Falafel

Ingredients:
1 can of chickpeas
1 1/2 onions diced
1 small bunch of parsley
1 long green chili
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp red chili powder
1 1/2 cups of besan (chickpea flour)
1/2 tsp baking soda
Pita pockets
Oil for frying
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind the diced onions, parsley, cumin, green chili and baking soda into a paste. Steam the chickpeas with salt in a saucepan until they soften a little, then add to the mixture and grind well. Remove into a bowl. Add red chili powder and besan and mix into a thick batter.
In a nonstick frying pan add an inch of oil. Heat until ready for frying. Drop dollops of falafel batter into the oil and fry evenly until it turns dark brown.
Serve in pita pockets or as a wrap with hummus spread, hot sauce and tahini, lettuce, diced tomatoes and cucumber.

Bread sandwich pakora

Ingredients:
1 loaf white bread

For tomato chutney:
5 big tomatoes
2 tsp red chili powder
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp fenugreek  seeds
2 tbsp oil
Salt to taste
Method:
First grind the tomatoes into a smooth paste without adding water.
In a heavy bottom pan, put 2 tbsp oil and when heated add mustard and fenugreek seeds. Let the mustard pop, then add red chili powder, turmeric, asafoetida and saute. Now add the tomato paste and salt to taste. When the sauce thickens remove from flame and allow to cool.

For cilantro chutney:
1 bunch of cilantro
5 green chilies
1 lemon juiced
Salt to taste
Method:
Grind everything into a smooth paste and keep aside.

For batter:
3 handfuls of besan (chickpea) flour
3/4 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/4 tsp turmeric
1 handful of rice flour
Salt to taste
Method:
Mix everything together with water into a thick batter.

Now spread the tomato chutney on the inside of the bread slices and margarine on the outside and make sandwiches. Cut into half diagonally. Make similar sandwiches with the cilantro chutney.
In a heavy bottom pan, heat oil for frying. Keep on a medium flame. When the oil is hot, dip the bread sandwich in the besan batter and deep fry.
Serve with coffee or tea.

Karavadai (spicy vadai)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup toor dal
1/2 cup channa dal
1/2 cup urad dal
1/2 cup rice
3 red chilies whole
4 green chilies finely chopped
Few curry leaves
1 inch piece ginger finely chopped
1/4 tsp asafoetida
Salt to taste
Oil for deep frying

Method:
Soak the toor dal and channa dal with whole red chilies and set aside.
Soak the rice and urad dal and set aside.
Soak a handful of channa dal and set aside.
Now coarsely grind the toor and channa dal along with red chilies. Then grind the rice and urad dhal into a smooth batter and add to the other coarse batter. Add the required amount of salt, green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, and asafoetida. Mix everything together into a smooth batter, then add the handful of soaked channa dal.
In a deep pan, heat oil on medium flame. Make dumplings out of the batter and fry until golden.
Serve with coffee or tea.

Tomato chutney sandwich

Ingredients:
1 loaf white bread
4 large tomatoes
2 tsp red chili powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/4 tsp asafoetida
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds
Salt to taste

Method:
Grind the tomatoes into a smooth paste without adding water.
Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan. Add mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, and when the mustard seeds pop add asafoetida, red chili power, turmeric and mix well. Add the tomato paste and mix well, add salt as needed and leave on medium flame. Cover the pan until all the water evaporates and keep stirring occasionally.When the chutney is thick, remove from flame and let it cool a bit. Spread the chutney on bread and toast in a sandwich maker. The bread should be buttered on the outside.
Serve as a snack or appetizer.

Dhokla

Ingredients:
1 cup besan (chickpea) flour
1/2 cup yoghurt
1/4 tsp cooking soda
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp turmeric
4 green chilies (ground into paste)
1 piece ginger (ground into paste)
3 tsp sugar
1 1/2 tbsp cooking oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
4 green chilies finely chopped
1 bunch cilantro finely chopped
1 tsp oil
1/4 tsp salt
Few curry leaves
1/2 cup of water

Method:
Mix besan, yoghurt, 1 1/2 tbsp oil, cooking soda, baking soda, sugar, and ginger and green chilli paste and keep aside for four hours.
Grease a plate, pour the mixture into it and steam it in a large pot. When cooked remove from steam and cut into pieces.
Put 1 tsp of oil into a small pan. When heated add mustard seeds, green chilies, curry leaves, and when mustard pops add 1/2 cup of water and bring it to boil. Remove from flame and pour it on the steamed dhokla.
Sprinkle cilantro on top. Serve warm with any chutneys, chili sauce or tomato ketchup.

Puli aval (flattened tamarind rice)

Ingredients:
1/4 kilo aval (flattened rice) thick variety
Small gooseberry-sized tamarind
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tbsp urad dal
1 tbsp channa dal
4 whole red chilies
Few curry leaves
1/4 tsp asafoetida
1 tbsp jaggery
1 tsp turmeric
2 tbsp oil

Method:
Extract the tamarind juice, add turmeric, required amount of salt, jaggery, asafoetida, then add the aval after washing it and keep aside.
Add oil in a heavy bottom pan. When heated add mustard seeds, urad dal, channa dal, red chili, and curry leaves. When the dal turns slightly golden add the soaked aval. Saute until everything mixes well and remove from the flame.

Bread uppuma

Ingredients:
10 slices of white bread
2 medium-sized onions
6 green chilies
Few curry leaves
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp urad dal
Pinch of asafoetida
1 tbsp oil
Salt to taste




Method:
First powder the bread slices in a blender and keep aside.
Add oil in a nonstick pan. When heated add mustard, urad dal, green chilies, asafoetida, and curry leaves. Sauté until the dal turns golden, then add the onion. Sauté for a while, then add the powdered bread, salt and mix well. Remove from flame.