My Recipe Box - Onion Bhajis

I first made these using a recipe from A Saucy Kitchen. It has since evolved with additions from various sources.

UPDATED DECEMBER 2021 

Soaking the onions in water and using the onion water was added, I found this in most Indian recipes.

You can with make them like onion rings. I prefer just chopping them and then using a muffin pan to bake them.

I prefer to bake in the oven rather than deep-frying.

INGREDIENTS
2 white onions, sliced or chopped I have also added scallions and red onions 

3/4 cup | 105 grams garam flour/chickpea flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

1/2 teaspoon cayenne

Ginger chopped finely

Garlic ground or powder

1 green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5-6 tablespoons water    
coconut oil for frying or your choice

INSTRUCTIONS

Peel and finely slice the onions. Cut each slice into 3cm pieces. Put the onions in a bowl and sprinkle with the salt, mixing very well with clean hands. Allow to sit for at least 30 minutes or up to 3 hours. When ready to form the bhajis, squeeze the onions to release the water into the bowl. 

In the same bowl as the onions and water, place the flour, baking powder, salt, cumin, turmeric, coriander, cayenne, ginger, garlic, chili, cilantro, and lemon juice in a large bowl and whisk to combine. Add more water if required.
Once you've got a thick batter, add the onions slices and stir to coat with the batter. I find this step is easiest if you just mix with your hands.
Heat a large wok on the stove top on a medium heat and melt enough coconut oil so that you've got about a half inch layer of oil.
Carefully drop tablespoons of the batter into the hot oil cooking about 3-4 bhajis at a time. Fry for about a minute on each side and then flip the bhajis to get the other side until golden. Remove each bhaji with a slotted spoon and place on a plate lined with a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Continue until all of you batter in gone.

OR

Fill a muffin pan and bake for 40 minutes in a 375 oven.

DIPPING SAUCES

AVOCADO


1 ripe avocado, pitted and removed from skin
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
1/2–1 teaspoon Sriracha
1 clove garlic

A pinch of cumin
1/4 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup water, more as needed
Salt and pepper, to taste

Add all ingredients into a blender and blend on high until
smooth. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more water, a tablespoon at a time. Cover and place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

GREEN CHUTNEY

1 large bunch cilantro (stems and leaves)
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons plain greek-style yogurt
1/2 – 1 whole serrano pepper, stem removed
2 cloves garlic
1 inch piece fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt

Add all the Green Chutney ingredients to the blender. Add the entire bunch of cilantro, stems and all. If you are sensitive to spice, use only half of the serrano pepper and remove the seeds. Pour in 1/4 cup water. Cover and puree until smooth. Pour the green chutney into a bowl and set aside.

TAMARIND

6 tbsp jaggery substitute sugar, dark sugar, agave but adjust starting with less as jaggery is less sweet
▢¼ cup water
▢1½ tbsp tamarind concentrate / paste
▢¼ tsp red chili powder
▢¼ tsp cumin powder
▢¼ tsp coriander powder
▢¼ tsp salt

In a small saucepan, add ¼ cup water and jaggery powder and turn the stove to medium heat. Within a minute or two the jaggery will begin to melt. Mix to melt completely.
Turn gas to low-medium and add the rest of the ingredients (tamarind concentrate and spices).
Mix and let simmer on low for 1-2 minutes to help the spices mix.
Let cool to serve at room temperature.

My Recipe Box - Mulligatawny Soup

We've had various versions of this soup over the years. The very first time we had it was in Montreal back in the early 1980s.

This is my attempt at creating my recipe that I have gleaned from several recipes plus some experience learned when experimenting with this soup and curries.

Making sure that the spices fry up nicely until they are fragrant is crucial. The tomato paste coating everything and simmering a little before adding the stock and milk also ensures a deep tastiness.

Other than that you can add whatever vegetables work for you.

Lentils - sometimes I add and sometimes I don't. 

I could also see blending this into a creamy soup.

Mulligatawny Soup

4 tablespoons ghee or clarified butter - or any oil you might have
1 1/2 pounds diced boneless, skinless chicken thighs

Salt
Garam masala


Set a 4 or 5-quart saucepan over medium heat and add the ghee. While the ghee is heating, season the chicken with the garam masala and salt. Once the ghee is hot, add the chicken and cook, turning often, until golden brown and fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a plate and set aside to cool.

2 tablespoons garam masala
Curry powder
Cumin
Turmeric
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced ginger
Chili peppers or hot sauce
Salt
2 cups small diced onions
1/2 cup small diced carrots
1/2 cup small diced celery
1 cup of potatoes - Yukon or sweet or both
Vegetables - squash, zucchini, tomatoes or whatever you have on hand
Back pepper
Can of tomato paste

Cook onion, carrots, celery, garlic, ginger, chilies, and spices stirring, until onion is browned lightly and mixture is fragrant. Do not over brown the onion or else it will give the soup a burnt taste.

Add tomato paste ensuring all the vegetables are coated.

1 cup dried red lentils
6 cups chicken or beef stock - divide into 4 cups and 2 cups

Add the lentils and 4 cups of the stock bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook the soup until the potatoes are tender, about 10 minutes.



1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

Spinach
3 cups steamed white basmati rice - optional
1/2 cup toasted, finely ground cashews - optional



Add the reserved chicken, the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, the pepper, remaining 2 cups of chicken stock, spinach, and coconut milk.

Continue to cook the soup at a simmer until the lentils and chicken are both tender, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cider vinegar. Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary.

To serve the soup, place 1/4 cup of the rice in a warmed bowl, and pour 8 ounces of the soup over the rice, garnish with a tablespoon of the cashews, and 2 teaspoons of the cilantro.

Recipes To Try

Photo from our recent trip to NYC

From this week's blog hopping I discovered the following recipes:

Truly tender spaghetti and meatballs I have many recipes for meatballs but still like to check out others.

Amazing stuffed chicken breasts these look so good!!

Chicken tikka masala Yum Indian and we have some naan bread in the freezer.

Honey ginger balsamic glazed beets

A quick fall meal from CBC.
Turkey meatball soup
Spinach radicchio and radish salad
Green onion quick bread
Quick ravioli bake

Caramel apple cupcakes

This looks like a fantastic old-fashioned carrot cake. I have one I've used for years but this sounds much better!!

My Recipe Box - Indian Koftas

These are great appetizers. Click on the image to enlarge as it is really small here!!
I thought I had lost my recipe so I had found one here.

Featured in: The American Thanksgiving. 

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE DUMPLINGS:

• 2 pounds zucchini, trimmed
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher or sea salt
• 1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 2 tablespoons raw cashews
• 4 large cloves garlic, peeled
• 4 lengthwise slices fresh ginger(each 2 inches long, 1 inch wide and 1/8-inch thick)
• 4 fresh green Thai, cayenne or serrano chiles, stems removed
• ¼ cup chickpea flour  is gluten free
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems
•  Vegetable oil for deep-frying

FOR THE SAUCE:

• 2 tablespoons ghee or vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 small red onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
• 4 fresh green Thai, cayenne or serrano chiles, stems removed, coarsely chopped (do not remove seeds)
• 2 tablespoons raw cashews
• 2 tablespoons golden raisins
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon coarse kosher or sea salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground turmeric
• ½ cup half-and-half
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves and tender stems, for serving

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the dumplings: Shred zucchini using a food processor or box grater. Collect shreds in a large bowl and mix in salt. Let stand for about 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place onion, cashews, garlic, ginger and chiles in a food processor. Pulse until mixture forms a spicy-smelling, slightly chunky paste.
3. Wrap zucchini in a clean kitchen towel and squeeze out all the liquid. (Discard the liquid.) Transfer squash back to bowl and stir in onion paste mixture until combined. Add chickpea flour, rice flour and cilantro and stir to combine into a slightly wet batter.
4. Working quickly, place a heaping tablespoon of batter in the palm of your hand and squeeze it to condense it into a ball; transfer dumpling to a baking sheet. Repeat with remaining batter to make about 25 dumplings. (The longer you let the batter stand without shaping it, the more liquid the squash will release, making it difficult to handle. Adding more flour will make it manageable, but will also make the dumplings too dense.)
5. Pour oil into a wok, Dutch oven or medium saucepan to a depth of about 1 inch. Set over medium heat until a candy or oil thermometer registers 300 degrees. Meanwhile, line a plate or baking sheet with paper towels.
6. Once oil is hot, gently slide 8 dumplings into pan. Fry, turning occasionally, until they are honey brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Remove dumplings with a slotted spoon and drain on the paper towels. Repeat with remaining dumplings. You may need to adjust heat to maintain the oil temperature.
7. Make the sauce: Heat ghee or oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add cumin seeds and cook until they sizzle and darken, 5 to 10 seconds. Immediately add onions, chiles, cashews and raisins. Stir-fry until onion is soft and golden, chiles are pungent, cashews have turned honey brown, and raisins have swelled and darkened, about 5 minutes.
8. Add tomatoes, salt and turmeric to the saucepan, stirring once or twice to combine. Transfer to a blender and purée, scraping the inside of the jar as needed, to make a smooth and spicy-sweet red sauce. Pour sauce back into saucepan. Pour 1/2 cup water into blender jar and swish it around; add this liquid to pan. Stir in half-and-half and garam masala.
9. Gently add dumplings to sauce, making sure they do not break apart. Heat curry over medium heat until sauce starts to bubble, then lower heat, cover the pan, and simmer until dumplings are warmed through and have absorbed some of the sauce, about 5 minutes; do not stir. Sprinkle with cilantro before serving.

Recipes To Try

We have an abundance of fresh cherries so Cherry ice cream pie chocolate cookie crust recipe looks like an option.

Another great idea Cherry cream cheese recipe.

Wolfgang Puck's recipe for fresh cherries jubilee.

Easy breezy Nutella Nescafe cake - years ago I had a coffeecake recipe made with instant coffee that I have not been able to find, maybe this will be like it.

Golden deep fried butterfly prawns I finally found Panko crumbs at Costco this week!

Basic Indian triangular flatbread I have always wanted to make this from scratch and this recipe has great instructions.

Cinnamon roll cake without the hassle of making individual rolls.

Chicken yakitori

Come fall I will be trying baked potato soup.

Herbed ranch dressing I do not want to buy bottled dressings any longer so this would be an excellent start.

Recipes To Try

Strawberry cream cheese croissants I would probably substitute another berry as I am not overly fond of strawberries cooked in anything.
Cinnamon roll cake is from the same blogger as above.

Zucchini and spinach gratin will be a great way to use up an over abundance of summer vegetables.

Homemade sweet sour sauce finally an alternative to store bought and much healthier also.

Blueberry french toast souffle from Grumpy's Honey bunch looks delicious.

Lemon pound cake with blueberry sauce yum two of my favourite flavours!!

Garlic breadsticks two-ways

A very interesting salad Wedge Salad w/ Buttermilk-Lemon Zest Dressing

Homemade hot buttery lobster roll on toasted hot dog buns, we bought hot dog buns at St. Lawrence Market so this would be good to do with them (I froze them when we got home).

Perhaps for the fall Rogan josh with either lamb or beef and naan bread.

Broccoli bites Stacey included "for kids" in her title but I know I would love these.

My Recipe Box - Aloo Gobi

Source

This is a favourite of mine especially when I have cauliflower languishing in the fridge. It can be eaten on its own or with any meat. I used to love taking it for work lunches as it reheats very well.

ALOO GOBI

Ingredients:

• 3 potatoes, chopped
• water for boiling
• 1 cauliflower, chopped
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 1 tsp coriander
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• 1/4 tsp ginger
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1/3 cup water

Preparation:

Boil the potatoes in water for about 15 minutes, or until just barely tender. Remove from heat and drain.

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet. Add the spices and cook for about 30 seconds, then add the onion, cauliflower and potatoes.

Allow the veggies to cook for 3 to 5 more minutes, then add the lemon juice and water.

Cover and cook for another 6 to 8 minutes, or until cauliflower is done cooking.

Recipes To Try

Chocolate cream cheese bars from 33 Shades of Green. I just happen to have everything I need in the house so these may get made shortly!
Smores cupcakes OMG to die for!!
Lemon blueberry yogurt cake
How good is this?? Crockpot carrot cake!

Koftas - I've been trying to find my recipe.
Beef dip sandwiches
Pork meatball banh mi another winner from Brenda over at her Canadian Kitchen.
Hawaiian pork chops

I was watching daytime TV (now that I'm home!!) and came across Rocco touting his new cookbook. I became intrigued when he said most of his recipes are really low in calories.
Flash Fried Finger Lickin Chicken

Recipes Found This Week

Simple Indian cabbage dish from Chow and Chatter.

Asian slaw ponzu dressing from Steamy Kitchen.

Lemon blueberry yogurt loaf three of my favourite things in one!

Wonton soup with rice noodles

New Recipes To Try

Cobb salad

Chicken satay looks yummy from The Foodie Bride.

Fennel salad with citrus fruit - I have seriously got to try making this.

This chicken parmesan looks delightful!

Indian Bread with potato filling

Gobi fritters from one of my favourite bloggers, Mangocheeks.

Overnight wheat rolls

Garlic naan bread

Some New Recipes To Try

Kadhi Pakora Fritters I love Indian food.


Brenda over at Brenda's Canadian Kitchen "Lime in the Coconut" cheesecake bars, these look soooo good!


This Chinese Sizzling Steak from Katy's blog looks really good too!

Hot and Sour chicken noodles