the dumplings are cooked through (about 8-10 minutes) and the gravy thickens a bit. (add water if it is too thick)

Serve hot with Jowar Bhakri or Rice, with a raw onion and lemon wedge on the side

Note: If you want that layer of oil floating on top, use more oil and chilli powder.

 

Spicy Crepe Packets

These Crepe Packets have been on my mind for quite some time. I had seen crepe packets with a fish filling (I think) on a food show on TV some time back. I forgot to note down the recipe and also forgot where I saw it, but the idea kept hovering in my head.

There is an ever hungry lad in my house who, sometimes, needs to be fed every hour! The little lady on the other hand is very very choosy. Finding a balance between their diverse tastes and wants is quite a challenge. One rainy afternoon (yesterday actually 🙂 ) when the kids had a holiday, they pestered me to make something ‘nice & tasty’ and so the crepe packets were made! I am happy to report that these Spicy Crepe Packets got a thumbs up from both of them and both of them thought they were ‘nice & tasty’.

Since I did not remember the recipe I saw, I used a basic crepe recipe. Mushrooms & Corn are loved by the kids in any form. So they went into the filling. The veggies were flavoured with a Cajun spice mix and fresh Oregano from our garden. But as you will see from the recipe, pretty much any seasoning or masala mix or for that matter any filling of your choice should be ok. The lad had the Crepe packets with Sriracha Sauce while the little lady preferred it with Tomato sauce. I thought they were good on their own too.

The crepe packets were accompanied by a glass of Hot Chocolate (made with a Homemade Hot chocolate mix) and the awesome weather !

Participating in food events provides the much needed motivation for me to blog regularly or I just keep posting photographs on My Foodcourt’s  FB page or Twitter or Instagram ( If you are not already following me, please do so now 🙂 Thank you)

These Spicy Crepe Packets is my second entry to the Monsoon Snack Recipe Challenge @ The Hub hosted by Archana’s Kitchen

Thanks Archana, the Hub is providing the much needed blogging motivation for me 🙂

Here’s the recipe for Spicy Crepe Packets

Makes ~ 8-9 Crepe packets

Ingredients

For the crepes

½  cup Plain Flour/Maida

¼  Cup Whole wheat Flour

¼ Cup Oat Flour (Ground Instant Oats)

1 Tbsp melted butter or Ghee

2 eggs

½ tsp salt

½ cup milk

~ ¾ cup  water (more or less to get a thin consistency batter)

Pinch of baking powder (optional)

For the filling

1 packet button Mushrooms cleaned, stems removed and finely chopped (~ 1 cup chopped mushrooms)

¼ cup Sweet Corn Kernels

1 Onion finely chopped

1 small Bell pepper finely chopped (Red/Yellow or both)

2 Cloves Garlic

2 tsp Cajun Spice mix (I used Spice Supreme)

½ tsp Chilli Flakes

Salt to taste

Grated Cheese as required

Few Fresh or dried Oregano leaves

2 tsp Oil

½ egg for brushing and sealing the crepe packets

3-4 tbsp Ghee or butter for frying the packets

Method

For the filling

Heat Oil in a pan.

Add the Garlic and onion and sauté for few minutes.

Add the corn and cook covered for 4-5 minutes

Add the mushrooms and cook on high flame till the water evaporates (2-3 minutes).

Add the bell peppers and cook 1-2 minutes more.

Add the spice mix, salt, chilli flakes and oregano leaves.

Mix well and keep aside.

For the crepes

Sift the flours, salt and baking powder together.

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender or by hand .The consistency of the batter should be thin. Add more water if required. Sieve to remove any lumps.

Keep the batter aside for ½ hr to 45 mins.

Heat a nonstick pan.

Pour a ladleful of batter and swirl the pan immediately to spread the batter evenly. (I used a 6” non stick pan)

Cook for 30-40 seconds or brown spots just appear on the bottom

Take it out the crepe and place it on a flat surface.

Repeat the procedure for more crepes

To make the crepe packets

Place a crepe, cooked side up on a flat surface.

Place about 1 tbsp filling in the centre. Grate some cheese over it.

Fold 1 side of the crepe over the filling and brush with egg.

Fold the other side and brush again with egg.

Fold the ends to make a packet and press slightly to seal.

Brush with egg on the folded side as well as the other side.

Heat 1 tbsp butter or ghee in the same non stick pan and place the crepe packets, folded side down .

Fry on both sides till brown.

Repeat for other packets.

Serve Hot immediately with Sauce or Chutney of choice.

The Misal Pav burger!

The hot Summer, Exams, work, Summer camps  and a rather long recipe delayed this post. Did I mention the heat? It’s still hot but finally I am back with The Misal Pav Burger recipe.

As I said in my earlier post, the idea for this burger kept hovering in my head for a long  time. I kept thinking of various combinations to make the patty, the sauce and the toppings. Finally when I baked the Kummelweck rolls, I decided to go ahead with whatever ingredients I had in my pantry. Moth beans or Matki are a staple in our house. Matki sprouts are usually found in my fridge, since everyone loves the Usal (curry) made with it.

The burger patty here, is made using sprouted Matki and potato+breadcrumbs as a binder. I have found a new shop in Nasik -Aarogyam, which sells Nagli/Whole wheat and sprouted wheat bread. So this time the Patty has Nagli breadcrumbs. You can use whole wheat or white breadcrumbs too. Mom made fresh Kanda Lasoon Masala, so the patty was spiced with my Mom’s homemade fiery love 🙂

Raw mangoes are were in season and I made a shortcut Methamba (Mango Chutney). My brother got me a bottle of Roopak’s Aachari masala, along with other spices. I cooked the raw mangoes and spiced them with this Readymade Aachari masala. The masala is awesome by the way 🙂

The other element that I added to the burger was the fiery Masala Chutney. Masala Pav, is a favourite street food here- a bun or the Bombay Pav is served with a spicy Onion-Tomato masala chutney made using Pav Bhaji masala. I substituted the Pav Bhaji masala with the Kanda Lasoon masala. I was apprehensive when I put together all the elements of this Misal Pav burger , but it turned out so good that the son gave it ’the Best Burger ever’ thumbs up!

The Misal Pav burger recipe

Makes about 5-6 burgers

Ingredients:

5-6 burger buns or Laadi pav

~2-3 Tomatoes Sliced

1 large onions sliced

1 cucumber sliced

Few sprigs fresh coriander leaves

For the Patty:

1 cup sprouted moth/matki beans cooked in salted water (just cooked, not mushy)

1 potato cooked,peeled and mashed

¼  cup bread crumbs or as required

2-3 tbsps Chopped coriander

1 small onion chopped

3-4 garlic pods chopped

2 tbsp crushed roasted peanuts

1 tsp green chili paste or red chili powder to taste

1-2 tsp Kanda Lasoon masala

Salt to taste

Oil for shallow frying

For the Mango Chutney

1 raw mango cubed

3 tbsp grated jaggery or more to taste

1-2 tsp Aachari masala

Salt to taste

2-3 tsp oil

For the Onion-Tomato chutney

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

2-3 garlic cloves sliced

2 tsp Kanda lasoon masala

½ -1 tsp red chilli powder

3-4 tsp oil

Salt to taste

Method:

For the Patty

Mix all the ingredients for the patty except the oil.

Make ~ 5-6 balls of the mixture and flatten into a patty

Shallow fry in hot oil in a nonstick pan  till browned on both sides

For the Mango chutney:

Heat oil in a pan.

Add the chopped mangoes, jaggery and salt. Cook for 5 minutes or till the mangoes are just cooked.

Add the Achari masala and cook for 1-2 more minutes.

Take off the heat and cool.

For the spicy chutney

Heat oil in a small pan.

Add the garlic and onion and sauté for 1-2 minutes

Add the tomatoes and cook for 2-3 minutes more

Season with salt and spices

To assemble the burger:

Cut the burger buns in half.

Add 1-2 tsps of the spicy chutney.

Place slices of tomato, Cucumber,onion and coriander leaves

Place the patty on the salad.

Top with the tangy Mango chutney and then top with the other half of the bun

Serve immediately

Power Breakfast for these ‘under the weather’ days

The monsoon bug does not seem to leave our house; it’s been almost like a hospital for the past few days! The wet sultry days are no help for recovery. The coughing and sneezing seems to have affected the palate as well as the appetite. Quick, wholesome food is helping us sustain these depressing days.

Here’s a recipe for a quick and wholesome Cracked wheat (Dalia) Upma dressed up with corn, moong bean sprouts and a few spices. Corn was added for the little ‘corn fan’ in the house. To pep up our appetites I added some kasuri Methi and a hint of Pav Bhaji masala to the cracked wheat, and that’s what is did-jazzed up our meal!

Here’s the recipe:

2 cups Cracked wheat, washed and pressure cooked (with salt and 3 ½ cups water)

1 cup Sweet corn

1 cup moog bean sprouts

1 small onion chopped

~ 2-3 tsp kasuri methi

½ tsp Pav Bhaji Masala (I used Everest)

3-4 dry red chillies broken into pieces

~2 tsp roasted peanut powder

½ tsp ginger-garlic paste

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp cumene seeds

½ tsp mustard seeds

Salt to taste

~2-3 tsp oil

Lemon juice, coriander/mint leaves for garnish

Heat oil in a pan. Add the tadka ingredient; mustards seeds-cumene seeds-turmeric- redchillies.

Add the onion and ginger garlic paste and sauté for 1-2 minutes.

Add the corn and moong beans.

Add salt and mix nicely (the cooked Cracked wheat also contains salt.)

Cook covered for ~5-6 minutes. (Don’t overcook, the corn and moong sprouts should be crunchy)

Add the Pav Bahji masala.

Crush and sprinkle the Kasuri Methi.

Add the cooked Cracked wheat and peanut powder, mix well.

Cook covered for 1-2 minutes more.

Garnish with Lime juice/coriander/mint leaves and serve hot.

 Note: You can use any fresh vegetables of your choice along with the corn and Moong sprouts.

Tandoori Platter

Tandoori-the name itself triggers the taste buds for most of the people. The combination of different aromatic spices with the raw smoked vegetables is sure to tempt even fussy eaters! These are wonderful party starters (if you have the patience) or cocktail snacks.

You can use assorted vegetables like cauliflower, potatoes, yam, fresh green peas with the shells, baby onions or even fruits like pineapple. This is the perfect season for spicy hot Tandoori parties.

My Tandoori platter today has babycorns, mushrooms and Paneer (Indian cottage cheese). I don’t have a Tandoor, so I use a shegri (chulha) – a coal fired stove. You can use the stove top with a griddle or even the oven to grill the vegetables.

 Here’s the recipe for my Tandoori platter:

10-12 Babycorns

10-12 button Mushrooms

10-12 Paneer cubes

For the Marinade:

~ ½ cup thick curd

2 tsp Tandoori Masala

1 tsp Chaat Masala

1 tsp Red chilli powder

¼ tsp turmeric

½ tsp lemon juice

4-5 mint leaves chopped finely (or coriander leaves)

~2-3 tsp oil

Salt to taste

 Whisk the Marinade ingredients together. Adjust the spices to your taste, if required.

Add the Babycorns, Paneer and Mushrooms to the curd mixture.

Mix well so that the curd mixture coats all the pieces evenly.

Keep aside for 30minutes to 1 hr.

Grill on the coal fired stove (using a mesh) or insert into skewers and grill on stove tops or grill in the oven till vegetables are browned or even a little charred (if you like the smoky flavour)

Serve hot direct from the stove top!

Note: Chopped onions sprinkled with salt and red chilli powder and green chutney are good accompaniments with the Tandoori vegetables.

Celebrating the season with Spicy Masale Bhaat

I am back from a weekend of food and fun in Pune. There is a sudden chill in the weather here; the nippy, foggy mornings making it all the more difficult to get back to work on a Monday morning!

We love this season for the bounty of veggies that it offers. The farmer’s market is flooded with variety of colorful veggies, rarely found during the rest of the year. So, many of my recipes this season, will be celebrating winter vegetables. One such recipe is Masale bhaat. The veggies which go into this spicy Rice are available year round. But they lack the freshness and color that this season offers.

Here’s a spicy Rice (Masale Bhaat) recipe perfect for the weather.

Masale Bhaat; characteristic Maharashtrian Rice cooked with seasonal vegetables and spices. Masale Bhaat is an imperative dish for every festive/wedding meal in Maharashtra. The ivy gourd (Tindora/Tondli) used in this rice is the key ingredient apart from the spices used, to lend its distinctive flavour. Rest of the vegetables can be substituted depending on the availability.

In my home it keeps revisiting like ‘old styles coming back in fashion’ every now and then for dinners with family and friends. You will find plenty of recipes for Masale Bhaat depending on the origin. Here’s how I make it:

 Masale Bhaat Recipe

2 cups Long grained rice washed

10-12 Tindora/Tondli(Ivy Gourd) cut lengthwise

1-2 carrots peeled and cut into chunks

1 small potato washed, peeled and cubed (optional), any other veggies of your choice like peas, cauliflower…

1 tsp Kala Masala,

Salt

4 cups water

Whole spices: 2-3 cloves, 2-3 black peppercorns, 1” stick cinnamon, 1-2 bay leaves

Tadka ingredients: 2 tsp Oil, 1 tsp mustard seeds, ½ tsp turmeric powder

For Garnishing: Freshly grated coconut, chopped coriander and Ghee (clarified butter)

 Heat oil in the pressure cooker (or in a pan if you are using a rice cooker)

Add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter.

Add the turmeric and the whole spices.

Add the veggies and sauté for 2-3 seconds.

Add the Kala Masal and mix well.

Add the salt and water and bring to a boil.

Pressure cook till the rice is cooked (the grains should be separate after cooking)

Garnish with coconut, coriander and a generous dollop of ghee!

Serve hot.

 

Gavarichi Bhaji (Cluster beans curry)

Gavar-Cluster Beans is a popular vegetable in Maharashtra. They are available all year round here for a very modest price.

The only hitch in buying these beans is the time taken to cut them- remove the ends and string them along, pulling the edged fibre. Pluck into small pieces (with hand) at the nodes of the pods.

Tender Green Cluster bean pods spiced up with some Kala/ Goda Masala dish up a delectable curry that can be served with Roti or Rice.

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Gavarichi Bhaji recipe

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2 cups cut Gavar/Cluster beans (cut as mentioned above)

1 onion chopped (optional)

2 tbsp freshly grated coconut

2 tbsp roasted Peanut powder

2 tsp Kala/Goda Masala

2 tsp Red chilly powder

½ tsp sugar

Salt to taste

½  tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp cumene seeds

½ tsp turmeric powder

3 tsp oil 

Boil the cut beans in little water with salt till just done. Strain the water. Don’t discard the water.

Heat oil in a pan.

Do the tempering. Mustard seeds-cumene seeds-turmeric powder.

Add the chopped onion and fry till it becomes translucent.

Add the gavar beans and fry for a few minutes more.

Add the Masala and red chilly powder. Mix nicely.

Add the peanut powder, coconut mix nicely.

Add a little water (the leftover from cooking the beans).

Cook covered for a few minutes. Serve hot with Chapati or Rice. 

Pindi Chole

Pindi Chole as the name suggests is a Chole (Kabuli Chana/Chick pea) recipe originating from the Rawalpindi region of Pakistan.

This is again my friend’s recipe whose family hails from the Rawalpindi region of Pakistan.

Simple Pindi Chole with a delicious blend of spices – my 2^nd entry for Richa’s RCI-Punjabi Cuisine.

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Pindi Chole recipe

Serves: 4

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~ 3 cups Chole (Kabuli Chana/Chickpeas) –the large grain variety

5-6 tomatoes, chopped1 tsp ginger paste

4-5 Cloves1 Bay Leaf

1 small stick Cinnamon broken into small pieces

2 tsp Chole Masala

1-2 tsp Red chili powder

1 tsp cumene seeds

3-4 tsp Ghee

1 tsp oil

2 tsp Tea leaves (or 1 Tea bag)

Soak the Chole/Chana overnight.

In a pressure pan/cooker add Chole, about 4-5 cups of water, 1 tsp Ghee, salt and tea leaves tied in a muslin cloth.You can also use a tea bag. The tea leaves give a nice dark brown colour to the Chole.

It takes about 35-40 minutes after one whistle for the Chole to cook nicely.

Heat 2 tsp Ghee +1 tsp oil (oil is my addition to the original recipe) in a wok/Kadai.

Add the cumene seeds – cloves-bay leaf and cinnamon and fry for 1-2 seconds.

Add the ginger paste- Chole masala-chilipowder and immediately add the tomatoes.

Cook the tomatoes nicely till they become mushy~ 5 minutes.

Remove the Tea bag from the Chole and add the Chole along with the water to the tomatoes. Add salt, Adjust the water consistency to your liking and cook covered for 10-15 minutes on low flame.

Serve hot with Paratha, Naan, Roti,Rice.

Cook Chole 1-2 hours before serving, so that they soak in all the spices.

               Pindi Chole with Ajwain(Carom seeds) Paratha

Friday Monsoon Magic-Paneer Pudina Pakoda (Cottage Cheese- Mint fritters)

I have been resisting the temptation to make these Pakodas for a long time now. Monsoon brings with it cravings for hot,spicy,fried food.

I am not a great fan of fried foods, but during the rainy season it is difficult for me too,to resist the temptation of these delicious minty Paneer Pudina Pakodas– PPP J (Cottage cheese-Mint fritters).

This Friday for the Monsoon Magic series I have a recipe for spicy Paneer Pudina Pakoda.

This is one of the recipes I would list under my ‘Culinary Accidents’. This accident sure was rewarding. See if you like it.

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 Paneer Pudina Pakoda recipe

Serves : 3-4

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250 gms firm, fresh Paneer (you can substitute this with Tofu if you like. I have tried that too.) 

For marinating:

2-3 tbsp whisked curd,(yoghurt)

½ tsp Red chilli powder

1 tsp Tandoori masala.(I am a strict eggetarian but I keep this Masala in my pantry. It goes well with Tikkas and some curries. You can add Chaat Masala if you don’t have the Tandoori Masala.)

Pinch of salt. 

For the Pudina filling:

½ cup Pudina leaves, destemmed and washed

¼ cup fresh coriander leaves, destemmed and washed

2-3 Green chillies, chopped

½ tsp lemon juice.

Pinch of salt. 

For the batter:

~ ¾ cup besan (Gram Flour)

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chilli powder

Salt as per taste

Oil for frying 

Cut the Paneer into small pieces (~ ½“ x 2”).If you don’t have the patience or the time you can make bigger pieces. 

Mix all the ingredients for the marinade and put the paneer pieces in it. Mix delicately, taking care not to break the pieces.

Coat all the pieces with the marinade and keep aside for about 20 mins. 

Blend together all the ingredients for the Pudina Filling.Do not add water. It is ok if the mixture gets coarsely ground, but don’t add water.

Mix all the ingredients for the batter except oil.

Add 1 tbsp of hot oil to the mixture

Add water to this till it forms a smooth,thick batter. 

Take 2 pieces of the marinated paneer.

Add as much Pudina filling as you can between the two pieces like a sandwich.

Repeat this for all the paneer pieces. (See photo) 

Heat oil in a wok/ Kadai. Check the temperature by putting a drop of the batter in it. It should immediately rise and sizzle. 

Dip each paneer sandwich in the batter and coat the batter on all sides. Be careful here so as not to break the sandwich. You can dip the sandwich in the batter and use a spoon to coat it from all sides. 

Drop each batter coated paneer sandwich in the hot oil and fry till golden brown. 

This Paneer Pudina Pakoda does not need any chutney or sauce. It can be served hot as it is. 

Note: If you like you can add ginger-garlic paste to the batter. I did not want too many flavours clashing in my Pakoda and jut wanted to savour the fresh mint flavour.