Paneer Sandwich

For the third week of Blogging Marathon#34, I chose the theme evening snacks. When my daughter returns from school, the very first question she asks after entering home is "Mom, What is for snacks today?" So I make sure that she gets her favourite snack every day. Some times, when I feel lazy, I buy a biscuit packet or murukku packet. As many of you have noticed, I don't have a sandwich recipe in my blog because I didn't have a sandwich maker. But recently I got a sandwich maker as a free gift when I got another kitchen appliance and I was very happy to make this sandwich for my daughter.  My mom used to make delicious sandwiches and my brother's friends in Pondicherry were great fans of her sandwiches. She used to apply a generous amount of vanaspathi on all the sides of the bread slice and she used to make a delicious potato stuffing for the sandwich. She had a sandwich maker which has to be used on a stove and I still remember it after all these years. She used to buy 3-4 packs of large Modern bread for my brother's friends and finally we would end up with no sandwich for myself and mom. They used to devour the sandwiches and I am sure they will remember it even now. Now as I am little concerned about my health, I used butter for my daughter and I made it oil and butter free for myself and hubby. It can never beat the taste of mom's sandwich but it is guilt free. I also used wheat bread instead of white bread. But do try it with white bread and vanaspathi for a delicious treat. My daughter loved these sandwiches and I think one day she will say that nothing could beat her mom's sandwiches....

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Litti Choka

Littli Choka is a famous snack from Bihar. Served along with dhal, it can also be served as breakfast, lunch or dinner. I have made a version of Litti and Aloo Choka, but they were not the authentic recipes. Litti is made with wheat flour. Wheat flour dough is stuffed with sattu filling known as the Pitthi and is roasted either in oven or tandoor or deep fried. The traditional method involves cooking them on Upla (dried cow dung) or hot sand but nowadays they are baked in oven. When litti choka was announced as the challenge for the southern group in the South Vs North challenge this month, I went through the recipe at Nupur's (host of this month's challenge) page thoroughly. It was completely different from what I made. She even gave the preparation of sattu flour which is used to stuff the littis. As sattu is not available here, I made sattu at home as per her directions and made litti and choka yesterday for our evening snacks. I served them along with green chutney and it was a perfect combination. I loved the texture of litti and the flavourful stuffuing with sattu. As sattu was home made it had a nice aroma and we just loved the combination. You need to try this to know about the taste. I even had it for breakfast today. 

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Perfect French Fry

I have tasted French Fry once in a restaurant and then I never ever wanted to taste it again. It was soft, soggy and there was so much oil in it. My mom used to make the most delicious potato fries and I have never ever done it perfect. So I usually stay away from chips making. Last week one of my readers wanted the French Fry recipe. So I started searching for the perfect French Fry recipe which doesn't turn soft and soggy as soon as it cools down. I have read about double frying and triple frying and I have tried them both and never got my fries crispy. But anyhow it turns, my daughter finishes it off as she is a great fan. But if I want to post it in my blog, then it must be perfected as many of you will be trying it. I saw the recipe at Serious Eats. I was surprised how the author had experimented with the recipe and obtained one which makes perfect crispy fries. There was lot of techniques involved and every technique had a reason. If you want to learn about the details please check this page. It is amazing.

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Ringna Bateta Ni Kachri - A Tribute To Tarla Dalal

Last week, November 6th Wednesday, I was so shocked when I opened my FB page for updates. One of my FB friends posted that Tarla Dalalji is no more. I just couldn't believe it. I searched for so long and after an hour, many updates started coming on friend's walls about the sad news. I am a great fan of Tarla Dalalji and I have been collecting her books for the past two years. Whenever I have a doubt regarding any recipe, I first search the books written by her, then her website and only then I go for any other alternative. If you are a foodie, you would surely be familiar with her recipes. My most favourite Tarla Dalal's book is Mithai. She has listed so many sweets and if you try them you surely can master the art of sweet making. I have bought so many of her books for giveaways in my blog and I will continue to do so. She will be remembered forever...

Logo By Preeti

We at the Blogging Marathon group wanted to post a tribute to her. The idea was given by Padma and every one wanted to be a part. So Preethi designed this logo for the post. We thought of trying one of her recipes which would be a perfect tribute to her. Tarla Dalal gives perfect recipes with accurate proportions. You can never fail with her recipe and that is why her recipes are a great hit among bloggers. This recipe is from her Gujarathi Cook book. It is a simple yet tasty dish and can be made in a jiffy. 

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