Soni's Food

Indian Inspiration!

Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Patties

20 | 04 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

My newest craze these days are Sweet Potatoes.So rich in texture, taste and a nicer and healthier alternative to Potatoes.Packed with nutrition, rich in fiber, vitamins and beta carotene, this is a wonder vegetable that you can incorporate into your family’s diet. Its a versatile vegetable, that can be used in many different ways right from cutlets,to a simple mash, casseroles or desserts.

sweet potatoes

I’d originally planned on making sweet potato mash for dinner.The idea of making these into patties popped in when I’d peeled them up and I instantly changed my plan.I opened up my spice cabinet and threw in some coriander and cumin to give it a kick.The result is a luscious healthy appetizer or snack that you can enjoy guilt free!

The patties taste best when the natural sugars in the sweet potato caramelizes and imparts an earthy slightly charred flavor!The ginger kicks in along with the spices and the corn starch works as a binder.Its rustic and delicious!!I have been making it ever since and I’m sure you will too!

Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Patties

Indian Spiced Sweet Potato Patties

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Ingredients
  

  • Sweet Potatoes-3 Medium or 4-5 small makes about 8-10
  • Potato any kind-1 medium boiled
  • Ginger-1 inch crushed
  • Green Chillies jalapeños-2 chopped finely
  • Ground Cumin-1 tsp
  • Ground Coriander-1 tsp
  • Cornstarch-2-3 tbsps
  • Salt-to taste
  • Oil-for shallow frying

Instructions
 

  • Wash the Sweet potatoes and bake it in the oven at 350 degrees F for 50 mins- 1 hour until cooked.
  • In the meantime boil a potato either on the stove-top or in a microwave.
  • Peel off the skin of the sweet potatoes and the potato, mash it and mix all the ingredients except oil.
  • Take some of the mix and flatten it between your hands, into round shaped patties.
  • Heat oil in a non stick pan over medium heat.
  • Shallow fry until nicely brown and caramalized on both sides.Serve hot with some ketchup!
Notes: For best results 
  • refrigerate the ready patties for about 20 minutes before you fry them
  • Use a Non-Stick pan to prevent them from sticking (do not use too much oil, just 2 tbsp on each side should suffice)
  • Let the patties develop a nice golden color on one side before you flip them.

Blackberry Cobbler – #Berrylove Bloghop

01 | 04 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Today I’m going to share with you the new found love of my life, the ‘Fruit Cobbler’.How else would you explain the fact that in the past month I’ve made it not once or twice or thrice but 5 times!! I’m not kidding!Its THAT good and with Berry for our theme for this month’s bloghop, I knew exactly what I was going to be making AGAIN. 🙂

Blackberry Cobbler

Cobbler is a classic American deep-dish fruit Dessert where the fruits are either enclosed in a thick fluffy pillow of a butter batter or have a drop biscuit or crumb topping.While I’ve had the fruits with crumb toppings before, the fruits enclosed in the crust was new to me.

Blackberry Cobbler 1
I tweaked the original recipe by cutting down on the butter and used Olive Oil instead in my batter and trust me it tasted delicious.I didn’t miss the butter in my batter at all!I’ve made these using blackberries here,but you can use any seasonal fruit like apples, peaches,plums,mixed berries etc.The lemon sugar is the key in this recipe as it adds that sweet lemony touch to the Dessert!

Blackberry Cobbler 3
The batter rises and covers up the fruit and the berries oozing out their gorgeous juices intermingling with the chewy moist crust!Oh the simple pleasures of life~

Recipe Adapted from Scarletta Bakes 

Blackberry Cobbler #Berrylove Bloghop

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Ingredients
  

  • Unsalted Butter-2 tbsp cut into 4 pieces
  • Olive Oil-1/2 cup
  • Sugar-1 1/2 cup
  • Lemon Zest-1 1/2 tsp
  • Blackberries-3 cups
  • All Purpose Flour-1 1/2 cups
  • Baking Powder- 2 1/2 tsp
  • Salt-1/4 tsp
  • Milk- 1 1/2 cups I used 2%

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
  • Place 2 tbsp of cut-up butter into a baking dish and transfer into the oven.Heat until the butter is melted.
  • Meanwhile mix the lemon zest with 1/4 cup of sugar in a bowl.Keep aside.
  • Combine flour, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt in a bowl.
  • Whisk in the milk,olive oil into the flour mixture until smooth.
  • Take the baking dish out of the oven and make sure to spread the melted butter evenly so that it coats the entire bottom of the dish.
  • Transfer the batter into the dish.Arrange the blackberries evenly over the top.
  • Sprinkle the lemon sugar and bake until the golden brown edges are crisp about 40-45 mins.Serve warm.

April is #Berry-love month!Please join in the Berry-love fun by linking up any Berry recipes from the month of April 2012.Don’t forget to link back to this post so that your readers come stop by the Berry-love event!

Co-hosting this Blog-hop with my fabulous friends listed below.Please stop-by their pages as well while you’re here 🙂
Alittlebitofeverything~ Roxana GreenGirl ~ @RoxanaGreenGirl,BakerStreet ~ Anuradha ~ @bakerstreet29,BakingandCooking, ATaleofTwoLoves ~ Becky Higgins,BigFatBaker ~ Erin Meyer ~ @bigfatbaker,Bonàcroquer~ Valerie ~ @valouth,CakeDuchess~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess,EasilyGoodEats~ Three Cookies,ElephantEats~ Amy,Georgie Cakes ~ Georgie ~ @GeorgieCakes,HobbyAndMore~ Richa ~ @betit19,JavaCupcake ~ Betsy Eves ~ @JavaCupcake,MisPensamientos~ Junia ~ @juniakk,NoOneLikesCrumbleyCookies~ T.R. ~ @TRCrumbley,OhCake~ Jessica ~ @jesshose,Queen‘sNotebook~ Elizabeth  Quirino ~ @Mango_Queen,RicosinAzúcar~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar,SimplyReem~  Reem ~ @Simplyreem,Soni‘sFoodforThought~ Soni ~ @sonisfood,TeaspoonofSpice~ Deanna Segrave-Daly ~ @tspbasil,ThatSkinnyChickCanBake!!!~ Liz ~ @thatskinnychick,TheArtofCookingRealFood ~ Laura ~ @TAofCRF,VeganYackAttack~ Jackie S. ~ @veganyackattack,VegetarianMamma~ Cindy ~ @vegetarianmamma

Vanilla Olive Oil Muffins

25 | 03 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

My kids love to help me whenever I’m in my kitchen baking.This time round my four year old was very excited to be my helper.While I was getting the ingredients ready he had taken out a large bowl and the whisk on the table ready for mixing!!Of late I’ve been coming across a lot of cake and muffin recipes with Olive Oil which cuts off the fat content by a lot.
Vanilla Olive Oil Muffins
Olive Oil muffins sounded so good, but unfortunately I’d never tasted them and was always intrigued every time I saw the recipes posted by my baker friends.So I decided to try making these muffins and figure out myself!My son loves vanilla hence, Vanilla Muffins it had to be!

Vanilla Olive Oil Muffins 1

Oh my, what a delicious, moist treat this was? I have to tell you that these are now my absolute favorites and thanks to all my baker friends out there, I was inspired to bake with Olive Oil.You can clearly taste the Olive Oil in every bite.The yoghurt make it super moist and so good!My son enjoyed it too and was very proud that it was his creation 🙂 My daughter enjoyed it for her school snack the following day!Hubby who is very finicky when it comes to desserts also liked it!That tells it all I guess 🙂

Adapted from The Foodies’ Kitchen
Makes 12 muffins

Vanilla Olive Oil Muffins

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Ingredients
  

  • 1 ¾ cup All purpose Flour
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 ¼ tsp Baking Powder
  • ¼ tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 cup Sugar
  • ½ cup Olive Oil
  • ¼ cup Plain Yoghurt
  • ½ cup milk
  • 1 Egg
  • 1 Egg White
  • 1 ½ tsp Vanilla extract

Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
  • Line standard muffin pan with paper liners.
  • Sift together Flour,Baking Powder, Baking Soda and Salt.
  • In a mixing bowl mix the Oil,Yoghurt, Milk,Egg, Egg White and Vanilla Extract.
  • Mix well and add the dry ingredients and just mix until combined.
  • Take an ice cream scoop and divide between 12 muffin cups.
  • Bake on the center rack in the oven for 18-20 minutes or until slightly golden.
  • Enjoy!

 

Spinach, Artichoke and Mozzarella Koftas -Greens Bloghop

03 | 03 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

For our Greens Bloghop, I thought of taking something very traditional and giving it a little makeover by using some unique ingredients not that commonly used in Indian cooking.Koftas (meaning meatballs)came to mind, a dish that has so many variations in so many different countries.Originated in Persia, Koftas were originally made of minced lamb or beef, but gradually starting gaining popularity in other countries all across the Middle East,Africa, Asia and Europe.In India Koftas made way into both vegetarian and non-vegetarian households with many versions that have became equally popular.The vegetarian koftas are usually made of Paneer,Potato,Lauki(Bottle gourd-from the squash family),Cabbage,Jackfruit etc..but I’ve come up with a fusion dish that will transport you into the exotic culinary world of rich, saporous food from the East!

Smooth and luscious, these koftas are a pure delight and will have you craving for more and more!I made my Koftas using Spinach, Mozzarella and Artichoke.We all know that spinach,artichoke and cheese complement each other very well, so when I thought of spinach for the koftas the other two almost naturally followed.These are served in a mildly spiced, slightly sweet and creamy tomato gravy!Best part is, they’re easy to make and great for entertaining since you can make them ahead of time and just heat them up when its time to serve.


You prepare the balls and gravy separately and plate them together at the last minute.Traditionally Indian koftas are made using ghee, butter and cream.I’ve made them skinny by using Greek Yoghurt and a tbsp of butter at the end to finish off the dish.Good and good for you~

Indian Spinach,Artichoke & Mozzarella Koftas

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Ingredients:

For the koftas:
1 standard size pack of frozen spinach or 2 packs of fresh spinach(I’ve used frozen spinach here)-makes about 10-11 koftas
1 medium sized ball of fresh mozzarella cheese-grated
Small jar of Artichokes(6oz)-crushed by hand
Ginger-1/2 inch crushed
Besan or chickpea flour-1 tbsp (you could also substitute cornstarch)
Ground Cumin-1 tsp
Ground Coriander-1 tsp
Salt-1/2 tsp
Cornstarch for rolling
Oil- for frying

For the tomato gravy:
Fresh tomato puree or Canned crushed tomato -2 cups
Cardamom (whole)-2
Cloves-2
Ginger Garlic paste-1 tbsp
Ground Cumin-1 tsp
Ground Coriander-1 tsp
Garam Masala-1 tsp
Red Chilli powder-1 tsp or to your taste
Kasoori methi-1 tsp crushed by hand (easily available at Indian grocer’s)
Honey or sugar-1 tbsp
Water-1 cup
Salt-to taste
Oil-2 tbsp
Butter-1 tbsp
Greek Yoghurt-1 tbsp

Process:
Koftas

  • Boil the fresh spinach for about 2 mins and drain.Squeeze out all the liquid once its cool.If using frozen, microwave the spinach for about 2 mins and squeeze out any liquid.
  • Grate the mozzarella. 
  • Squeeze the liquid out from the artichoke and crush them roughly with your hands.
In a deep vessel mix all the kofta ingredients except oil and cornstarch.Take a small amount into your hands and roll them into balls.Roll these into the cornstarch and either deep fry or shallow fry on medium high till they are golden.

Tomato Gravy
In a separate skillet, heat oil and add the Cardamom and Cloves.Add the ginger garlic paste and stir for a minute.Add the tomato puree and the spices.Add some salt and cook on medium high until you see oil around the edges (About 5-6 minutes).Discard the cardamom and cloves now.Add the honey or sugar.Add some water and bring to a boil.Reduce and cook until it reaches a nice consistency and add the butter.Mix and turn off the heat.Add the kasoori methi.Move the pan away from the burner and add the greek yoghurt.Mix gently.Your gravy is ready.
Keep them separately until ready to serve.If you mix them the koftas might break apart.When ready to serve, arrange the koftas on top of the gravy or mix it gently into the gravy and serve hot with Naans,Pitas, Rotis or even rice!Enjoy!

 


Please join in the Greenslove fun by linking any leafy green recipe from the month of March.I’m co-hosting this bloghop with these amazing blogger friends.Please visit their gorgeous creations while you’re here!

Al Dente Gourmet ~ Aldy ~ @AlDenteGourmet
ASTIG Vegan ~ Richgail ~  @astigvegan
Badger Girl Learns to Cook ~ Kimberly ~ @BdgrGrl
Baking and Cooking, A Tale of Two Loves ~ Becky Higgins
BigFatBaker ~ Erin ~ @BigFatBaker
Bon a croquer ~ Valerie ~ @Valouth
CafeTerraBlog ~ Terra ~ @CafeTerraBlog
Cake Duchess ~ Lora ~ @cakeduchess
Cheap Ethnic Eatz ~ Evelyne ~ @cethniceatz
Easily Good Eats ~ Three Cookies
Georgiecakes ~ Georgie ~ @georgiecakes
Kitchen Belleicious ~ Jessica ~ @kbelleicious
Mis Pensamientos ~ Junia ~ @juniakk
My Twisted Recipe ~ Dudot ~ @mytwistedrecipe  
No One Likes Crumbley Cookies ~ TR ~ @TRCrumbley
Oh Cake ~ Jessica ~ @jesshose
Queen’s Notebook ~ Elizabeth ~ @Mango_Queen  
Rico sin Azucar ~ Helena ~ @ricosinazucar
Savoring Every Bite ~ Linda ~ @Spicegirlfla
Simply Reem ~ Reem ~ @simplyreem
Soni’s Food for Thought ~ Soni ~ @sonisfood 
Sprint 2 the Table ~ Laura ~ @Sprint2theTable
Teaspoon of Spice ~ Deanna ~ @tspbasil 
That Skinny Chick Can Bake ~ Liz ~ @Thatskinnychick
The Art of Cooking Real Food ~ Laura ~@TAofCRF
The Spicy RD ~ EA ~ @thespicyrd 
The Wimpy Vegetarian ~ Susan ~ @wimpyvegetarian
Vegan Yack Attack! ~ Jackie ~ @veganyackattack
Vegetarian Mamma  ~ Cindy ~ @VegetarianMamma

Also linking this entry to #Indianfoodpalooza a wonderful celebration of Indian Food hosted by Indian Simmer,Creative Culinary and The Colors of Indian Cooking !!!Please join in the fun event if you have made and posted an Indian dish from 1st-31st of March.There are prizes to be won!!


Indian Spiced Quinoa Patties/Cutlets

23 | 02 | 2012
By Soni Sinha

Of late, every other recipe you come across is made using Quinoa the “super grain”, but did you know, its actually a relative of green leafy vegetables like spinach and Swiss Chard?I had never made Quinoa, until the inspiration came at a recent gathering, when a good friend brought the most delicious Quinoa salad with cucumber, onions, avocadoes etc and it just tasted wonderful.I came home and my imagination started running wild with all the things I could do with Quinoa.That’s the beauty of this grain.Its versatile enough to be incorporated in many ways from salads, to pilafs to cutlets and the options are endless.

I wanted to make it with an Indian twist and my first experiment with Quinoa began (I know, it really took this long ;))!The addition of peas was a great idea, since it perfectly balances the nutty flavor of the Quinoa with its sweetness and gives a perfect texture to the cutlets.The spices add that earthy taste and flavor the whole dish.The ginger and garlic is crucial for that smoky deliciousness that is so important for an Indian recipe and finally coriander gives it the much required freshness.

Talking about its health benefits, I could fill pages worth of goodness, but I’ll keep it short!Its not only high in protein, but the protein it supplies is complete protein which means that it has a well balanced amino acid profile that is essential for tissue growth and repair.Rich in magnesium it also helps people with migraine by reducing the frequency of headache episodes.Its good for the heart, rich in anti-oxidants,full of fiber and the list goes on!Its definitely one of the healthiest foods around.
The cutlets were a success and even my picky eight year old loved it.That tells me I need to come up with even more exciting variations of Quinoa.Watch this space!(Source-WHfoods)

Indian spiced Quinoa Patties/Cutlets

Print this Recipe

Ingredients:

Quinoa-1 cup 

Frozen Green peas-1/2 cup

Ginger-1/4 inch crushed

Garlic-2 cloves crushed

Ground cumin-1 tsp

Ground Coriander-1 tsp

Green Chillies (optional)-2 chopped 

Coriander leaves-1/2 cup chopped

Oil- for shallow frying

Salt- to taste

Breadcrumbs-2 cups

 

Batter:

All purpose flour/maida-1/2 cup

Water-1 1/4 cup

 

Process:

Cook the quinoa according to instructions.Microwave the peas in a bowl for about 2 mins.

Mix the flour and water and keep the batter ready in a bowl.Keep the breadcrumbs ready in a plate.

Take a deep dish.Mix Quinoa, peas and all the ingredients except oil.

 

Flatten between your palms to make round patties,

Dip these patties into the flour batter and roll into the breadcrumbs.

  • You can either bake them in a 400 degree oven.Spray with cooking spray and bake until they’re golden brown.
  • You can deep fry these in a deep skillet until golden.
  • You can shallow fry like I’ve done here.

Serve hot or at room temperature with some ketchup or chutney!Enjoy!