Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Indian Spiced Chicken Meatballs ~Its Tailgating time!! #SundaySupper

09 | 09 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

chicken meatballs 1

Its tailgating time!!

I learnt about ‘tailgating’ only after we moved to America!For those who do not know what it signifies ‘a tailgate party is a social event held on and around the open tailgate of a vehicle. Tailgating often involves consuming alcoholic beverages and grilling food. Tailgate parties usually occur in the parking lots, stadiums and arenas, before and occasionally after games and concerts.’ {Source-Wikipedia}.Having said that, you don’t really have to be at the game venues to enjoy a tailgating party.You can have it indoors or outdoors, with a group of friends or lounge on your own!Its a great way to enjoy some great foods that are easy to make and eat!Its the start of the football season and my friend Lane from Supper for a Steal  proposed ‘tailgating foods’ for this Sunday Supper!

chicken meatballs

I’m bringing Chicken Meatballs for this event that has just the right flavors with an Indian twist!My meatballs are moist, juicy, perfectly sized to munch-on while watching your favorite team play!These balls are crunchy and rustic looking on the outside but incredibly soft on the inside with the lovely mint and coriander marrying beautifully giving them lots of fresh flavor.The best thing about these are that the food processor does all the work for you so you don’t have to work out a sweat in preparing them 🙂 They’re super easy, delicious and certain to please kids and adults 🙂

Indian Spiced Chicken Meatballs

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Chicken Thigh/breast mince-1 lb
  • Small Onion-1
  • Yoghurt-1 tbsp
  • Crushed Ginger-2 tsp
  • Crushed Garlic-2 tsp
  • Green Chillies jalapenos-2 chopped
  • Fresh Coriander -1/2 cup chopped
  • Mint -1/2 cup chopped
  • Plain bread crumbs-3 tbsp
  • Coarse Ground Semolina-2 cups
  • Salt-to taste
  • Oil-2 cups for frying

Instructions
 

  • In a food processor mix all the ingredients except semolina and oil.Make round balls and roll them in the Semolina.Deep fry in batches until nice and golden.Serve hot with Tomato ketchup!

 Look at the menu below for some great ideas for your next ‘tailgating party’!!This is one #SundaySupper you do not want to miss!! Hop on twitter at 7pm EST for the live #SundaySupper chat.

Pre Game Warm-ups:

On the Sidelines:

Main Events:

Overtime:

From the Cooler:

Wine Pairings by Wine Everyday

Fish Pulao for ‘Back to School’

22 | 08 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

The summer vacation almost over, its time to start shopping for back to school items for the kids.The long lazy days are now going to be replaced by busy weeknights, homework, projects, activities etc.Time for some meal planning for the busy weeknights with fast and easy dinners that’s healthy and wholesome.
fish pulao

For me an easy dinner ideally would be a one pot meal.I usually prepare one pot meals at least once a week to save time and not worry about cooking anything else on the side.I take inspiration from the various rice dishes from across the globe for example the Paella, Risotto or the Indian Pulao and use the ingredients on hand.In this case I’ve prepared a Tilapia Pulao that cooks in about 20 minutes and comes out delicious every time!I’ve flavored the rice with Indian spices and add the fish about 10 minutes before the rice is done.The flavors in the rice flavor the fish and the whole dish smells wonderful.An easy dinner, perfect for busy weeknights~

Fish Pulao

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Tilapia-4 fillets
  • Basmati Rice-2 cups
  • Bay leaf-1
  • Cardamom-2
  • Cinnamon-1/2 inch
  • Cloves-3
  • Peppercorns-4
  • Onions-2 medium chopped
  • Crushed garlic-2 tsp
  • Crushed Ginger-2 tsp
  • Tomato-1 large chopped
  • Ground Cumin-1 tbsp
  • Ground Coriander-1 tbsp
  • Saffron-1 tsp
  • Water-4 cups
  • Salt- to taste
  • Oil-3 tbsp

Instructions
 

  • In a deep bottomed pot heat oil and add the bay leaf along with the cardamom,cinnamon,cloves,peppercorns and saute for about a minute.
  • Add the onions and saute for about 3-4 minutes until slightly golden.
  • Add the garlic and ginger and saute for about 2 minutes.
  • Add the tomato and the ground spices.Cook on medium for about 4-5 minutes until you see oil separating at the sides.
  • Add the rice, water and saffron.Adjust the seasonings.Bring to a boil on high.Cover and cook on low heat.After 10 minutes add the Tilapia fillets.
  • Cover and cook until the rice is done (about 10 minutes).
  • Serve hot with a salad and raita!

 

 

Berry Strudel with Chocolate Drizzle

26 | 04 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

One of the most versatile products available in the stores is the Puff Pastry!Great with sweet or savory, you can create gorgeous recipes using these store-bought packets of convenience.The reason I always have them in my freezer! This recipe is one of the easiest and easily feeds a crowd.

berry strudel

I recently made these for a party.The recipe is fairly simple, yet delicious without too much effort.It was a hit with my guests and the kids alike.I also made a chocolate sauce to drizzle over the top that my guests loved!

Berry Strudel 4

The berries ooze out their juices and mix in with the Cinnamon Sugar and every bite is filled with the deliciousness!

Berry Strudel with Chocolate Drizzle

Print Recipe

Ingredients
  

For the Strudel

  • Store bought Puff Pastry-1 sheet thawed
  • Strawberries slicedand Blackberries-1 1/2 cup mixed together
  • Brown Sugar-2 tbsp plus 2 tbsp for dusting
  • All Purpose Flour-1 tbsp
  • Cinnamon-1 tsp
  • Egg -1
  • Water-1 tbsp

For the Chocolate Drizzle

  • 14 oz can of Sweetened Condensed Milk-1
  • Semisweet chocolate chips-1 cup
  • Butter-2 tbsp
  • Vanilla extract-1/2 tsp
  • Salt-1/8 tsp

Instructions
 

Chocolate Drizzle:

  • In a saucepan combine all the ingredients for the sauce and cook on low heat until the chocolate melts.Add a tsp of vanilla.You can freeze any leftover sauce for later use.

Streudel

  • Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.Mix the berries along with the 2 tbsp of brown sugar, flour and the cinnamon.
  • Unfold the puff pastry.Flour your surface and roll out the puff pastry into a 16 by12 inch rectangle.
  • Dust the remaining brown sugar all over.
  • With the side facing you spread the strawberry mixture at the bottom half about 2 inches from the edge.Roll up the dough till you reach the end making sure to secure the filling inside and place seam side down on a greased baking tray.
  • Mix the egg with water and brush the top with the egg mixture.Make slits all along the pastry.
  • Bake for 35 minutes or until the pastry is golden.Let it cool on a wire rack.Once cool drizzle the chocolate sauce all over.Your Strudel is ready!

 

Sending this to our #Berrylove bloghop co-hosted by these fabulous bloggers!Please visit their pages while you’re here!

A Little bit of everything ~ Roxana GreenGirl ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl,Baker Street ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29,Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins,BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker,Bon à croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth,Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @Cakeduchess,Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies,Elephant Eats ~ Amy,GeorgieCakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes,Hobby and More ~ Richa ~ @betit19,Java Cupcake ~ Betsy Eves ~ @JavaCupcake,Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk,No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley,Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose,Queen’s Notebook ~ Elizabeth ~ @Mango_Queen,Rico sin Azúcar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar,Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem,Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood,Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil,That Skinny Chick Can Bake!!! ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick,The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~@TAofCRF,The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian,Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack,Vegetarian Mamma ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

Beet Cutlets-Indian Inspired

15 | 02 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Isn’t it amazing that so many memories in your life revolve around food?My friend Cucina from Cucina49 has been talking about a book she read titled “Let us Eat Cake-Adventures in Food and Friendship” that in her words “is a remembrance of friends told through the foods that they ate together” and that got me thinking about my food related memories.Growing-up I have fond memories of my Dad making his signature mutton every Sunday (which he does even today!).I was his assistant and taste tester, handing him over all the spices and learned a lot from him just by watching him cook.That’s how my interest in cooking began.

Beet Cutlets

In the same way, I remember my Mom’s Vegetable Cutlets that we had for our snack often and even demanded it for our breakfast on the weekends!They were heavenly.She made them by stuffing different veggies like beets, carrots and peas inside a ball of mashed potatoes with a crispy coating of breadcrumbs and it tasted wonderful.The recipe here is inspired by Mom’s vegetable cutlets.I’ve used beets as the base and added some potatoes to the mix.

Beet Cutlets 1

These make for a great party appetizer your guests will absolutely fall in love with.The sweetness of the beet is balanced by the spices and the moment you taste it,it just explodes with flavor and all the beet goodness!Enjoy.

Beet Cutlets

Beet Cutlets-Indian Inspired

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Ingredients
  

  • Beetroot-3 medium
  • Potatoes-2 small
  • Ginger-1 tbsp crushed
  • Ground Cumin-1 tsp
  • Ground Coriander tsp
  • Green Chillies or jalapeños-2 chopped
  • Coriander leaves-1 cup chopped
  • Salt- to taste
  • Oil-to deep fry

For the Batter

  • All purpose flour-1/2 cup
  • Water-1 1/4cups

For the Coating:

  • Breadcrumbs-2 cups

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Mix the flour and water to form the batter in a bowl.Keep aside.
  • Keep the breadcrumbs/panko ready in a tray.
  • Place the beets in an aluminium foil, drizzle some olive oil and salt.Cover it and cook for about an hour, or until tender.Alternatively you can also boil them with salt until cooked
  • Peel and mash both the potatoes and beets in deep bottomed dish.
  • Mix all the ingredients except oil into the beet/potato mixture.

For the cutlets

  • Take a small amount and roll them between your palms to make oval shaped patties.
  • Dip these into the flour batter and then roll them in the breadcrumbs
  • Deep fry them in hot oil until all golden and crispy.
  • Serve them hot with Green Chutney,Ketchup or hot sauce.