Ragada Patties

Out of the things that i missed after coming to US was all the lovely street foods like pani puri,chaat,pav bhajji,noodles.......n the list goes on.So I thought the country might be foreign to me but still its where my home is....my very first home after marriage.

I sat down one day n started thinking why not make everything that i miss in india at home in US as well n there i am today will all the pav bhajjis,chaat's,pani puris etc.Today here i am with a dish named Ragada patties.

Its one of the north indian fast food dishes.We get it in Andhra on the street carts but they sell it as chaat,well its a type of chaat.Ragda Patty is one of the renowned food items in Maharashtra. Ragda is a spicy mash of potatoes and various lentils. This spiced potato cake with tangy chickpea curry garnished with chopped onions and cilantro is the essential fast food in Mumbai.

For Patty

2 big potatoe's

2 green chillieschopped

1tsp grated garlic

salt

1 tsp chaat masala

cilantro chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt

2 bread slices crusts cut off

Boil the potatoes until soft.Remove n cool and mash them into a smooth paste. To this add all of the above ingredients except bread slices n mix.Now wet the bread slices with bit of water n squeeze out all the water by pressing the slices inbetween the hands.Add this to the potatoe mixture and combine.U should be able to form round patties with it just like vegetable cutlets,if not then this means ur mixture is wet if so add more bread slices to it.Then shallow fry the patties on a hot tawa with bit of oil on both sides.

Ragada:

2 cups white or green vatna(dried peas) soaked overnight

1 medium onion chopped finely

1 tsp ginger garlic paste

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp coriander pwd

1 tsp jeera pwd

1 tbsp chillie pwd

1 tsp chaat masala

pinch of sugar

lemon sized tamarind soaked in water

salt

oil

Garnish(curd,store bought or home made mint n coriander chutney and tamarind n date chutney-i prefer the knorr one we get in indian stores,haldirams sev,chopped cilantro,chopped onion's)

Method:

• Pressure cook the soaked vatna upto 2 whistles,be sure that they reatin their shape,once cooled remove palm full of vatna n smash them n keep aside also reserve the water in which the vatna were boiled
• Heat some oil in a pan,add chopped onions and let it fry till golden yellow.
• Next add the turmeric and ginger garlic paste
• Fry for a min then add the coriander pwd,jeera pwd and chilli pwd immediatley add 1/2 cup of water to make sure that spices dont get burnt.
• Then add the boiled vatna along with the reserved water,let it come to a boil .
• Add the tamarind water/pulp,also add the chaat masala n salt at this point,leave it to boil to recquired gravy consistency
• Add some sugar ,taste it n adjust the spice n sour levels in it according to ur taste.

Assembling

Beat the curd to a flowing consistency,but not too loose. Place 2 patties on a plate or a bowl .Pour the Ragada gravy on top of it.Garnish with the curd,mint n coriander chutney,date n tamarind chutney,sev,chopped onion's and cilantro.

Black Forest Cake

Black Forest Cake and Black Forest gateau are the English names for the southern German dessert Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (literally "Black Forest cherry torte").

Typically, Black Forest cake consists of several layers of chocolate cake, with whipped cream and cherries between each layer. Then the cake is decorated with additional whipped cream, maraschino cherries, and chocolate shavings. In some European traditions sour cherries are used both between the layers and for decorating the top. Traditionally, Kirschwasser is added to the cake, although other liquors are also used (rum is common in Austrian recipes). In the USA Black Forest cake is most often prepared without alcohol.

After the succeessful completion of my cake decorating course. I always wanted to try out my favorite cake which is a "Black Forest Cake". Finally one day i said "Let's Do it"....after doing a good research on the internet i finally wrote down my recipe for a black froest n ever since that has become my very suceessful recipe...Everyone in my house n friends started likeing it a lot ...

So whatever the occassion might be ever since i learnt it ....its the first thing on the table to celebrate the day.I had made several of them be it a round ,oval ,square or a heart shaped cake.I make use of the common ingredients that are available in the bakeing section of the grocery store.It's time taking but it's well worth the wait.

So r u ready....for the mouth watering recipe

Ingredients:

For an 8 inch cake with 2 fillings in between

Below Items are available in the baking goods section of any general grocery stores like walmart,jewel,dominicks,safeway,krogers etc

8 inch cake pan

1 box of betty crocker super moist milk chocolate cake mix

1 1/4 cups water

1/3 cup vegetable oil

3 eggs

1 pint Dean’s Ultra-Pasteurized Whipping Cream /Cool whip box 2

1 can comstock original country pie filling

1 big bar of ghirardelli semi sweet chocolate bakeing bar

4 tbsp cherry liqour (kirsch)/rum

6 tbsp sugar pwd

1 tsp vanilla essence

pam baking spray/ butter n maida(all purpose flour)

large serated knife

electric hand held blender with whisk attachment

Method for baking Cake

• In a large deep bowl add the water ,oil and eggs and blend with the hand blender until its frothy.Next add the chocolate cake mix in batch wise and keep blending until smooth and keep aside
• Take the bakeing pan and spray it with the baking spray(alternatively u can just rub it with butter and sprinkle it with some all purpose flour.
• Preheat the oven to 350*F
• Pour half of the cake mix into the pan till the pan is half full ,just even out the mix on top by just tapping the pan on the countertop,this will release the air bubbles from it.
• Put it in the oven for 30-35 mins,Remember do not open the oven in between to see how the cake look as this will result in the rising cake to collapse.Instead just on the oven light n see through the oven glass door.
• Once done after 30 mins insert a toothpick in the center n remove it should come out clean,that means the cake is done.
• Remove the pan from the oven and let it rest for 3o mins at room temperature.Then remove the cake from the pan it should be able to come out of it easily without breaking.
• Follow the above method again for baking a second cake with the remaining cake mix.Alternatively if u have 2 cake pans of the same size u can bake both the cakes at once.
• Once both the cakes are done leave it to cool in room temperature for 3-4hrs .Then just level out the cakes by cutting the bulging tops http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/leveling-cakes.cfm
• Next we have to divide one of the cake into two parts,http://www.wilton.com/cakes/making-cakes/torting-cakes.cfm this means u will have 3 cakes now

Prepare the soaking syrup

Take a bowl,put a seive on top of it.Open the cherry pie filling can n empty it onto the seive U have to seperate the cherrys from the syrup which is thick.Once u do this remove 10 cherries for garnish,then smash the remaining cherries.Now take the thick syrup add 3 Tbsp sugar pwd, rum or cherry liquor add water until the syrup is like a juice consistency.Keep aside

Prepare the filling n icing

Icing:--(if ur useing the cool whip box u can avoid this icing step because its already whipped,but i personally feel that fresh whipped cream is more tasty).Pour the whipping cream into a deep bowl it looks like thick milk consistency,add vanilla essence an blend it with the electric hand blender.It starts becoming more thick,now add the 3tbsp of pwd sugar and continue to blend until its thick which means it should be able to hold its shape when a peak is formed.

Filling:--Now take some whipping cream that is whipped and then add the mashed cherries to it and mix

Chocolate Shavings

Take the chocolate bar and a vegetable peeler.Now hold the chocolate in one hand and the peeler in the other hand n start peeling the chocolate.U will notice small chocolate curl like things coming ,finish the whole bar like this n keep the chocolate shavings in the fridge.While doing this tha chocolate might be melting n sticking to ur skin ,if so then put the chocolate in the fridge n wash ur hands,after sometime start doing it again.

Assembling the whole cake:

• Place one cake on the cake board or plate,then sprinkle a couple of tablespoons of syrup that we prepared on the cake, make sure whole top of the cake is wet with the syrup.Just make sure u dont add too much of syrup because the cake will fall apart.
• Next spread some of the filling on the cake it should be a thick spread.
• Put another cake on it n again sprinkle some syrup on it let it soak,then again spread the filling on it.
• Now put the 3rd cake n sprinkle it with syrup, Now here the filling is now more needed.
• Now start covering or icing the cake with the remaining plain whipped cream.Cover the whole cake with it,the cake should not be shown outside the icing.
• Now take the chocolate shavings in one hand and start pressing lightly towards the icing,dont mind if some of the shavings fall down..
• Continue to repeat the procedure until u cover the whole cake with chocolate shavings as shown in the photos above
• Now put some cherries on the cake for garnish.

Tomato Peanut Chutney

I generally used to make tomato chutney regularly.Because it goes well with idlis and dosa's.Then one day i went to one of my friends house and she happened to make this chutney.Me and my husband liked it a lot because of the combination,tomatoe's n peanuts.So as usual got the recipe from her n started making it once in a while.

Ingredients:

2 big tomatoe's chopped

1 medium onion sliced

1 small cup roasted peanuts

1 tsp jeera

3-4 green chillies chopped(adjust according to ur spice level)

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt as recquired

few curry leaves

1/2 of a lemon sized tamarind soaked in water n pulp extracted

cilantro chopped

Poppu/Tadka:

1/2 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp jeera

1/2 tsp channa dal

1/2 tsp urad dal

pinch of hing

4 red chillies

few curry leaves

Method:

• First dry roast the Peanuts on low flame until it turns light brown n keep aside.
• Heat 3 tbsp oil in a pan add jeera n let it splutter next add green chillies
• To this add the sliced onions,few curry leaves and let it fry for some time until it tunrs golden yellow.
• Next add the chopped tomatoes mix n cover for 1 min.Remove the lid n mix u will notice the tomatos turned mushyn there is lots of water
• Cook it until the water evaporates n tomatoes come togeather,then add salt n turmeric.
• Cook for a min,remove n let it cool
• Put this mixtue into a blender along with the tamarind pulp n grind to a coarse paste
• Next put the peanuts into it n grind it to a coarse or a smooth paste. Check for salt n spice level and adjust anything if needed
• I did mine to a coarse paste because i like to have the nutty flavour n texture in my chutney.
• Finally do the tadka n add it to this chutney also add the chopped cilantro and mix.Serve with hot idli's or dosa