Kaju Pakoda

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Kaju (Cashews)
2 tbsp besen (Gram flour)
1 tsp rice flour
1 tbsp Ginger garlic paste
1 tbsp finely chopped mint
1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
3 green chilies chopped
Curry Leaves few
1 tsp jeera
2 tsp red chili pwd
1 tsp Dhania crushed corsely
1 tsp baking soda
Salt according to taste
Oil for deep-frying

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients except oil.
2. Take 11/2 tbsps of warm oil and add to the above mixture.
3. Now the mixture looks dry and lumpy, mix it thoroughly.
4. Take some warm water; now add it to the above mixture, spoon by spoon to make a dough thicker than a chappthy dough, as if it looks crumbly.
5.Heat oil in a kadai (deep frying pan); drop the besen mixture (uneven shapes) take a big lump in the hand and with the help of fingers drop little by little in the hot oil for deep-frying.
6.Fry it on medium flame till light golden brown.
7.Serve hot with tomato sauce.
7. Cool it and store it in an airtight container.

Stuffed Mirch Pakora

Ingredients

200 gm. gram flour sieved (besan/kadalai mavu)

1 tsp. salt
1 level tsp. bicarbonate of soda
1 level tsp. cumin seeds
2-3 drops of yellow food colour
300 ml warm water

For stuffing:

6 large size green chillies (bajji milagai)
6 small onions, skinned and finely chopped
1 tbsp. tamarind juice
1 tsp. red chilli powder
1\2 tsp. salt
2 tbsp. pomegranate seeds, ground
2 tsp. chat masala

Method:

Place the gram flour and the remaining dry ingredients and food colour in a bowl. Pour in the water gradually and beat to a smooth and thick paste. The consistency should be like thick pancake batter. Leave aside to rest for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile prepare the stuffing. Mix together the chopped onions, chilli powder, salt, pomegranate seeds, chat masala and tamarind juice. Wash and pat dry the chillies. Make an incision on one side of the chilli lengthwise and remove the seeds. Stuff each chilli with a good amount of stuffing and keep aside.

Heat oil in a deep kadai to smoking point, then reduce the heat to medium. Dip each chilli into the batter and coat it thoroughly with the batter. Then using your fingers lift it out of the batter and at once drop them into hot oil. Fry 2-3 chillies at a time, not more. Fry for a few minutes, then carefully turn them over. Fry the mirch pakoras for 5-8 minutes to a crisp golden colour, drain thoroughly with a perforated slice. Then place them on absorbent kitchen paper. Sprinkle with chat masala. Serve with pudina chutney/sweet tamarind chutney.