Potato Wafer

Everyone is familiar with potato chips, and most of us like those too. But these chips here are not regular potato chips. These are potato slices/chips that have been blanched and dehydrated under hot sun, and then freshly fried before serving. Every summer mummy would make these dehydrated snacks to  store for the entire year. But, do you think this would last the whole year? Never... They are so delicious that they would not even last for 6 months :) These were the best tasting potato chips ever. Look at the various dehydrated recipes mummy would make: Potato and Sabudana Chakli,  Potato Sev, Sabudana Papad. And we enjoyed helping her too: waking up early morning with the sunrise and helping peel potatoes, spreading the cloth or dupatta on the terrace and securing the corners of the cloth with heavy stones or bricks, and then running around to shoo away the birds while the chips would be drying out  :) Yes, we grew up with all that fun during summer break, and were rewarded with yummy snacks. :) Those are the best childhood memories.

California summers can also be hot. When my parents visited us three years back, they felt this heat, and papa immediately suggested we could make potato wafers, papads, and dehydrated veggies. And we did! With a huge bag of potatoes from Costco, we started off making variety of dehydrated snacks to store them... just like the ant in the story stores seasonal food for later. :) The lattice designed chips were made by mummy in our Mumbai house, and the plain ones were made in California. Below is the video of how to make lattice or jali design using a crinkle blade slicer. It is really simple and worth a try.

Ingredients:
2 lbs. firm, raw potatoes.
2-3 liters water to blanch potato chips
2 tbsp. Salt
1 tsp. of alum

• Peel, and wash potatoes in potatoes in cold water.
• Slice them and place them in a container with water to prevent it from browning and sticking to each other.
• Boil water in a large container. Add salt and alum to water.
• Drain sliced potatoes and remove all the water.
• Keep another container with cold water ready on the side.
• Put few sliced potatoes in the boiling water and boil for 45 seconds to a minute.
• Remove and shock them in cold water. This will prevent it from overcooking.
• Separate each potato chip and pace on a clean cloth under hot sun heat. Dry it in hot dry temperature for 6-8 hours.
• Remove each chip from the cloth and place in a large plate.
• Place it again in hot sun heat for a day or two more till they dehydrate and get crisp.
• Any traces of moisture will lead to fungus growth and spoil the chips.

To use:
Fry in hot oil or spray some oil and microwave on high for a minute.
Sprinkle red chili powder if you like it a bit spicy.

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Peel, and wash potatoes in potatoes in cold water.

Slice them and place them in a container with water to prevent it from browning and sticking to each other.

Here is my video to show how you can make jali or netted potato chips or jali wafers.

Boil water in a large container. Add salt and alum to water.

Put few sliced potatoes in the boiling water and boil for 45 seconds to a minute.

Remove and shock them in cold water. This will prevent it from overcooking.

Separate each potato chip and pace on a clean cloth under hot sun heat. Dry it in hot dry temperature for 6-8 hours.

Fry in hot oil or spray some oil and microwave on high for a minute.
Sprinkle red chili powder if you like it a bit spicy.

Enjoy Snacking!!

Patti Samosa

No one needs an introduction on Samosas. I am sure everyone loves them! Whatever kind they are, these fried triangles with spicy stuffing are just delicious. Although I like potato and pea samosas the best, cabbage and onion filling has lately been my favorite too.

Samosa folding is not difficult, it may need more time and patience to be neatly folded, but the end result is always great. So while we had sudden guests over, keeping samosa pastries in the fridge did help. I was able to make a super easy and quick snack to serve with chai. The crunch and spice mixture in the filling makes it different from the regular samosas. In fact, these samosas are mainly called Patti samosas as these mini samosas are made with samosa patti or ready made strips.

Ingredients (15 mini patti samosas)
15 ready made samosa pastries or patti
1+1/2 cup finely chopped onions
2 cups finely chopped cabbage
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. chaat masala
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1 tsp. fresh lime juice
1 tbsp. chopped green cilantro
Oil for frying

Bowl of water to seal the edges of the patti.

Method

• Mix onion and cabbage with salt and let it sit for 5-7 minutes.
• Squeeze out water so that samosa does not turn soggy.
• Add all other spices to the veggies and mix well.

• Lay each samosa patti at a time on a clean and flat surface.
• Add spoon-full of stuffing on the corner and start folding it just like the video below.
• Seal the edges well with water.
• Deep fry in hot oil.
• Serve with chutney or as is.
• Enjoy!!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

Mix onion and cabbage with salt and let it sit for 5-7 minutes.

Squeeze out water so that samosa does not turn soggy.

Add all other spices to the veggies and mix well.

Lay each samosa patti at a time on a clean and flat surface.

Add spoon-full of stuffing on the corner and start folding it just like the video below.

Check this video of folding patti samosa:

Seal the edges well with water.

Deep fry in hot oil.

Serve with chutney or as is.

Also check my recipe on Baked samosa

Enjoy Samosas on a cold rainy and snowy day!!

Check my regular Samosa Recipe too.

Eggless Winter Cake

I agree I have not been regular in my posts. I have been busy and I have a backlog of recipes to experiment and publish. My apologies and thanks for your patience.

Two days back...feeling super excited about baking this delicious eggless cake with dried fruits and nuts, I called my sister and shared my excitement. "I baked a Christmas Cake today!!" On hearing this, my sister who has this amazing sense of humor says, "Isn't it very early to bake a cake for Christmas????" So although this cake is mostly made during Christmas, there is no perfect time to enjoy it. It is so delicious that I can make and enjoy this cake throughout the year. Since it consists of ingredients perfect for the season, I named it A Winter Cake!!

During winter break we had my family from San Diego visiting us, and spent amazing time with my Nephew and Niece. I was experimenting with eggless fruit and nut cake with easy and simple ingredients I had at home. I was gifted a cute mule mug and sparkling ginger beer/ginger ale from one of my students, so I incorporated that in the experimenting recipe. To my amusement the cake turned out amazingly delicious. It had the perfect sweetness, perfectly soft, delicious flavor for ginger beer/ginger ale and spices, and perfect texture from nuts. On taking the first bite my nephew said, "Shital aunty you should put this recipe on your blog." That was such a happy moment for me...my experiment was successful! :) I had posted a pictorial video on my Facebook page and my friends wanted me to post a detailled recipe of my eggless experiment. So finally I was able to bake the cake and measure the ingredients I added and develop a recipe. :) Some of my friends got to taste it and I am so glad they loved it. I can't wait to bake it again.

Ingredients to make a bundt cake:  (Use half of this recipe to make a loaf cake)

3 cups dried fruits and nuts (cranberries, chopped almonds, cashews, pistachios, dried figs, chopped walnuts)
1 tbsp grated ginger
1 bottle (25 fl.oz) sparkling apple cider (or ginger cider)
3/4 cup regular butter (salted or unsalted butter)
2 cans (14 oz each) (2 cups) sweetened condensed milk
1+1/2 tsp. baking powder
1+1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 tsp. cinnamon powder
1 tsp. clove powder
2+3/4 cup all purpose flour or maida

• In a bowl add roughly chopped dried fruits and nut, cinnamon powder, clove powder, grated ginger, and soak in 2 cups of apple cider for 15 minutes.
• In a mixing bowl or kitchen aid stand mixer, whisk softened butter till it is light and fluffy.
• Add 2 cans/2 cups of sweetened condensed milk to the mixing bowl and whisk with butter for 3-4 minutes.
• Microwave dried fruits and nuts and apple cider mixture for 3 minutes.
• Add the microwaved mixture to whisked condensed milk and butter.
• Add baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla extract
• Mix for 30 seconds
• Add flour 1 cup at a time and whisk well. add all the flour and whisk till it is well mixed.
• Grease the bundt pan well with butter.
• Pour the cake mixture in bundt pan.
• Place it in 350F preheated oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Remove and let it stand on a rack for 5 minutes.
• Slowly pour around 1+1/2 cup of apple cider little at a time and let the cake soak the liquid.
• Let it stand for 20 minutes.
• Invert it carefully on a plate. Pour any remaining apple cider.
• Cut into slices.
• Enjoy!

Here is step-by-step pictorial recipe:

In a bowl add roughly chopped dried fruits and nut, cinnamon powder, clove powder, grated ginger, and soak in 2 cups of apple cider for 15 minutes.

Dried cranberries, chopped almonds, cashews, pistachios, dried figs, chopped walnuts

In a mixing bowl or kitchen aid stand mixer, whisk softened butter till it is light and fluffy.

Add 2 cans/2 cups of sweetened condensed milk to the mixing bowl and whisk with butter for 3-4 minutes.

Microwave dried fruits and nuts and apple cider mixture for 3 minutes.

Add the microwaved mixture to whisked condensed milk and butter.

Add baking soda, baking powder, and vanilla extract

Mix for 30 seconds

Add flour 1 cup at a time and whisk well. add all the flour and whisk till it is well mixed.

Grease the bundt pan well with butter.

Pour the cake mixture in bundt pan.

Place it in 350F preheated oven and bake for 1 hour to 1 hour 15 minutes.

Remove and let it stand on a rack for 5 minutes.

Slowly pour around 1+1/2 cup of apple cider little at a time and let the cake soak the liquid.

Let it stand for 20 minutes.

Invert it carefully on a plate. Pour any remaining apple cider.

Enjoy this delicious Fruit and Nut Cake!!!