Mushroom Cutlets

So my tryst with mushrooms continue and presenting today is a super yum yet super simple Mushroom Tikki/Cutlet which you can prepare in advance and serve it hot with any chutney of your choice. It is a wonderful party pleaser and filling too (have to prepare less for main course!! Lol!) and will serve as an excellent tiffin idea too!! My 3 yo loves it!! I made mine in the air fryer with just a minimal spray of oil but you can pan fry them or bake them as well.

Ingredients 

400 gms mushrooms finely chopped  (it is best to use button mushrooms here and quantity depends on your requirement)

1 medium onion finely chopped 

2-3 cloves of garlic finely chopped or minced 

1" piece ginger finely chopped or minced 

Handful of fresh coriander leaves or parsley (whichever is available)

1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs or as required to hold the mixture together (you can use regular breadcrumbs too; panko gives it an extra crunch but otherwise no difference in taste)

2 eggs (increase the quantity as you increase the quantity of mushrooms)

Salt and pepper to taste 

1 tsp any herb or spices of your choice

1 tsp oil 

Cooking oil spray if using the air fryer or baking 

Direction 

Heat oil in a pan and add the mushrooms. Fry on a medium heat until the moisture from the mushrooms evaporate and they shrink in volume. Remove from heat and let it cool. 

Once cooled, transfer the mushrooms to a big bowl and add all the ingredients except the eggs and breadcrumbs. Now add the egg and half of the crumbs and start mixing. If the mixture comes together and holds its shape easily when made into a flat disc or tikki, then no need to add the remaining breadcrumbs. If not, add some more breadcrumbs till the mixture holds its shape. However, take care not to add too many breadcrumbs as it will result in a doughy tikki. Once refrigerated (our next step), the egg will anyway dry up the mixture a little more. 

Shape all the tikkis from the mixture and arrange on a plate. Cover the plate with a cling wrap and refrigerate until ready to fry. 

Take the tikkis out of the fridge 15 minutes prior to frying. 

If using an air fryer, pre heat at the maximum temperature for 10 minutes. Now arrange the tikkis in the basket (as many as it can hold without touching) and spray some cooking oil on top. Fry in the air fryer for 10-15 minutes on one side and an additional 5 minutes on the other side after flipping. Take care while flipping and use a fork or something similar to release the tikkis as they will tend to get stuck. The next batch of tikkis will take lesser time than the first and so adjust accordingly. 

If using the oven, pre heat at 175 degree celsius. Arrange the tikkis on a grill plate without touching or overlapping and spray some cooking oil. Bake in the grill mode for 10 minutes or until crispy and golden on one side. Flip and bake for an additional 5 minutes on the other side. 

If pan frying, heat oil and fry the tikkis till golden on both the sides. Take care while  flipping though. 

Enjoy these tikkis with any condiments of your choice. Serve hot!

Wholewheat Mathri in the Air Fryer

It has been a hectic Diwali this year. Not because I was busy making sweets and snacks, but because I was busy in putting up the artifacts that I got from India on the walls, getting pictures framed, putting up lights, and most importantly maintaining a strict diet and exercise regime!! My air fryer has been particularly helpful in keeping my weighing scale ticking to the left. Though I did not make any elaborate snacks and sweets especially for Diwali, I did make these super awesome and healthy wholewheat mathris in the air fryer and some Gulab Jamuns (not air fried though) for friends over dinner. The mathris are such a help to satiate my chaat cravings anytime in the day and I am sure my next batch will be done pretty soon as this one's not going to last long! So here's wishing you all a Happy and Healthy Diwali... Stay blessed!!

Ingredients

1 cup wholewheat flour

1/2 cup semolina

1/2 cup all purpose flour/maida

1-2 tbsp ghee/oil (I used ghee just for diwali; you can use oil)

1 tsp ajwain/carrom seeds

2 tsp chaat masala (optional)

1 tsp salt

Water at room temperature to knead

Direction

Take the flours and semolina in a big bowl and add the spices. Now add the ghee/oil and rub it on the flour with your hands till it resembles bread crumbs. 

Now slowly add the water little at a time to form a smooth and firm dough. The dough should not be sticky or too soft which will make it difficult to roll later.

Let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Pre-heat the Air Fryer at 200 degree celsius for 5 minutes. Do not forget to line the basket with an aluminium foil. Pinch out tennis ball sized balls from the dough and roll out a medium thickness circle but uniform from all sides. Make pricks with a fork all over the circle. Take a round biscuit cutter or cap of a jar and cut out as many circles as you can from that big circle. 

Remove the extra cut edges and put it back with the dough. Keep the cut small circles aside and continue with the rest of the dough. 

Once the Air Fryer is ready, grease the small circles with ghee (optional; I have made them greased and non-greased as well) and place as many circles in the basket as possible without any overlapping. I have made around 12-14 mathris in a single batch. Cook the mathris at 200 degrees for 10 minutes on one side or until golden. Flip and then cook for an additional 5 minutes. Take care not to burn them but only bake till golden. If they still feel soft to touch, cook for an additional 2-3 minutes while reducing the temperature to about 160-180 degrees. Remove from the fryer and let them cool before transferring to air tight jars. 

Enjoy these healthy yummy crunchy mathris for chaat or while having your tea/coffee or anyway you like!!

Soya Nuggets and Paneer Curry

My Air Fryer love is on a full mode and everything and anything that I am doing in the kitchen these days, has to involve the air fryer someway or the other. Apart from the regular chicken grilling and obvious frying, I have also been using it for frying curry ingredients which otherwise would have been sautéed in oil before adding to the curry. This not only saves me time in the kitchen while cooking but also helps me cut down on some extra calories. Today's dish is prepared with just 2 tsp oil and tastes wonderful with some hot phulkas and pickle. With my twice daily exercise regime and my strict controlled diet I have managed to loose 2 kgs so far and I really hope to achieve my target of losing 6 more kgs by December. Such is the effect of having this air fryer as well as that Appe Pan. You enjoy tasty healthy food while still restricting the calories!! Over to the recipe now...

Ingredients

1 cup soya nuggets

100 gms paneer chunks

2 medium onions cut into squares

1 small capsicum cut into squares

1 small tomato and 1 small onion made into a paste with 1 each of cinnamon, cardamom, and clove

1/2 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tbsp kasuri methi crushed

2 tsp honey

Fresh coriander leaves for garnishing

2 tsp oil

Salt to taste 

For the marinade

1/4 cup whipped yogurt

1 1/2 tsp garlic paste

1 1/2 tsp ginger paste

2 tsp spice mix (dry roast 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp coriander seeds, 1 tsp black peppercorns, 2 dried red chillies, 2 black cardamoms and make a fine powder)

Salt to taste

Note: Instead of the spice mix, you can use tandoori masala, chicken masala or any similar masala as well. Also, this spice mix is a wonderful addition to any stir fry or other curries that you make on a regular day. 

Direction

Soak the soya nuggets in water and bring it to a boil. The nuggets would double in size and become soft and spongy. Drain the water and squeeze out the excess liquid. Meanwhile, prepare the marinade by mixing all ingredients listed under it. Drop the squeezed soy nuggets into the marinade. Add the paneer chunks as well and mix everything well. Cover and keep aside for 1-2 hours. 

If using the air fryer, line it with an aluminum foil and fry the nuggets followed by the paneer chunks for 10 minutes each at 200 degree celsius while shaking it once in between. Remove and keep aside. 

If not using the air fryer, heat a little oil and fry the soya nuggets and the paneer chunks till slightly golden. Remove from heat and keep aside. Do not discard the marinade. 

Heat 2 tsp oil in the same pan and fry the squared onions till pink. Add the capsicum and fry for 3-5 minutes followed by the tomato onion paste. Add the rest of the spices including salt except the kasuri methi and continue stirring till oil separates. Now add the leftover marinade (if any; I did not have any) and the fried nuggets and paneer and mix well. Add 1/2 cup warm water and cover and cook on a medium flame till gravy thickens a bit. Add kasuri methi, honey and any additional salt if needed. Garnish with fresh coriander and remove from heat. Serve hot.

Jaggery and Mawa Stuffed Gujiyas and My New Air Fryer

When you are back from a holiday, apart from the happy memories, all you are left with is an empty wallet! It especially holds true for people like us (me and my hubby) who spend crazily while on holiday like there is no tomorrow!

Back home, we are now leading a routine life with a severe cut down on calories and an extensive exercise regime. However, the shopper in me remains alert 24/7 and while on my way to the Gym, I caught a glimpse of this super irresistible offer at my nearby mall for Mayer Air Fryers at just S$ 98!! Unbelievable, isn't it? I thought so too. Frankly, I never gave any serious thought about Air Fryers simply because of the exorbitant price as well as for the reason that we are not much into eating fried/deep fried food. But when you come across such an offer, however bankrupt you may be, you just cannot let it go. So I queued up, all the while googling to see the reviews of the product, and finally took home this wonder gadget. 

Sometimes, I think you should just let go of your planning and your calculations and do what your heart says. The heart is always right!!

Apart from all the successful trials of Aalu Tikkis and fries, the first official dish are these Gujiyas. Made on the ocassion of Karwachauth, these were the perfect dessert to satiate my soul after that difficult fast and I can enjoy it even more as these were oil-free. What better way to inaugurate that wonder gadget!!

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup all purpose flour/maida

3 tbsp ghee

100 ml milk (room temperature or warm; use more or less as required while kneading)

For the filling

1/3 cup dessicated coconut (you can use fresh coconut as well)

1/3 cup mix of dry fruits finely chopped (I used almonds, cashews, and raisins)

1/3 cup mawa crushed

1 tbsp ghee

Jaggery as per your taste (I used about 1/4 cup)

For the sugar syrup

1/2 cup sugar

1 cup water

3-4 cardamom pods

1/2 tsp kewra essence

Few strands of saffron

Oil for frying (if not using Air Fryer)

Direction

Take the flour in a bowl and add the ghee. Start mixing it with your hands till it resembles bread crumbs. Now slowly add the milk and start kneading the dough to a smooth but stiff texture like a poori dough. It should not be too soft nor too tight else it will be difficult to roll and we do not want to use any additional flour while kneading. 

Cover and keep aside the dough for 1/2 an hour. 

Time to prepare the filling. Heat ghee in a pan. Add the coconut and fry till slightly browned and fragrant. If using fresh coconut, this may take a little longer. Now add the chopped dry fruits and fry till well roasted. Next add the jaggery and mix well till no lumps remain and jaggery is well melted. Finally, add the mawa/khoya and mix well till everything is well combined. Remove from heat and let it cool. 

Now take the dough and roll it with your hands into the shape of a rope. Using a sharp knife or dough cutter, make equal cuts of 12-13 parts. Take each part and roll it into a small and even ball. 

Using a rolling pin, roll it into a circle not very thick nor thin. Place about 3 tsp of the filling or as much as you think is sufficient to comfortably seal the edges. Bring in the edges from all sides and give it a half-moon shape. Now roll in the edges securely sealing them with your hands. You can also do it either with a gujiya shaper or with the help of a fork. 

Place it on one side and continue with the rest. If you want to complete all the rolling first and then move on to fry, you may need to cover the shaped gujiyas with a damp cloth to avoid drying. 

Once done with rolling, start heating the oil/ghee for frying as well as prepare the syrup on the other side. The syrup should be ready to use by the time your first gujiya is out of the pan. Take all the ingredients listed under syrup in a deep bottom wide pan and bring it to a boil. Once the sugar dissolves completely, let it simmer for a few minutes and then take it off the flame. 

Drench the hot fried gujiyas into the hot sugar syrup for 3-5 minutes on all sides and take it out on a plate. Continue with the rest of the gujiyas. 

When using an Air Fryer, pre heat the fryer at 200 degrees for 5 minutes. Then fry the gujiyas, 10 minutes each side or until golden. Drench them inmediately in the syrup and proceed with the rest of the process as stated above. Your lovely Jaggery and Mewa Gujiyas are ready to be served!! :)