Quick Samosa Baskets

Holiday season always makes me cook new, yet quick goodies. So when I decided to make something quick nothing else came in my mind other than these Samosa Baskets. They are easy to make and loved by all every time I make it. Also this appetizer is very light on your tummy, so you have enough room for the main course J The best part about this recipe is, it is no onion-no garlic recipe so you can make it on any day.

Ingredients:

For Filling:

1. Boiled potatoes: 4-5 (Medium, roughly mashed by hand) 
2. Green Peas: 1 Cup 
3. Green Chilies: 2-3 finely chopped 
4. Cumin: 3-4 Tbsp. 
5. Grated Ginger: 3-4 Tbsp. (roughly 2-3 inches) 
6. Garam Masala: 1 Tsp. 
7. Red Chili Powder: 1 Tbsp. 
8. Chat Masala: 1 Tbsp. 
9. Amchur Powder (Dry Mango Powder): 1 ½ Tbsp. 
10. Anardana Powder: 1 Tbsp. (Optional)   
11. Cilantro: ½ cup (finely chopped)
12. Salt: To Taste
13. Vegetable Oil: 3-4 Tbsp. 
14. Date and Tamarind chutney: ¼ Cup
15. Shev: ½ Cup (optional)

For basket:

1. Ready-made Fillo Shells: 24 * See attached picture and notes.

Method:

1. Take a bowl and roughly mash the potatoes by hand. Don’t mash is by masher, we need uneven pieces of potatoes. 
2. Put Chat masala, amchur powder, anardana powder (optional) and salt to taste to the potatoes. 
3. Now take oil in a wok or kadhai and put lots of cumin seeds. Let it splutter. 
4. Start putting other ingredients like green chilies, grated ginger and green peas. Let it cook properly. 
5. Add red chili powder and garam masala. Let the spices cook and let the raw smell go from it. 
6. Now add potato mixture to it and stir nicely. Everything should be well incorporated in each other. 
7. At this time you may want to add a little more oil and/ or 2-3 Tbsp. of oil if you feel the mixture is too dry. 
8. Add half the quantity of cilantro and stir well.
9. Put a lid for couple of minutes and let the mixture cook. 
10. Once the filling is done, take it out in a bowl and let it cool down completely. 
11. Now take a baking sheet and line it with parchment paper or silver foil. 
12. Pre heat the oven on 350 Degree Fahrenheit. 
13. Put the pre-made fillo cups on the baking sheet. 
14. Bake them for 10 minutes or as per instructions on the packet. 
15. Take them out of oven and now start assembling the cups with samosa filling. 
16. Fill each cup with 1-2 Tbsp. of samosa filling. 
17. Put it in the oven again for 10-12 minutes at 350F or till the filling it hot again. 
18. Take it out and put it on serving tray. Garnish it with cilantro.
19. Give date-tamarind chutney and shev on the side. 
20. The yummilicious appetizer is ready. 

Notes:

1. During holiday season you get fillo cups easily in any local grocery store. I bought mine from Giant. 
   
2. If you don’t find fillo shells or cups in your local grocery store, then just buy puff pastry sheets. Thaw it completely and cut it in squares. 
3. Put it in muffin pans and bake it according to the instructions on the packet. This way you will get the cups/ baskets ready.   
4. You may want to make chole and serve it as chole chat along with some bitten yogurt.
5. Please do not reheat in the microwave, the baskets will become soggy. If you need to reheat then do it in the over at 250F for 10-12 minutes.  

I’m sure all your family members and friends will love and appreciate your creativity. Happy Holidays and Happy Cooking all of you :) 

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Paan Ladoos

I wanted to try this recipe for a very long time. I had seen it online by Manali Singh. Also my mother always used to make these laddoos when she used to have leftover condensed milk after some recipe but she never added Paan (Betel leaf) in it. But this variation was just too awesome. So many thanks to Manali’s recipe. I have always made this recipe with rose essence and red color as rose laddoos, will upload the detailed recipe for that too soon.

So here we go.

Ingredients:

1. Dry Coconut powder (desiccated coconut) or fresh grated coconut: 2½ Cup
2. Desiccated coconut: ¼ Cup 
3. Paan leaves (Betel leaf): 4-5 (depending on the size of the leaf) 
4. Condensed Milk: 14 oz can
5. Gulkand (Rose petal jam or preserve): 4-5 Tbspn. 
6. Velachi Powder (Cardamom powder): ½ Tspn. 
7. Ghee (Clarified butter): 2 Tspn. 
8. Green color: Optional

Method:

1. Cut betel leaves and put it in a mixie bowl along with condensed milk. Give a good pulse. I used my food processor. Use any mixer provided you don’t need to put any water in it. 
2. Take a pan and put dry coconut powder in it. Roast for a minute and now add ghee to it. 
3. Roast it for 3-4 minutes. Make sure to stir it continuously to avoid burning. We want white coconut and not brown coconut at the end.
4. Add velachi powder at this time. Keep stirring. 
5. You may add a few drops of food color in it while roasting. 
6. Take it out in a bowl and add paan mixture to it. Original recipe said that you will have to combine it on the stove and heat for couple of minutes but I prefer this way so I always make it this way. You may want to put it in microwave for a minute if you feel the consistency is too runny. Put it in microwave for 30 sec, stir and repeat the process until they are well combined. 
7. Follow the same procedure for plain and rose laddoos too. 
8. Mix it well. I added a couple of drops of food color at this stage and got a beautiful green color. However, putting food color is completely optional. 
9. Grease your palms with ghee and start rolling the laddoos. 
10. Press this coconut ball in the middle and fill it with a teaspoon of Gulkand and roll it again to seal it. 
11. Take a plate and spread dry coconut powder in it. 
12. Roll the ready ladddoo in it and keep it on a serving bowl. 
13. Tadaaaa!!!! Your laddoos are ready. Happy Cooking!!!

Notes:

1. If taking fresh coconut then roast it little longer to get rid of all the moisture from it. 
2. You will yield approximately 10 laddoos out of this measurement. 
3. If not adding food color then grind one paan leaf coarsely and add to the final mixture before rolling the laddoos to give a nice green color to it. 
4. These laddoos can be refrigerated for a week or so.
5. I have a very innovative recipe of Paan Shots too. Do check that recipe too here on my blog. 

I’m sure all your family members and friends will love and appreciate your creativity.

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Spanish rice in an Instant Pot (IP)

So the IP fever is still on and will be more each passing day. I have made a lot of items by now in my IP so far and one of them is ‘Spanish Rice’. Very easy and delicious too. Husband was interested in learning new dishes in IP so got a few recipes printed. I checked them but didn’t appeal my Indian palate so made a new version all together. Here we go.

Ingredients:

1. Sona Masoori Rice: 2.5 cups
2. Canned Black beans: 2
3. Low sodium Vegetable Broth: 4.5 Cups
4. Small Onion Diced: Half a cup
5. Tomato paste: 2 Tbspn
6. Garlic: 5-6 minced cloves
7. Olive oil: 2-3 Tbspn
8. Southwest Chipotle Seasoining: 1.5 Tbspn
9. Oregano: 2 Tbspn
10. Garlic powder: 1 Tspn (optional) 
11. Chili Flakes: To taste (optional)
12. Salt: To taste 

Method:

1. Put IP on sauté mode. 
2. Add olive oil and put garlic in it. 
3. Add onion and sauté for around 4 minutes or till the onion is translucent. 
4. Now add tomato paste and sauté till it is cooked. 
5. Now add washed canned beans to it and add all the spices. 
6. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. 
7. Now add rice and mix it with above mixture. 
8. Add vegetable broth. Taste the liquid and then add salt to taste. Adding vegetable broth is an optional step, you may add water instead. However I feel vegetable broth gives nice taste and aroma to the rice. 
9. Add chili flakes if desired. 
10. Put the lid and turn off the sauté mode. 
11. Now put IP on rice mode and let it cook. 
12. I waited till NR (Natural Release) 
13. Serve it with any Mexican chicken curry or eat it as is.

Notes:

1. You can replace or add chicken cubes to the dish instead of beans.
2. If serving it to kids then you may want to omit chipotle seasoning and chili flakes. It is not a spicy rice but may bother younger kids. Didn’t bother my kids though (5 and 2 year old J)
3. You can add firm tofu to it. Do not add paneer otherwise the rice will become mushy because beans may release some juices while cooking. However you may add crumbled paneer if desired.
4. Add any veggies on hand. Since it is a quick rice recipe I didn’t add many veggies in it.
5. Hope you enjoy this very simple and quick rice recipe in your beloved Insta Pot.

Hope you like this quick recipe in the IP. 

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