Easy Chana Dal Brown Rice Dosa

Adapted from http://vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/adaidosa-savory-lentil-pancake.html

Chana Dal - 1 cup, soaked overnight
Brown Rice Flour - 1 cup
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
Oil

Drain the chana dal and blend it in a blender to make a fine paste. Add a little water if required for blending.

Mix the blended dal with brown rice flour, salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida. Add water to make a pancake like consistency.

Heat a tsp oil in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Pour a ladle full of batter and spread it around. Add a few drops of oil on the sides and on top of the batter.

Cover the pan and cook on low flame for 4 minutes.

Once the bottom is browned, flip it over and cook till the other side is also browned.

Serve with potato bhaji and sambar. Alternatively, instead of making potato curry and sambar, you can add finely chopped onion, green chilli, curry leaves in the batter and serve the dosa with chutney.

Egg Fried Rice

Adapted from http://healthfooddesivideshi.blogspot.com/2011/06/chicken-and-egg-fried-rice.html

Brown rice - 3/4 cup, cooked and kept in the fridge to cool
Eggs - 3
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch, finely chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped
Shallot - 1 tsp, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 2, chopped
Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup - carrots, capsicum, peas, green beans, green onions, etc - finely shredded or chopped
Soya Sauce - 2 tsp
Salt
Pepper

Hard boil 2 eggs, peel and slice them.

Beat one egg with a little salt and pepper. Add a little bit of chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic and 1 tsp chopped shallot. Mix well and keep aside.

Heat a big pan. Add some oil. Dip the egg slices in the egg batter and add to the hot pan. Pour any leftover batter over the eggs.

Cook till the eggs get slightly brown on both sides. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry for a minute.

Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and cook on high heat for a few minutes. The vegetables should not be overcooked. They should remain crunchy.

Add the cold rice and soya sauce. Mix everything well. Cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add the fried egg slices, mix well and serve hot.

Falafel

Adapted from http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/05/falafel-with-tahini-lemon-sauce-recipe.html

Dry chickpeas - 3/4 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic Cloves - 5, grated
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, chopped
Red Onion 1 small, chopped
Lemon juice
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cornstarch / Arrowroot Powder - 2 tsp
Salt

Peanut Oil for deep frying

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain them on kitchen towels to remove the moisture completely.

Add the chickpeas to the rest of the ingredients and grind to make a coarse paste.

Shape into small balls, add a little more cornstarch if required, press between your palms slightly and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Deep fry on medium low heat until dark brown on both sides. Serve with your favourite sauce and a side salad.

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies, gluten free

Adapted from http://www.sensibleveg.com/2011/06/almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies-egg.html
These cookies have a wonderful nutty flavor and are crunchy and slightly chewey in the middle.

Almond Flour - 1 cup (I used Bob Mills finely ground almond meal flour)
Salt - a pinch
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Maple Syrup / Raw Honey - 1 tbsp
Turbinado Sugar - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp, softened
Chocolate Chips - 2 tbsp (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix flour, salt and baking powder well.

Now add maple syrup, brown sugar, chocolate chips and the butter and knead into a dough.

Make 10 balls and slightly press each ball between the palms.

Place them on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10  to 12 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Smashed Baby Red Potatoes

This is an incredibly simple but delicious recipe, with few ingredients, but can be varied in flavor easily with the addition of various spices (paprika, chilli powder, mustard, roasted cumin powder) or fresh herbs (parsley, chives, cilantro) or cheese. The outside of the potato gets crispy and the inside is soft and melty.

Baby Red Potatoes - 12, use the tiny ones
Olive oIl - 1 tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Red Chilli Powder
Garlic Powder or Garlic Cloves - 1, grated
Grated Cheese - 1/2 tbsp (optional)

Wash the potatoes well, leave the skin on. Put them in a big pot in a single layer along with a tsp of salt, cover them with enough water and bring it to boil.

Cook till the potatoes are just done, should take around 20 minutes. Do not overcook the potatoes. Drain them well and let them sit in the same pot for a couple of minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Make a mix of salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne and red chilli powder. Take a baking sheet and cover it with alluminium foil. Rub the foil with 2 tsp of olive oil.

Take each potato, put it on the foil and with the palm of your hand or a pestle press gently to flatten it. Flatten all the potatoes the same way. Sprinkle the salt mixture on top and drizzle olive oil.

Roast the potatoes till they are crispy and brown on the sides, around 30 minutes. If using cheese, remove the baking sheet and sprinkle cheese on top and put them back in the hot oven for a couple of minutes more. Serve hot.

Vegetarian Monte Cristo Sandwich

Traditional Monte Cristo Sandwich uses ham and cheese as filling and they are dipped in egg wash. I tried to make a meatless version of it by substituting green peas in place of ham and a batter of besan, water and milk in place of egg.

Whole Grain Bread - 4 slices
Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Boiled Red Potato - 1/2 cup, coarsely mashed
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Onion - 2 tbsp, chopped (optional)
Green Chili - 2, chopped
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Dried Mango / Aamchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Cheese Slice - 2
Salt
Besan / Chickpea Flour- 2 tsp
Whole Milk - 1 tbsp
Water
Butter - 1 tbsp

To make the filling, heat a skillet. Add the olive oil and immediately add chopped onion, ginger and green chillies. Cook till the onion starts to caramelise.

Now add the frozen peas, mashed potato, salt, roasted cumin powder, aamchur powder. Mix well and cook for around 5 minutes. Mash some of the peas with the back of the spoon so that the filling comes together. Leave aside to cool.

To make a thin batter, beat the besan, milk, water and a little salt together. Take one slice of bread and put it on a flat plate. Take a handful of the filling and press it on top of the bread . Top it with a slice of cheese and another slice of bread. Cut the sandwich into 4 equal squares. Similarly fill and cut the other 2 slices to make a total of 8 squares.

Heat a skillet and add a tsp of butter. Take one square of the bread and dip it carefully in the batter. Then put it on the hot skillet and cook till golden brown on all sides. Cook the other bread squares in the same way. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Mushroom Fried Rice

Brown Rice - 1 cup, cold cooked rice
Shitake Mushroom - 1 cup, sliced
Cashewnuts - a handful
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 3, thinly sliced
Red Chilli Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Soya Sauce - 1/2 tbsp

Heat a skillet and add the olive oil to it. Immeditely add the garlic slices and red chilli flakes and saute till the garlic begins to change color.

Add the shitake mushtoom and cashewnuts and saute on low heat till the mushroom is cooked and gets slightly soft.

Deglaze the skillet with the soya sauce and add the cold rice. Mix everything well. Saute for a few more minutes and serve hot.

Malai Chum Chum

Makes 12 chum chums

Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon
Lemon Juice - Juice of 1 lemon or 1/4 cup white vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup water
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Saffron - a few strands

For Malai:
Whole Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp

Sieve the lemon juice so that it has no solid particles. Mix it with 2 tbsp of water and keep aside.

Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.

As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. When the curd starts separating from the whey, turn off the heat.

Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer lined with cheesecloth or cotton napkin.

Wrap the cheese in the cloth, and rinse under cold water for at least 3 minutes, and squeeze well.

Once it is drained, place on a dry, clean plate and knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard for at least 10 minutes until the paneer rolls into smooth soft dough.

Divide the dough into 12 portions and make them into smooth, slightly flat oblong shape.

Mix the sugar, saffron and water in a big wide pan on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Add the chum chums and cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, turn the chum chums over and cover and cook for another 20  minutes.

Take a heavy bottomed skillet, add 2 cups of milk and bring it to boil. if desired, a few strands of saffron can be added to the milk. Turn down the heat to very low and let the milk reduce and cook till it almost 1/4th of original quantity. Add sugar and continue to cook till it reaches almost a thick cream / mawa consistency. Remove from heat.

Put half a tsp of malai over each chum chum and serve. Alternatively, slice each chum chum into half lengthwise and put a filling of 1/2 tsp mawa in between and press the two pieces together.

Bhaja Muger Dal , Karaishuti diye

Moong Dal - 1 cup
Salt
Turmeric - a pinch
Water - 3 cups + 1 cup
Ghee - 1 tbsp. + 1 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Bay Leaf - 1
Hing - a few pinches
Dried Red chilli - 2
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup

Dry roast the mung dal in a cast iron pan over low heat. Stir continuously to avoid the dal getting burnt. When the dal starts emitting an aroma and turns pinkish brown, remove from heat. Wash well.

Add a pinch of turmeric, salt, 4 cups of water and cook the dal in a pan till soft.

Heat ghee in a pan. Add cumin seeds, hing, bay leaf, dried red chilli. Saute for a minute. Then add the grated ginger and green peas and saute for another minute.

Add add the cooked dal about a cup of water and adjust the salt. Bring it to boil and to the desired consistency, add a tsp of ghee, mix well and remove from heat.

Spicy Aloo Gobi / Spicy Cauliflower

This is a dry spicy potato cauliflower curry, cooked without any water. This is not a dish which I can cook everyday ... it requires quite a bit of oil and some time in hand but the end result is absolutely fabulous. The simple homemade garam masala adds a nice spicy zing and gives a very sweet and nutty flavor

Cauliflower - 1/2 head, cut into thin long florets
Red Potato - 1, cut into flat long slices
Peanut oil - 2 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Turmeric - 1/2 tsp
Green Chilli - 2, sliced
Yellow Onion - 1/2, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Tomato - 1/2, thinly sliced
Salt
Sugar - 1/4 tsp
Homemade Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Cilantro - a handful, chopped

Heat 2 tsp oil in a nonstick pan or a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Add the sliced potato, a little salt and a pinch of turmeric. Saute on medium low heat till the potato gets cooked and turns slightly brown. Remove and keep aside.

In the same pan, heat 1/2 tbsp oil and put a few cumin seeds. Then add the cauliflower florets, a pinch of turmeric and salt. Saute on medium heat till they get brown specks and are cooked. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the rest of the oil. Add cumin seeds and green chilli. Then add sliced onion, sugar and a little salt. Saute till the onion gets soft. Add sliced tomato and ginger. Cook for a few minutes.

Add the potato and cauliflower florets, sprinkle garam masala, mix well and cook for a few minutes. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and serve.

Bengali Garam Masala

Cinnamon Sticks - 3 tbsp
Cloves - 2 tbsp
Cardamom Seeds - 1 tsp

Dry roast the above in an iron skillet over very low heat.

Remove and cool.

Pour into a grinder and grind until fine. Store in an airtight container.

Red Radish Sambar

Tur Dal / Yellow Split Pigeon Peas Lentil - 3/4 cup
Peanut Oil - 1/2 tbsp + 1/2 tsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
Yellow Onion - 1/2, cut in chunks
Small Red Radish - 4, cut into thin slices along with chopped radish greens
Tomato - 1, chopped
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Chilli Powder - 1/2 tsp
Curry leaves - 5
Sambar Powder - 2 heaped tsp
Tamarind - 2 tsp
Salt

Soak the tamarind in 1/4 cup warm water for half an hour. Sqeeze the juice and discard the pulp.

Add 4 cups water, tur dal, 1/2 tsp oil, salt and a pinch of turmeric and cook the dal in a pressure cooker till it is soft. Keep aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once the seeds beging to crackle, add hing, curry leaves and onion. Cook till the onion begins to change color.

Add the sliced radish, salt, a pinch of turmeric. Saute till the radish is almost cooked but still crunchy. Add chopped tomato and cook for a minute more.

Now add the cooked dal, a little water, tamarind extract, sambar powder and bring it to boil. Cook till desired consistency is reached.

Serve hot with steamed brown rice and a dollop of homemade ghee.

Sambar Powder

Coriander Seeds - 9 tbsp 
Chana Dal - 3 tbsp
Tur Dal - 3 tbsp       
Cumin Seeds - 3 tbsp        
Fenugreek (Methi) Seeds - 1 tbsp
Black Peppercorns - 1 tbsp           
Dried Whole Red Chilies - 30
Asafoetida / Hing - 1 heaped tsp
Turmeric - 1 tsp

Dry roast all the above ingredients(except Hing) on slow fire one after another in an iron skillet until they change color and release their aroma.

Cool and grind to a fine powder. Mix with Hing and store in an airtight container.

Basil Pesto Pasta

Today I tried brown rice pasta for the first time. Unlike the nutty and slightly coarse whole wheat pasta, this pasta was light in taste and had the perfect texture and tasted a lot like the white flour pasta.

Brown Rice Shell Pasta - 1 cup (I used Tinkyada gluten free whole grain brown rice pasta)
Basil Leaves - 2 handfuls, reserve a couple of leaves for garnishing
Garlic Cloves - 4, grated
Pinenuts - 1 tbsp, lightly toasted
Pecorino Romano Cheese - 1 tbsp, grated and some more for garnishing
Green Chilli - 1
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Cook the pasta in water with lots of salt to the desired softness. Rinse with cold water, drain and keep aside. Reserve a cup of the pasta water. (Ideally we should cook the pasta and the sauce in such a way so that the noodles can be drained and directly added to the cooked sauce without waiting).

Add basil, garlic, pinenuts, green chilli, cheese and olive oil together and make a paste in the food processor or the grinder.

Mix the pesto with the pasta. If required add a little bit of the reserved pasta water. Add some shredded fresh basil leaves and grated cheese on top and serve with a side of salad.

Arisa Pithe from Orissa / Sweet Brown Rice Crisp

Adapted from http://kichukhonn.blogspot.com/2009/06/arisa-pitha.html

Brown Rice Flour - 1 cup
Grated Jaggery - 3/4 cup
Black Pepper - a pinch
Salt - a pinch
Ghee - 1 tsp
Fennel Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Sesame Seeds / Poppy Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Peanut Oil for deep frying
Water - 1/4 cup
Brown Rice Flour for dusting the patties

Heat the water in a big sauce pan. Add the jaggery and a pinch of salt  and cook on low fire till the jaggery is completely melted and the syrup begins to boil. Once the syrup reaches one thread consistency, remove from fire.

Add a tsp of ghee to the sauce and mix well. Add the pepper powder, fennel seeds and brown rice flour and continuously stir the mixture till there are no lumps.

Once the mixture comes together as a ball, keep aside to cool a little.

When the mixture has cooled just enough to handle, using dry brown rice flour and a little ghee applies to the palms, make small balls of the dough and press to form patties. Sprinkle some sesame seeds / poppy seeds on top and press them so that they slick to the patties firmly on top. The ball and the patties should be made when the mixture is still warm as the mixtures turns very hard when it cools down.

Heat oil in a kadai and deep fry the patties gently till brown. Remove them very carefully as the patties remain soft even if they turn brown and they break easily.

Leave them on paper towel to soak up excess oil. They turn hard and crunchy when cooled.

Dry Gobi Manchurian

Cauliflower - 1/2, cut into florets
Turmeric - a pinch
Soya Sauce - 1 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Cornstarch - 1/4 cup
Brown Rice Flour - 1/4 cup
Peanut Oil for deep frying

To make the sauce:
Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tomato Ketchup - 1 tbsp
Cornstarch - 1 tsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic - 4 cloves, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1/2 inch, thinly sliced
Green Chilli - 2, thinly sliced
Green Onion / Shallot - 1, sliced
Cilantro for garnishing

Put the cauliflower florets in a pan with sufficient water and a pinch of turmeric. Bring it to boil. As soon as the water starts boiling, remove from heat and drain the cauliflower well. Add a tsp of soya sauce to the florets and keep aside.

Make a thick paste of cornstarch, brown rice flour, red chilli powder and salt.

Heat oil in a kadai. Dip the florets in the cornstarch mixture and deep fry till golden brown. Remove on a paper towel to soak off excess oil.

 Make a mixture of soya sauce, tomato ketchup and one tsp cornstarch and keep aside. Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add the green onion / shallot, ginger, garlic, green chilli and saute well for a couple of minutes. When the onion caramelises, add the soya sauce mixture. Cook for a minute and then add the fried florets. Mix well and once the liquid is absorbed by the florets, remove from heat.

 Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

Serve immediately along with egg fried rice.

Asparagus with Mushrooms and Onions

Asparagus - 1 bunch, edges trimmed and then cut into 2 inch long pieces
Onion - 1/2, cut into thick slices
Mushrooms - Shitake or Button - 4 oz, sliced
Soya Sauce - 2 tsp
Sriracha Hot Sauce / Red Chilli Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Heat olive oil in a skillet. Add cumin seeds. Then add the onion and saute for a few minutes.

Add the asparagus and mushroom and mix well. Add soya sauce, sriracha sauce, salt and cover the pan and cook for 5 minutes.

Remove and squeeze some fresh lemon juice on top and serve.

Baked Spicy Potato Fries

Adapted from http://ahaar.blogspot.com/2011/05/baked-sweet-potato-fries.html. I followed Mandira's recipe exactly and the potatoes turned out perfect.
These fries are not crispy and crunchy like my earlier recipe of Crispy Oven Baked Sweet Potato Fries. These are the melt in the mouth types. Mixing the sweet potato with the ordinary potato and adding some spices is a nice variation to plain sweet potato fries.

Sweet Potato - 1, big
Red Potato / Yukon Gold Potato - 1, big
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Salt
Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp

Preheat oven to 400F.

Scrub the potatoes well and cut into medium sized cubes.

Mix all the spices, salt, oil together and rub the potato cubes well with this mixture.

Put the cubes on an foil wrapped baking sheet.

Bake for 10 minutes, then toss once and bake for another 10 minutes or so till the potatoes get soft and slightly caramelised at the edges.

Mango Lassi

Serves 2

Mangoes - 2, small sized, peeled and diced and chilled in the refrigerator
Greek Yogurt - 2 cups
Whole Milk - 1/2 cup, cold
Turbinado Sugar / Raw Honey - 2 tbsp
Crushed ice - 1/2 cup

Blend all the ingredients together in a blender till smooth and frothy. Serve immediately.

Brown Rice Pancakes

On Sunday morning, I was reading Nags' blog on blueberry pancakes and suddenly had the urge to have pancakes. We are not pancake eaters and one of the main reason is that we rarely have processed white flour (maida). I could use whole wheat flour but I am trying to go gluten free and as such didnt want to use it. Then I thought of using brown rice flour which is a staple in my pantry now. I kept the recipe very basic and simple and the result was fabulous. The pancakes turned out to be soft and fluffy and slightly crispy at the edges .... just the way I like it. We had them with some caramelised banana and pure maple syrup.

Brown Rice Flour - 1 cup
Whole Milk - 1 cup
Eggs - 1
Turbinado Sugar - 2 tsp
Baking Soda - 1/4 tsp
Butter

Beat the egg well. Add milk and sugar and mix well.

Sieve the brown rice flour with baking soda and add to the egg mixture.

Mix gently till there are no lumps.

Heat a non stick pan over medium heat. Add half a tsp of butter.

Pour a ladle of the pancake mixture, cover and cook for a couple of minutes.

Once the bottom side has browned slightly, flip and cook on the other side. Add a tsp of butter. Cook till the other side also browns.

Remove and serve with pure maple syrup and some caramelised banana.

Sauteed Rainbow Chard

Leafy greens is a must in our diet once a day and this is one of the easiest ways of eating greens. I cook this atleast twice a week ...... from start to finish takes 10 minutes to cook, uses only 5 ingredients and surprisingly is very very tasty.

Organic Rainbow Chard - 1 bunch
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Black Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
Turmeric - a pinch
Red Chilli Flakes - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt

Wash the chard well and chop finely along with the stems.

Heat oil in a large skillet. Add mustard seeds. Once the seeds start crackling, add asafoetida, turmeric and chilli flakes(if using).

Immediately add the chopped chard and salt. Mix well and saute for a minute.

Lower the heat, cover the skillet tightly with a lid and cook for around 4 minutes.

Remove the lid, increase the flame and saute for a minute more. Serve hot.

Lentil & Mixed Veg Risotto / Mushurir Daler Khichudi

My favourite comfort food. What's better that a plate of screaming hot, soft and creamy khichudi with a dollop of homemade ghee on top? This is a well balanced one pot meal with almost equal quantities of whole grains, protein and vegetables.

Brown Rice - 3/4 cup
Masoor Dal / Red Lentils - 1 cup
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chilli - 3, finely chopped
Onion - 1/2, chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Mixed Vegetables - Carrots, Green Beans, Cauliflower - 2 cups - cut into big chunks
Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Tomato - 1, chopped
Water - 6 cups
Salt

Wash the rice and lentils together and soak in water for a few minutes.
In the meanwhile, heat oil in a big pan. Add cumin seeds and green chillies and saute for a minute. Then add the chopped onion. Cook till onion gets slightly soft.

Add the mixed vegetables, grated ginger, turmeric, cumin coriander powder and salt. Toss the vegetables well and saute for a couple of minutes on high flame.

Add frozen peas, chopped tomato,  rice and lentil mixture.

Cook in the pressure cooker for 12 minutes after full pressure is reached.

Unlike the dry khichdi, this khichdi will have lots of liquid and the consistency will be very creamy.

Serve hot with a tsp of homemade ghee on top.

Cheese Pakoda

This is one of my mother's recipes. Whenever we had unexpected guests during teatime, my mother would serve these pakodas with hot tea. These can be made in a jiffy and need no special ingredients. We always had cubes of Amul cheese in the refrigerator and the rest of the ingredients like eggs, onion, green chilli, etc were always at hand. My mother used maida in the pakoda mix but since I am trying to go gluten free, I substituted it with cornstarch with the same results. The beauty of these pakodas is that unlike the besan pakodas, they are not heavy and infact very fluffy in texture and light in taste.

Grated Parmesan Cheese - 1/2 cup
Eggs - 2
Cornstarch - 1 to 2 tsp, depending on the size of the eggs
Red Onion - 1 tbsp, finely chopped
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Cilantro - a handful, finely chopped
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt
Peanut Oil for deep frying

Break the eggs in a bowl and beat well along with a little salt.

Add grated cheese, chopped onion, green chilli, chilli powder, cilantro.

Sprinkle cornstarch to the mixture and mix well. Add only that much cornstarch which is required to thicken the mixture and make the consistency slightly thicker than a pakoda batter.

Heat oil in an iron kadai. Adding a tsp each of the mixture to the hot oil, fry on medium heat till golden brown on both sides. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Sending this recipe to the following event hosted by http://www.sizzlingtastebuds.com/2012/06/hosting-walk-through-memory-lane-wtml.html started by
http://gayathriscookspot.blogspot.in/p/wtml-round-up-and-host-lists.html