Cabbage Pakoda/Fritters

The monsoons in Mangalore are oh so amazing...!! 
Last week I had been to Mangalore and stayed with my close cousin, infact we grew up together in Mangalore... 
It was a lovely rainy friday in Mangalore.....cool and green all around, all I could think of was eating hot pakodas. And there goes my cousin and fries these lovely pakodas....
I had a wonderful time sitting at the window looking out to the vast expanse of greenery and enjoying these lovely cabbage pakodas.
She made loads of these, and both my nieces and I enjoyed finishing them all in no time....!!
For me this is a new type of Cabbage Pakoda/Fritters. The regular ones made by konkanis are with onions, but this one does not contain any onions so can be made on friday's in the Hindu month of "Shravan" when we do not eat onions/garlic.
Do make these at home and am sure you and your family will love them...!!

Mushroom Frittata

A lovely evening snack on a cold and rainy evening, is the baked "Mushroom Frittata".
This is also a very healthy snack, since it mainly contains eggs & mushrooms which have amazing health benefits.
Eggs are known to be "Super health foods" as they contain high quality protein, right kind of fat and the one of the foods that contain naturally occuring vitamin D.
Mushrooms is the new "Super food" after Broccoli and Blueberries.
Mushrooms are nutritional powerhouses packed with vitamins, minerals and disease-fighting antioxidants.Frittatas are often served at room temperature, making them perfect for brunches or larger groups.
"Frittata" is actually an Italian style omelet.
In the strictest sense, the difference boils down to a matter of folding in a filling rather than mixing it in. 
Omelets traditionally have the egg mixture cooked and folded around a filling, while a frittata just mixes it all up, cooked in a mishmash combination all at once. 
Frittatas are either cooked in a cast iron skillet or baked in an oven.
Mushroom frittata is one of my favorite, and in addition to mushrooms I also add black olives, oregano, garlic and red chilly flakes.
I also serve them a bit differently, ie by cutting them into large cake like slices so that you can easily hold and bite into them.

Moong Dal Pakoda or Split Mung Bean fritters

One of the easiest and quick to make evening snack is the "Moong dal pakoda".
This snack is very popular in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, and normally served with Mint n Coriander chutney.
The memories of this snack for me date back to my childhood, when we lived in Uttar Pradesh for 3 yrs, and most days in winter our evening snack were these fritters prepared by my Mom.
Although this is a deep fried snack, compared to all fritters/pakoda these do not soak or absorb any oil, so I call it the 'healthy pakoda'...

Sweet Cucumber Idlis or "Taushe Idli" in Konkani

Sweet Cucumber Idlis also known as "Taushe Idli" in Konkani, is one of the favorite Sunday breakfast for many Konkani people.

"Taushe" means cucumber in Konkani.

This dish is easy to make and healthy too...

You will love it especially if you have a sweet tooth.
Its also made as an evening snack...!!

Dill Vada

Here is the perfect evening snack for winter...
What better way to start the holiday season, than with some hot vadas and tea...
I had some Dill leaves, so thought of making these vadas or deep fried snack....
Dill leaves are called as "Sabsige Soppu" in Kannada, and I was first introduced to this herb in Hassan during my engineering days.
There were several dishes which were made with Dill, like "Sabsige soppina saaru" or "Dill Dal", "Sabsige soppina Chitranna" or "Dill rice" etc, but I loved these vadas the most.
I always thought that this herb was native to that region, since I had never eaten or seen them in Mangalore.
Its only after I started working, and then traveled the world, I got to know that "Dill leaves" are used in various other cuisines like South American, Persian cuisine etc.

Mutton or Lamb Cutlets

Just the thought of having "Mutton Cutlets" in India Coffee House on MG Road in Bangalore, makes my mouth water.
Such is the taste of the mutton cutlets there, and if you have not had these cutlets you sure have missed something...!
The memories of having these mutton cutlets dates back to my childhood when we would come here on vacation, and on one day come to MG Road just to have a hot coffee and Mutton/Veg cutlets and then walk down brigade road...
There is nothing that can beat the Breakfast there with bread butter toast, Mutton/ Veg cutlet, omelette, scrambled egg, and coffee... Its "the" perfect start of the day......
The tradition of having this breakfast continued during my college days when I would come to Bangalore with my friends for project work, and then after my wedding and then with my lil one.
Although this place was closed for sometime and now moved elsewhere...., the memories of those days and the taste of these mutton cutlets will linger on in my mind forever...
These cutlets may not be exactly the same, but nevertheless they are mouthwatering....

Sweet Upma or "Go'd Rulav" in Konkani

Sweet Upma or "Go'd Rulav" is a quick to make evening snack or breakfast dish.
This dish does not contain onion or garlic like the traditional South Indian Semolina Upma/Khara Bath, hence made for breakfast during festivals.
Also, no ground spices are added to it, so the only spice that comes thru is that of the green and red chilly. There is some amount of sweetness that comes from the sugar and coconut, hence kids love it. I learnt this from my Mom and love eating it as an evening snack during winter.

"Sabudana Vada" or Sago Fritters

"Sabudana" or "Sago" is also known as tapioca pearls.
Sago is made from the starch extracted from the pith (center) of the sago palm stems. The commercial production of sago is in the shape of small globules or pearls.
The health benefits of sabudana (sago) are mainly in the carbohydrates it provides. Also Sabudana is full of starch or carbohydrates and is great for a quick boost of energy, and hence often served in India for breaking fasts during religious festivals. Sago gruel is also great when you're sick because it gives you quick energy and is easy to digest. According to Indian medicine, sago and rice have a cooling effect on the system, hence sago gruel is given if you have excess bile (caused by excess body heat).
Sabudana is extremely low in fat but also low in protein. As it's just starch, other than the carbohydrates, nutrition-wise, sabudana does not contain any minerals or vitamins and has very low amounts of calcium, iron, and fiber. However, you can make up for this by using other ingredients with it, such as milk for making sabudana kheer/payasam/gruel or vegetables and peanuts for making sabudana khichdi.

This Sabudana Vada is a nice crunchy, savoury snack that is yummy to eat, and I normally make it during Navartri / fast days for my lil one.

A slight variation in the look of my vadas, is that I stick a bit of "Sago" on the top of the vadas just before frying to give it that 2 tone effect.

And my daughter loves it that way...!

Cauliflower Pakoda or Cauliflower Fritters

My earliest memories of  "Cauliflower Pakoda" is during my childhood days when we were living in Mangalore, and my Mom would fry these delicious pakodas and all my neighboring friends would come home just smelling the lovely aroma.
Once she had made it during our apartment Association meeting/High Tea party and everyone loved it. 
Since those days this snack has been one of my favorites and now its the same with my daughter.
Like most of my other dishes, this one too is very easy to make and will be loved by kids.
A little bit of indulgence since it is deep fried, but once in 1-2 weeks is fine....I guess!
Try making this on days when your kid comes back from school and says "Mamma I have had too much of healthy food from last 1 week, and I want some nice snack"
This is exactly what my little one says after an overdose of home cooked healthy food.

"Soorna Kacchar" or Grilled Elephant Yam or Elephant Yam fritters

A quick and simple snack for a rainy evening are these "Elephant Yam Fritters".

These fritters are also served as a side dish in Konkani meals.

Once marinated and kept, they can be grilled, shallow fried or deep fried as desired and am sure you will love them when served hot with mint chutney.
The fiber content in elephant yam is naturally high and therefore, it is usually considered a slimming food, as it promotes weight loss and reduces the levels of cholesterol in the body. If elephant yam is cooked in the right way, it can be eaten without any fear of weight gain.
It has a cooling effect on the body, which is why it is good for people who suffer from hypertension.
Elephant yams are very high in omega 3 fatty acids; they help reduce the bad cholesterol in the body and increase the good cholesterol instead.

Prawn Garlic on Toast

A simple and tasty evening snack. A perfect starter for cocktail parties. Try making this, am sure you will love it.

Mirchi Bajji (Green Chilly Fritters)

Everytime it rains in the evenings, the first thing that comes to my mind is a hot cup of tea/coffee with some yummy fritters.
I have a big list of "Rainy Evening Snacks", I would say "Mirchi bajji or Green Chilly Fritters" is my favourite...
The speciality of this preparation is that although it sounds spicy, its isn't. My little one loves it , Am sure yours will love it too, just make it my way.

Onion Rings

"Onion Rings" an evening snack loved by most kids.
Onions contain a variety of natural chemicals that have are capable of fighting infections and healing the human body.

Probably that is the reason why Onion is used in most dishes.

This snack is not a very healthy option due to frying, but once in a while we indulge in home made deep fried snacks rather than outside food. 

Its better to discard the oil once used, so use as little oil as possible even if it means frying 2-3 rings at a time.

Mango Salsa

Here is the recipe of my favourite evening snack during the mango season..."Mango Salsa"
This spicy, sweet, fruity blend of fresh ingredients will turn any dish into an exciting new favorite.
It tastes great with grilled vegetables, fish or meat, but I make it mostly as an evening snack.

Charmuri Upkari (A Healthy Evening Snack made with Puffed rice)

Puffed rice are puffy rice kernels that have been steam-pressured.
Puffed rice is low in fat, and high in carbohydrates so is a healthy snack for the evening. Here is a puffed rice evening snack that is famous in Mangalore and surrounding regions. This snack is especially sold in food stalls during local festivals and food fete's across Mangalore.An easy to make, healthy snack just right for the evening.