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October 4, 2006
Spicy Baked Vegetable Cutlets
Last night I was browsing my website [correcting typos mostly], when I cam across an Indian Style Vegetable Cutlet recipe. Just reading it made my tastebuds tickle, so I decided to make it for supper. [Please excuse the lack of photos, as none of the cutlets were leftover this morning for me to photograph them. Now that's a good sign, isn't it?].
With memories of long-distance train journeys along India's West Coast ricocheting in my head, I set out to imitate the pungent and 'chatpata' taste of the Vegetable Cutlets that were served by the canteen boys on those trains. I am allergic to beetroot and that was one of the main ingredients in these little babies. So everytime I sampled these cutlets, I promptly fell sick. But did that stop me .. no sireee!! The taste is not the same without the beetroots, but I know better than to fall sick now, being a mum and all. They still do taste gorgeous though.
I tried to make them a bit unconventionally. I microwaved all the veggies on high with a little bit of water. The potatoes were still a bit firm when I took them out of the microwave. Then I got out my trusty, big, stone mortar and pestle; and gave the veggies a good bashing. That softened them up nicely without making them overtly mushy [that is one unconventional use of a mortar and pestle for you .. use them to make a creamy potato mash for your Sunday Roast next time around!]. After shaping them into long croquettish shapes and rolling them in breadcrumbs, I sprayed them with Canola based cooking oil and popped them into the oven. Voila!
SPICY BAKED VEGETABLE CUTLETS
ingredients
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3 large potatoes, peeled and chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup peas
3-4 cauliflower florets
3/4 cup breadcrumbs
1/2 cup fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 tsp chilli powder
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 cup water
salt to taste
1/2 cup breadcrumbs for coating
method
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Preheat oven at 200oC. Combine potatoes, carrot, peas, cauliflower and water in a microwaveable jug. Cover with lid and keep the steam vent open. Microwave on high for 8 minutes. Remove and add all the remaining ingredients except the breadcrumbs for coating. Mash well. If consistency is runny and thin, add more breadcrumbs. Shape into long, cylindrical shaped croquettes. Roll each shape in breadcrumbs and place on a cookie tray lined with baking paper. Bake for 15 minutes, turn over and bake for another 15 minutes until golden and cooked through.
gel's notes
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1. Alternatively, instead of baking; heat a little oil in a medium frying pan and lightly pan-fry the cutlets, till they are golden and cooked on both sides.
2. You may also deep fry the cutlets in batches of 3.
3. Serve hot with shredded lettuce, sliced onion and tomato ketchup.
Enjoy!!
Posted by Gel at 3:58 PM | | Comments (0)
October 3, 2006
Christmas came early this year ....
I breezed into our local Border's earlier today and guess what I saw straightaway??? "Instant Entertaining" by Donna Hay and "Cross" by James Patterson displayed neatly on the shelves, right next to each other. What are the odds of 2 of my favourite authors, writing in totally different genres would be stacked next to each other? Well, I saw it as a sign and grabbed me both those books. Christmas has come in October this year ..lol.
I can't wait to browse the books. Patience is a virtue and as soon as my toddler is tucked in for the night, I will be rewarded for it. I might even be inspired to whip up dinner from the new cookbook, let's see.
I know its too soon to ask but have any of you already read these books? Any Comments?
Posted by Gel at 5:51 PM | | Comments (0)
October 2, 2006
Authentic Dutch Pancake/Poffertje Recipe?
A while back I had mentioned how we oohed-aahed and literally drooled over this generous plate of dutch pancakes/poffertjes at a local fair. It didn't help that they looked gorgeous and were dolloped with fresh cream, strawberries and caramel sauce :). Well, I did manage to buy an authentic cast-iron poffertjes pan on ebay and with a lot of hope and aspirations tried it out over the weekend. It wasn't too bad, but it was not what we enjoyed at the fair. These eggy little marvels came out too chewey and not sweet enough. They looked pretty darned delicious though ... a pity, they did'nt exactly taste that way.
So I am appealing to anyone who has a great, traditional dutch pancake recipe and if they would be kind enough to share that and possible the correct technique to make it, I would be obliged !! [ I made them in a conventional fan-forced oven].
** update **
After several tries I finally perfected the recipe. Here it is.
Posted by Gel at 5:04 PM | | Comments (0)
