Spaghetti Rigati with Mixed Veggies & Paneer in Thai Red curry sauce

We usually go to a thai-chinese restaurant in our neighborhood where I always, always order their stir-fry noodles with Thai yellow or green curry sauce. Its my absolute favorite and I have never ordered anything other than that when I go there.
First there is the fact that I can fill up my bowl with whichever veggies from their 'veggies for stir-fry' counter and then there is the option of whether I want noodles, rice or fried rice and next is which protein I'd like, where I always end up ordering their noodles and grilled chicken respectively. :-)

Now last night we had been planning on going out and eating , but the climate wasn't so great and my
6.5 month old keeps me busy , so instead I thought of making a similar version of the stir-fry with whatever I had at home.
I had some Spaghetti Rigati , which is a sophisticated version of the actual spaghetti in the sense that it has grooves on its sides, which perfectly helps in coating the sauce better on the pasta. Then I had all the good veggies and for my protein I used Paneer ( Indian Cottage cheese), which is my favorite...yumm!!
I had Thai Red curry paste brought from the store and coconut milk and Thats all you need!!!

This recipe makes enough pasta for 2-3 people.

Spaghetti Rigati with Mixed Veggies & Paneer in Thai Red curry sauce Recipe
You'll need
Spaghetti Rigati - 1/2 lb ( I used Barilla) - You can use any pasta you like
Hot boiling water - to cook the pasta
Mixed Veggies - 2-3 cups ( I used frozen mixed veggies containing - Brocolli, Baby corn, Carrots, Red peppers, Onion, Beans, Sugar snap peas, Mushroom and Water chestnuts)
Paneer - 1 cup (cubed into small pieces)
Thai Red Curry paste- 2 tblsp
Coconut milk - whole 14oz container ( I used Aroy-D brand)
Oil - 1 tblsp ( to mildly fry the paneer cubes)
Salt - as needed for the pasta and for the thai red curry sauce
Red chilli flakes - a pinch or 1/2 tsp ( optional )
Minced Ginger - 1 tsp (optional)

Directions
1. In a large pot keep some water to boil and when it starts bubbling add enough salt to season the spaghetti and add the Spaghetti. (Cook the pasta as per packet instructions.)
2. Meanwhile, heat a non-stick kadai or skillet on medium heat and add the 1tblsp of oil. When it gets hot add the cubed Paneer (Indian cottage cheese) and saute until it gets mildly browned on both sides or atleast on one side.
3. Keep the Paneer aside in a bowl and add the mixed veggies to the skillet and saute for just 1-2 minutes. Keep the veggies aside. (You do not want the veggies to be over cooked, it should still be crunchy)
4. Now reduce the heat, and add the coconut milk and the Thai Red curry paste and stir for a while until the sauce thickens. Season with salt as needed. [You may also add some red chilli flakes and minced ginger at this point. I did not add both but I wish I had, it would definitely elevate the taste].
5. Toss in the veggies and paneer and stir well.
6. By now the pasta should be done, when its al dente , drain away the pasta water and add the pasta directly to the Thai red curry sauce and veggies. Coat the pasta well with the sauce and cover and cook for  2-3 minutes. Serve hot!

Suggestions:
a. Like I mentioned some red chilli flakes and ginger would add some spice to the dish for those who like a bit of spice.
b. If you want  the sauce to get dried up with the pasta, keep cooking the pasta in the sauce till the pasta drinks up or coats up all the sauce on the pasta. [ This is how I have prepared here ]
c. If you'd like some sauce with the pasta ( like a soggy pasta) , just cook the pasta with the sauce for few minutes and turn off the heat and serve immediately. The more time the pasta sits in the sauce the more it gets absorbed into the pasta. [ I would have preferred this , as it would make the pasta more juicy :-) ]
d. You can use Chicken , Beef , Egg , Tofu etc for the protein instead of Paneer if you'd like.

The pasta turned out absolutely great and my hus was asking for seconds and thirds. :-) It was creamy and had a perfect Thai Red curry taste and had all the veggies to make u feel like we ate something healthy, the Paneer was a real treat.
Now I have my own little restaurant style dish with my own unique taste. I added lots of veggies and less pasta to make it more healthy and it was just perfect!

And while I was wrapping up my  photo session of the spaghetti, look whats happening in the background. :-)
The pic isn't so clear as my camera shook, obviously, as he just grabbed on to the bowl with lightning speed and I had to grab the bowl myself to stop him from dropping the pasta all over the place...aaaah Babies!! ;-)



Have a great day people...
Are you all waiting for Valentines Day? :-)








Linking this post to:
1. Valentines Day event hosted by Anzz @ AnzzCafe

-Manju

Mattar Paneer ( Indian Cottage cheese with Green Peas)

Mattar Paneer needs no special introduction. Its a very commonly served North-Indian vegetarian dish at most Indian restaurants and definitely a favorite among almost everyone. At my house everyone loves Paneer (Indian Cottage cheese). Several people make their own Paneer at home, but I haven't tried that yet, so I used store-bought Paneer.

I initially thought of making a Paneer dish on it own, but the health conscious part of me finally decided to add Green peas , but guess what, it turned out even better !! I'm so proud of myself (secretly) :-)

I have adapted this recipe from Showmethecurry.com from their video on Youtube. But I have made a few changes as per my requirement.

Mattar Paneer Recipe
You'll need
Paneer (cottage cheese) - 14oz pack,cut into small cubes
Green Peas - 1 cup (frozen or fresh)
Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tbsp
Tomato - 3-4 medium sized (pureed/crushed)
Canola oil - 2 tbsp
Paprika - 2  tsp (Can substitue instead with 1tsp red chilli powder and 1tsp paprika for spice and color)
Corriander powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 1.5 tsp
Water - 1 cup
Low-Fat Evaporated milk - 1 cup ( can also use Heavy cream instead )
Salt - to taste

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a non-stick pan and add the ginger-garlic paste and saute until it starts turning mild brown.
2. Now add the pureed or crushed tomato and cook it until the water content has drained off and the oil starts showing.
3. Add the spices - Paprika, Corriander powder and garam masala and saute for 2 mins.
4. Add the Green Peas, 1cup water and salt and cover and cook for 3-4mins (or until peas become soft)
5. Now add the cubed paneer and mix well and cook again for 2-3 mins on medium heat. (the paneer cooks very fast and over cooking can make it either very hard or mashed up)
6. If more gravy is required you can add more water and cook.
7. Lastly add the evaporated milk - this provides a nice creamy texture and also elevates the taste of the dish (For a richer and creamier version you can use a cup of Heavy cream )
8. On low heat, let the dish simmer for few more minutes. Check salt and spice levels once more and then take it off the stove.

Mattar and Paneer makes a perfect combination and I prepared a creamy tomato gravy and all we could do was to just keep dipping our naan into the luscious gravy and eat and eat and you won't realise how much you've eaten until you've stuffed yourself up. Rice, Roti or even Bread goes well with this dish. So enjoy!! 

-Manju

Curried Veg Pulav (Veg Pilaf)

I named this dish as 'Curried' Veg Pulav as I have used the spices with which I prepare any basic masala curry used in Indian cooking :-) Pulav or Pilaf is a really easy rice based dish where veggies ( in the case of my dish) are cooked along with the rice seasoned with some spices. It is a really simple and easy preparation. Pulav can also be prepared with chicken , shrimp, egg etc

This dish was initially supposed to be a mixed vegetable curry :-) , but at the last moment I decided to go with making a quick pulav with the same mixed vegetables to which I had already added all my spices to prepare the curry. So there you go, Curried Veggie Pulav !!! :-)

I just used  some frozen mixed vegetables (containing carrots, green peas, beans and corn)  that I always have in my freezer , one potato and half of a green bell pepper (capsicum) for the mixed veggies. You can use whichever veggies you prefer.

Curried Veg Pulav Recipe
Recipe source : My Own
You'll need
Basmati rice - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Mixed Vegetables ( Carrots, Peas, Beans, Corn, Potato, Bell pepper etc) - 2 cups (cubed into small pieces)
Onions - 1 large ( cubed ) - I used Yellow Onions
Whole spices (Peppercorns, Cloves, Cardamom, small Cinnamon stick ) - 2-3 of each
Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp
Corriander powder - 1 tblsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp ( optional)
Oil - 2-3 tblsp ( I used Canola)
Salt - to taste

Directions
1. Wash the rice in cold water and drain and keep it aside. ( If you have the time, its best to soak the rice in water for 30minutes and then drain before preparing the pulav, I did not do it though)
2. Heat a large cooking pot and add the oil.
3. Saute the whole spices in the oil until the flavors are released.
4. Add the onions and saute for 2 minutes.
5. Add in all the mixed veggies and after sauting for 2 minutes, add the spices ( red chilli powder, corriander powder, garam masala powder, turmeric powder and pepper powder) and saute for another 2-3 minutes.

6. Now add in the rice to the mixed veggies and stir gently until rice and veggies are mixed well .

7. Add 4 cups of water and season the water with salt , stir once more and cover and cook until the rice is cooked fully. ( The water should be salty to taste so that the rice is seasoned well once cooked)    

                             

7. Serve it hot with some cool cucumber Raita !

This dish can be prepared so fast and can be served without requiring to prepare too many side dishes, as it is rice + mixed veg curry in one !! :-) Some plain Yoghurt or Cucumber Raita along with some Papad goes really well when serving this dish.

The house gets filled with the lovely aroma of basmati rice being cooked and the lovely spices added to this dish. The Pulav was really good, the rice was soft and perfectly cooked , the veggies and the spices mingled really well with the rice and it did make a really quick , tasty and colorful lunch for us :-)

Have a sweet day!!

-Manju

Mixture with Sev, Masala Peanuts and fried Curry leaves...Crrrunch!!

First of all let me wish all my lovely readers a very very Happy New Year (better late than never right !! ). May this year bring you joy, happiness, prosperity, wealth and good health.

Instead of starting the New Year with something sweet we wanted something savoury :-) and a lovely evening snack like this Mixture was just perfect. It can be prepared and stored in air-tight containers and can be enjoyed for several days.

I prepared the mixture with a combination of  Sev made from Besan (gram flour), Spiced besan coated Peanuts - Masala peanuts and fried Curry leaves. 

For those who prefer a spicier version you can sprinkle some red chilli powder along with some salt over the mixture and mix well or else spice up the besan with which the Sev is prepared. Its all upto you! :-) I did not want a very spicy snack, so this recipe is a bit on the milder side.

For preparing the Sev I used a Murukku maker or the same thing I used to make my Idiappams :-)

Mixture Recipe
You'll need
For Sev:
Gram flour - 2cups
Water - enough to make a dough
Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 1-2 tsp
Salt - to taste
For Masala Peanuts:
Raw Peanuts - 1 cup
Gram flour - 2-3 tblsp
Water - enough to mix the flour with the peanuts forming a thick coating
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Pepper powder - 2 tsp
Garlic paste - 2 tsp ( I did not add this, but it would bring huge flavor if added)
Salt - to taste
For fried Curry leaves:
Curry leaves - 4-5 springs ( approx 15 - 20 leaves)
Oil - for deep frying and preparing the entire mixture items ( I used Canola)

Directions
For Sev:
1. Take the gram flour in a mixing bowl and add all the spices ( red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder) and salt and using water make a smooth dough. (It may be a sticky dough but thats ok)
2. Apply some oil on your palm and take a nice handful of the dough and fill it inside the Murukku or Idiappam maker. The stencil used should of small dots such that the dough when pressed will come out as thin strings.
3. Heat oil in a deep frying pan and press the dough into the oil and continue to do so in circular motions without breaking the strings. (It will look like one big ball of strings :-) )

4. Break the strings into small 1 inch length pieces, or simply break it apart into smaller length pieces. Sev is ready :-)

For the Masala Peanuts:

1. In a mixing bowl add 2-3 tblsp of the gram flour with the peanuts and some spices ( Red chilli powder, Turmeric powder and Pepper powder) , some Garlic paste (if you like) and salt to taste and mix together with some water. The gram flour should stick to each peanut like a thick coating.

2. Heat some oil ( or you may use the same oil used to fry the Sev) and drop in each peanut one by one. Its ok if  few peanuts stick together.

3. Fry them until nice and golden brown ( else the peanut may not get fried well and may still be raw inside)

For the Fried Curry Leaves:

1. Take 4-5 sprigs of curry leaves and fry them in the same oil until crisp. 

For the Mixture:

1. Mix together the Sev , Masala Peanuts and the fried curry leaves. A crispy and crunchy snack is ready ! 

Store them in air-tight containers and they will stay crisp for several days. I'm enjoying this delicious snack even while I type this right now, its simply so yumm and irresistible!

Hope you all are enjoying the New Year with lots of good food and lovely people around you!!

-Manju

Shrimp Dry Roast...deliciousness on a plate !!

I love having Shrimp , my mom makes the most amazing Shrimp curry I have tasted. Any time we go to any seafood restaurants I always end up ordering some shrimp based dish or salad.

However Manish cannot have any shellfish as he had some allergic reaction to it as a child and is afraid that he may be allergic to shellfish, so preparing shrimp is off our menu list. So after our wedding this is the first time I am actually making shrimp at home. Thanks to my sis-in-law who came over for the holidays, I had an excuse to prepare and someone to share the dish with :-)

I initially thought of making simple Kerala style spicy shrimp fry...then I thought of making it a bit more interesting by making a dry roast like dish where I roasted some shallots, ginger-garlic and curry leaves until the curry leaves are crisp and added it to the fried.shrimp. This added some additional flavour and the dry masala tasted simply awesome.

Shrimp Dry Roast Recipe
Recipe source: My own
You'll need
Shrimp or Prawns - 1 lb ( I bought large Gulf Shrimp)
Red chilli powder - 1-2 tsp ( depending on how much spicy you prefer)
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Pepper powder - 1 tsp
Ginger-Garlic paste - 2 tsp
Water - 2-3 tsp (or enough to marinate the spices on the shrimp)
Small Pearl Onions or Shallots - 6-7 ( sliced)
Minced Ginger - 1 or 2 tsp
Minced Garlic - 1 or 2 tsp
Curry leaves - 2springs (about 8-10 leaves)
Salt - to taste
Oil - for frying shrimp + 2tblsp ( I used Canola oil, Coconut oil would provide an authentic keralite flavor)

Directions:
1. Wash and clean the shrimp. (Mine was already cleaned with the Tail on , I used it as it is after washing)

2. Take the shrimp on a plate and add the red chilli powder, turmeric powder, pepper powder, ginger-garlic paste and salt and add a little water and marinate evenly on each shrimp. Refrigerate for 15-20mins to marinate well.

3. Heat some oil (about 4-5 tblsp) in a non-stick pan and add the shrimp and let them fry. Keep the pan aside. (Do not over-fry shrimp as it tends to turn rubbery.)

4. In another non-stick pan, add 2 tblsp oil and add the shallots (or pearl onions) , minced ginger , minced garlic and curry leaves and keep roasting until the curry leaves are fried crisp and the onions are nicely carmelised.

5. Add this dry roasted mixture into the pan with the fried shrimp and mix very well, such that the onions and curry leaves are coated with the masala from the fried shrimp.

Serve hot with plain rice or chapathi .

This dish was really nice and spicy and shrimp was fried perfectly.The dry masala from the shallots and curry leaves tasted superb , all in all it was Finger licking good !!

I seriously wished we had made more...Manish was left to enjoy the smells :-)

Hope you all are eagerly waiting for the New Year!! Wish you all a Very Happy New Year 2012!!

- Manju

Idiappam (StringHoppers) with Egg Masala

To begin with I want to thank Julie of Eivum Puliyum for gifting me a 'Fabulous Blog' award. Thank you so much dear for remembering me and I am so much honored  to have received this award. Julie is hosting her first event Christmas Delicacy and I wish her all the very best and hope that she gets a lot of entries.

Coming to my dish , Idiappam or StringHoppers is another authentic Keralite breakfast dish. Idiappam is my sisters favorite breakfast item. She could eat dozens of these and still ask for more :-) I totally agree with her. Idiappam is also called Noolappam ( 'nool' meaning thread) in Kerala. It gets the name from the distinct noodle like or thread like shape it is made in. It so soft and spongy and easy to digest and a very healthy breakfast dish.

It is prepared by making a soft and smooth dough from roasted rice flour seasoned with salt and is then steamed after pressing it through an Idiappam press / Idiappam maker which gives it its distinct noodle or string like shape. Fresh grated coconut is added to garnish over the Idiappam which gives it a very unique taste.

Idiappam goes well with Potato Stew, Green peas curry, Kadala curry, Egg Masala , Ulli(onion) curry or simply with Sugar or sweetened Coconut milk. Usually fresh grated coconut is added while preparing , so it tastes pretty good eaten simply as it is too :-)

We had Idiappam with a really simple and easy to make Egg Masala curry. The spicy gravy compliments well with the simple and slightly sweet Idiappam (sweet due to the grated coconut). For vegetarians who do not eat Egg, you can simply skip the Egg from the preparation and perhaps add some Green peas, it would still taste great!
I used my Idli mould and steamer to prepare the Idiappams. The recipes of both the Idiappam and Egg masala should provide about enough to serve 5-6 people.

Idiappam or StringHoppers Recipe
Recipe source : My MIL

You'll need
Rice flour - 3 cups ( Rice flour should be roasted)
Warm water Boiling Hot water - enough to prepare a dough
Salt - to taste
Fresh Grated coconut - 2 cups


Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl add the Rice flour and salt and using the warm hot water prepare a smooth dough with the help of a spoon. The dough need not be round and shapely, its will almost resemble a thick sticky paste which can be easily rolled into a ball if held with a wet hand. ( Water has to be really hot to get a smooth dough)

2. Wet your hands and take a handfull of the dough and fill it inside the idiappam maker.

3. If using Idli steamer, add fresh grated coconut in each idli mould and press the idiappam maker such that the dough takes the shape of thin noodle like strings and fill it in each mould. 

4. Garnish again with grated coconut and steam the Idli moulds for 7-10 mins on high heat.

5. Take it off the Idli moulds and serve hot.

Egg Masala Recipe

Recipe source: My own

You'll need

Chicken Eggs - 3-4 nos.

Water - to boil the eggs

Red Onion - 1 large (thinly sliced)

Green chillies - 3-4 (slit lengthwise)

Tomatoes - 2 large ( chopped into small cubes)

Ginger-Garlic paste - 1 tblsp

Red chilli powder - 2 tsp

Corriander powder - 2 tblsp

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tblsp

Water - enough for the gravy (approx 1-2 cups)

Salt - to taste

For tempering:

Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Dry red chillies - 2

Curry leaves - 4-5 leaves

Canola oil - 2 tblsp

Directions

1. Boil some water and add the eggs and continue to boil for about 10 minutes on high heat. ( Th eggs should get fully boiled)

2. Heat the canola oil and crack mustard seeds , then add the dry red chillies and curry leaves and saute for a minute.

3. Add the ginger garlic paste and green chillies and saute for a minute.

4. Now add the Onions and add salt and cover and cook until the onions are fully cooked.

5. Add the masala powders (Red chilli powder, Corriander powder, Turmeric powder and Garam masala) and saute.

6. Add the tomatoes and gently mix well and the add some water depending on how much gravy you prefer. 

7. Cover and cook on medium heat and let it boil.

8. Slit the eggs in half and add the eggs into the masala gravy , stir gently and turn off the heat. Serve hot.

Hope you all enjoyed your holidays and had a great Christmas. We really enjoyed with a nice trip to Chicago and Wisconsin Dells and had a total blast.
I'm sure Manav enjoyed too, in his own little baby way !!

Also please check my update on my About Cooking and Me! page ...

- Manju

Pasta Shells in white sauce with Sausage, Mushrooms and Peas!

This is a really simple and easy Pasta recipe. I've always enjoyed the Chicken Alfredo pasta served at Restaurants. Manish wasn't a huge pasta fan until I started preparing Pasta at home. Initially I used to flavor it with Indian spices and slowly progressed it to proper Italian flavored Pasta dishes and now Manish too loves Pasta prepared any style ! :-)

I wanted to have some restaurant style pasta at home one day, so simply searched few online sites and recipe ideas and finally decided on making this. Must say, it came out pretty well but I would have liked to season it a bit more. For seasoning ideas, you may add red chilli flakes or dried oregano to the mushroom, sausage and peas mixture. Or you may add seasonings to the white paste sauce.

I took the pics in a hurry, so that I could eat while the pasta was still hot :-) , so please bear with my pics.
My white sauce is not exactly an Alfredo sauce , so I'm just going to refer to it as white sauce. To prepare Alfredo sauce you should skip the all-purpose flour in the preparation. But it tasted really good nevertheless.

Pasta Shells in white sauce with Sausage, Mushrooms and Peas Recipe
Recipe source : My own
You'll need
Shell Pasta  - 2 cups ( or you can use any kind you like)
Water ( enough to boil pasta)
Sausages - 2 ( I used chicken franks)
Mushroom - 2 cups ( sliced)
Green peas - 1 cup
Red Onion - 1/2 cup ( chopped into small cubes)
Olive oil - 3 tblsp
Salt - to taste
For White Sauce:
Butter - 2 tblsp
Heavy Cream - 1/2 cup
Milk - 1/2 cup ( or you may substitute both cream & milk with 1cup half and half )
All purpose flour - 2 tsp
Parmesan cheese - 2 tblsp (grated)
Salt - to taste
Pepper powder - a pinch
Garlic powder - 1/2 tsp


Directions
1. Boil water and once it starts bubbling , add salt and then the Pasta Shells. (add enough salt such that the water tastes salty, this will help flavor the pasta)
2. Add 1 tblsp of olive oil in the water ( this helps the pasta from not sticking to each other )
3. Meanwhile , in a frying pan heat 2 tblsp of olive oil. Cut the sausage into small cubes and fry the sausages.
4. Keep aside the fried sausage cubes and add onions into the pan and saute them till they turn pink.
5. Add the mushrooms and green peas and some salt to taste.
6. Once the mushrooms are mildly cooked add the sausage cubes, mix well and keep aside.
To prepare the white sauce:
1.Heat a nonstick pan and melt the butter.
2. Add the all purpose flour and keep stirring to avoid any lumps being formed.
3. Reduce heat and add the cream and milk or half n half and keep stirring till the sauce thickens, then add the freshly grated parmesan cheese. Season with salt, pepper and garlic powder up to your taste.
4. Once the Pasta Shells are cooked al dente ,meaning , pasta should still be slightly chewy and not overcooked) drain the excess water and add the pasta into the white sauce. (The all-purpose flour in the white sauce tends to thicken the sauce )
5. You may add some pasta water if required to loosen the pasta-sauce mixture and keep on low heat.
6. Mix in the sausage, mushrooms and peas. Mix well and turn off the heat.

I did not coat the pasta with too much white sauce, but it tasted great just the same. You can mix more sauce if you'd like. Its best served hot.
Manish really enjoyed having this and I was just so glad it turned out well. :-)

Enjoy your Holidays!!

-Manju

Spicy Tuna Fish Cutlets

Hello there...I know I haven't been blogging much these days and I haven't had much time to blog hop either. There has been so much going on the past few days that I honestly haven't had much time to spend on my lappy :-)
As I had mentioned in my earlier post here, we had lot many celebrations lined up and we had quite an eventful weekend with lots of celebrations , food and sweets!

It was our Wedding Anniversary on Dec13th and these cutlets were my special treat to Manish who loves Tuna. And we both love Cutlets...we atleast I know that I could eat them all day! And these came out just so perfect that we were literally sad when it got over. :-)

Cutlets are nothing but croquettes made of meat/chicken/fish/veggies. They are usually deep fried, but I prefer to shallow fry depending on the thickness. Its a lovely appetizer, crunchy and spicy and finger licking good. These Cutlets are my own recipe and it takes hardly 30mins to prepare them.

I made few heart shaped cutlets, special ones for my sweetheart. I also prepared small cute round ones. They were crunchy on the outside, smooth on the inside, with a nice spicy flavor that will keep your tastebuds running even after you finish eating them. TRUST me!!!

Let me take you through the recipe with some step-by-step pics which will definitely make it easy for you to understand how this delicious appetizer is prepared! :-)
This recipe made about 10 small round cutlets and 4 medium sized heart shaped ones.

Spicy Tuna Fish Cutlets Recipe
Recipe source : My own
You'll need
Canned Tuna - 2 tins , 5oz each ( I used Light tuna)
Potato - 2 medium ( I used Russet)
Red Onion - 1/2 large or 2 medium ( diced into thin and small cubes)
Green chillies - 1 or 2 (thinly sliced)
Ginger - 1 inch or 1 tblsp (diced well)
Garlic - 2 (diced well)
Turmeric powder - 1/4 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/4 tsp
Corriander powder - 1/4 tsp
Garam masala - 1/4 tsp
Salt - to taste
To coat the cutlets:
Egg - 1
Breadcrumbs - enough to coat ( Approx 2 cups) - I used store bought ones
Canola oil - for frying

Directions:
1. Dice and chop the red onions, green chillies, ginger and garlic and keep aside.
2. Boil the potatoes with some salt and mash them well and keep aside to cool.
3. Open the tuna cans and drain any excess oil or water and keep aside.

4. Heat a non-stick frying pan on medium heat, add 1 tblsp canola oil and add the Ginger, Garlic and Green chillies and saute until the ginger-garlic turns mildly brown.

5. Add the Red Onions and and add some salt and cover and cook until the onions turns soft and mild and mildly carmelised, stirring occasionally.

6. Now add all the spices ( Red chilli powder, turmeric powder, corriander powder and garam masala) and mix well.

7. Then add the tuna chunks and mix well and such that each tuna piece is coated well with the spices and onions. Cover and cook for 2-3minutes and turn off the heat and let it cool.

                                  

8. When cooled , add the mashed potatoes and mix well. [ Its best to use your hands at this point :-) ]
9. If making heart shaped cutlets , take a large handful of the tuna-potato mixture and pat it down on a plate or board and then cut into it using the cookie cutter, or you could shape it by hand. ( I used cookie cutter)

10. You can also prepare small flat and round cutlets by taking small tennis ball sized tuna-potato mixture and gently pat it to form a disc shape of even thickness.
11. To coat the cutlets, beat an egg in a bowl and in a separate plate place the breadcrumbs.

12. Gently dip each cutlet into the egg and place it on the plate with the breadcrumbs and coat it on both sides with the breadcrumbs. Do this one by one.

13. You can deep fry or shallow fry the cutlets as per your wish. Fry until the cutlets looks brown and crunchy.
14. Serve hot with ketchup ...yummm!!

Suggestions:
a. You can substitute the Tuna for shredded Chicken/Beef.
b. Vegetarian variations could include mixed veggies like carrots, peas, baby spinach, paneer etc.
c. You could flavour your breadcrumbs instead (if you do not like all that spice ) with some garlic powder, red chilli flakes , dried oregano or some italian seasonings etc.
(The Potato helps to bind the mixture together and helps keep the cutlet intact while frying.)

Make these next time you have guests at home and they are going to be begging you for the recipe! :-)

Have a great day!!

Sending this post to:
1. Snacks Mela hosted by Srivalli

2. Christmas Delicacy event hosted by Julie.

-Manju