Deep Fried Batter Balls

Little delicious fluffy pillows with an appetizing golden brown color, a crispy exterior and a soft interior.They are a light, airy and fun to eat, you can never keep count of how many you ate!

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Fritter is any food coated in batter and deep-fried. How about just deep frying the batter? Different isn't it?

When batter is deep fried, they puff up into little delicious fluffy pillows. These little fried batter balls have an appetizing golden brown color with a crispy exterior and a soft interior.They are a light, airy and fun to eat, you can never keep count of how many you ate!

This is my back up recipe when I don't have anything at home to dip in the batter and make fritters! These babies are seriously perfect to make for a group of friends. Warm up your cool spring evening with a plateful of fried batter balls.

Deep Fried Batter Balls

Makes - 5-6 Servings

All purpose flour	- 1 cup
Rice flour	- ½ cup
Baking soda	- a pinch
Yogurt	- ½ cup
Onions	- ¼ chopped
Green chillies	- 3 chopped
Curry leaves	- 3-4 (for added flavor, optional)
water	- to make thick batter
Salt	- to taste
Oil	- for deep frying

Heat oil in a pan to about 350 F.

Take all the ingredients in a bowl, add water and mix together to form a thick batter. You want the batter thick enough to be able to scoop with a spoon.

First, test oil by dropping few drops of batter in the frying pan. Taste to make sure it is fully cooked.

Now, simply mound the batter on a teaspoon and drop the batter into the hot oil.

Fry in small batches in oil over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes or until a deep golden brown.

Drain on paper towel and serve immediately with tomato ketchup.

Chickpea Salad with Cilantro Lime Dressing

What better way is there to start a meal than a refreshing, nourishing salad?Add a little panache to your daily meals with a delicious and satisfying chickpea salad

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What better way is there to start a meal than a refreshing, nourishing salad?

Crisp and cool, salads are ideal and refreshing before a hearty meal. Add a little panache to your daily meals with a salad of mixed greens, legumes and elegant toppings.

Chickpea salad with cilantro lime dressing is one of my favorite side salads. The salad is delicious and satisfying. The cilantro lime dressing adds a fresh and refreshingly flavor. I add kidney beans to the mix for a nice contrast both visually and texturally. Also, I sprinkle a dash of chat masala for a sweet and tart flavor. Let the salad sit for an hour in the refrigerator to give time for the flavors to develop.

A healthy and light salad. It is super fast and very easy to assemble and of all, no need to measure ingredients, just add to suit your tastes. This is a nice change from typical lettuce salads. A great dish to make ahead of time - the longer it sits the more flavorful it gets.

A great side salad you can't beat for taste and nutrition. A great salad to serve when you have company at home. I bet your company will not leave even a trace of salad!

Chickpea Salad with Cilantro lime dressing

Makes - 2 servings

Chickpea	- 1 can
Kidney Beans	- a handful
Lime Juice	- ½ cup freshly squeezed
Cilantro	- handful roughly chopped
Chat Masala	- 1 tsp
Salt	- to taste

Add washed and drained chickpea and kidney beans to a bowl.

Pour the lime juice, add cilantro and mix together.

Sprinkle Chat masala and mix. Taste and add salt if needed.

Cover with plastic wrap and keep in refrigerator.

Take it out 20 mins or so before you are ready to serve.

Enjoy!

Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Beans

Fluffy white rice tossed with fresh squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro.A great blend of flavors that give a soothing and comforting taste.

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Delicious, slightly tangy, basmati rice with a touch of cilantro.A great blend of flavors that give a soothing and comforting taste. Fresh lime juice wake up your taste buds and cilantro jazz up the white rice to create an outstanding rice dish.

My love for this dish started here......

Friday nights are almost often eat-out nights! Its the end of the work week so we are tired but we are in mood to eat something tasty (of course!), healthy(yeah right!) and satisfying. By default, our friday night eat out place is Chipotle. We loooooove the burrito bowl and my favorite part is cilantro lime rice.

Burrito bowl is black beans layered on a bed of Cilantro lime rice, with a serving of grilled meat or veggies, topped with pica de gallo, a dollop of sour cream and guacamole served in a bowl.

Fluffy white rice is tossed with fresh squeezed lime juice and chopped cilantro. The tangy lime infused basmati rice is mild yet flavorful. Seasoned black beans add a nice bite and the extra kick to the dish. This light, healthy and hearty dish is the perfect choice for any meal.

Cilantro Lime Rice and Black Beans

Makes - 2 Servings

Cilantro Lime Rice		Black Beans
Basmati Rice	- 4 cups cooked	Black Beans	- 1 can
Lime Juice	- 1/2 cup	Vegetable broth	- 2 cups
Cilantro	- a handful roughly chopped	Cumin	- 1 tsp
Oil	- 2 tbsp	Oil	- 2 tbsp
Salt	- to taste	Salt	- to taste

Heat oil in a pan.

Stir in rice, lime juice and cilantro.

Add salt and stir till the rice is heated through.

In another pan, heat oil.

Add the vegetable broth, black beans, cumin and salt.

Let it boil for few minutes till the broth thickens a little.

Now layer some cilantro lime rice in a bowl, top with some black beans,pica de gallo or corn salsa and serve with dollop of sour cream.

Gobi Manchurian

A popular Indian Chinese dish that is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds. Deep fried fritters tossed in sweet n spicy sauce and stir-fried on high heat.

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I remember the time when Hot n Sour soup, Fried rice, Hakka noodles,Gobi Manchurian, Schezuan Paneer started to appear on restaurant menu cards. These Indian Chinese dishes were so well accepted that it gained popularity in no time. Today, the Indo-Chinese food has become an integral part of the Indian culinary milieu. Now, every eating joint in India, big or small, carry a wide range of Indo-Chinese dishes in their menu.

Fusion of Indian ingredients and Chinese seasoning and techniques resulted in this winning combination!These dishes are prepared with basic ingredients of an Indian dish like onions, garlic, ginger, chillis but instead of adding Garam masala, Soy sauce and Vinegar are added!

A popular dish amongst them is Manchurian. Deep fried fritters tossed in Manchurian sauce and stir-fried on high heat. Instead of plain flour batter, a batter seasoned with chili sauce and ginger garlic paste is used. The sauce contains caramelized onions, bell peppers, and ketchup and for the 'Chinese' flavor, an overdose of chilli sauce, garlic and ginger, and generous portions of soy sauce and vinegar is added to top it all off .

Manchurian is bold, vibrant and has varied flavors. It has a nice balance of sweet, tang and spice all in one bite! It is a tantalizing dish that is guaranteed to tickle your taste buds!

Gobi Manchurian

Makes - 4 Servings

Manchurian Sauce		Batter for Fritters
Spring Onion	- 2 bunches	Cauliflower	- 2 cups of florets
Bell Pepper	- 1/2 cup chopped	Flour	- 1/2 cup
Ginger	- 1 tbsp chopped	Corn Flour	- 1/2 cup
Garlic	- 1 tbsp chopped	Ginger Garlic Paste	- 1/2 tsp
Sriracha Sauce or any Red Chili sauce	- 1 tbsp	Sriracha Sauce or any Red Chili sauce	- 2 tbsp
Tomato Paste	- 3 tbsp	Salt	- to taste
Tomato Ketchup	- 2 tbsp	water	- as needed
Soy Sauce	- 2 tbsp
Vinegar	- 2 tbsp
Brown Sugar	- 1 – 2 tsp
Salt	- to taste

Mix all the ingredients under 'batter for fritters' except cauliflower to make a thick batter.

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat for deep frying.

Working in batches, dip cauliflower florets in batter, then fry until golden brown, about 4 to 5 minutes. When done remove fritters from the pan to a plate lined with paper towels.

You can use Mushrooms, Paneer, Chicken, Fish or anything of else your choice for this dish

Mix all ingredients under 'Manchurian Sauce' except onions, bell pepper, ginger and garlic. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a wok or a pan.

Add chopped ginger and garlic and saute till it flavors the oil.

Add chopped spring onions and saute for a few minutes till soft and translucent.

You can use both the onion part and the green part of the spring onions but reserve little for garnish.

Add bell peppers and saute for couple more minutes till they are slightly cooked but still crisp.

Now add the mixed sauces and stir for about 5-7 minutes till it all comes together.

If you like manchurian with more sauce, just double the ingredients for sauce

Toss the fritters in sauce and stir-fry on high heat for a few minutes to coat them well.

Remove from heat, garnish with spring onions.

Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.