Veggie Starter > Raw Banana Patties!

 

Last Saturday when R told me our invited guests were vegetarians, I had a real challenge to encounter! I cook veg  food but I wasn’t sure how an all veg meal will turn out to be! At the end it turned out just right, despite all the nightmares!Will post all  the stuff I made in separate posts. For now, I wanted to share the entre which they totally loved! Tiny raw banana patties.

You’ll need :

2  big raw bananas

2-3 medium sized potatoes

2 onions chopped

Coriander leaves

1 spoon grated ginger/ginger paste

1 spoon red chilly powder

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon Garam Masala

Oil or ghee – 2 teaspoons

Salt to taste

Method: Boil the bananas and potatoes together (u can pressure cook – if you do pressure cook, then only wait for one whistle or a max of two).  The idea is not to make the mash too soggy- so they need to boil just right :). Peel them and mash it together.

In a pan add oil/ghee and sauté  chopped onions until translucent. Add ginger and sauté some more. Add turmeric and chilly powder and mix well. Now add the mashed banana and potatoes to this mixture and mix well until the masala blends with the mash. The mixture shouldn’t be watery/soggy as I mentioned earlier. The patties won’t be firm, then. If you feel it is, then add bread crumbs to this. It soaks up the excess moisture. Add garam masala and coriander powder and mix again and let it cool. Once cold, make tiny patties of them and pan roast them with little oil/ghee. Serve with tomato ketchup.

You can add boiled veggies like peas and carrot and also raisins/sultanas to make this more nutritious and tastier! Its a sure shot winner – its tasty, nutritious, and not deeeeep fried!  Try it :)

Chicken Skewers

I always go overboard with starters for any party at home. That’s because I believe my guests will appreciate the food most, when they are still sober, and not intoxicated with scotch and wine- and that happens only in the starter stage. By the time they move on to main course, half of them are thinking of a good night’s sleep and the other half can’t tell the difference between chicken and  lamb. So then, if you are entertaining guests over drinks, work on your starters and keep the main course simple. :-)

I make chicken skewers very often, mostly because it is simple, and tastes out of this world.

You’ll need:

500 gms diced chicken

Teriyaki/barbeque/honey chilly/sweet chilly sauce/ ANY sauce :-)

1 –2 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

salt to taste

Preparation:

Mix the chicken pieces with garlic, salt, lemon juice and the sauce of your choice. You can make 3 different portions and make different kinds of sticks for the sake of variety! Dump in the fridge for 3-4 hours. Remember- the more you marinade, the better it is!

Soak wooden skewers in water for about one hour.

Half an hour before the guests arrive, arrange the chicken pieces n skewers and grill it in the oven, ocassionally turning it. I grill it at at about 200 degrees for around 15 minutes.

 

You are now, all set to entertain!

Supah Sexy Scallops

Now, first things first. This recipe is not mine. I learnt it at Sydney Seafood School. So the recipe featured here is courtesy them. And you know what? If you don’t try this recipe, I think you are not foodie enough :), more so if you are a seafood lover. So then get set, bring home that barbeque, call your best pals, order in the best wine, throw a party, and show off your culinary skills.

Ready to toss some Scallops?

Red Curry Scallops with Mango Mint Salsa (serves 6)

150 ml Coconut cream
1 tablespoon Red Curry paste
3 tablespoons fresh Ginger, Grated
1 tablespoon Palm Sugar
6 Scallops on Half Shell
18 Scallops without Shell
Mango Mint Salsa

1 mango, finely diced

1 tablespoon Freshly Chopped Mint leaves

2 red Shallots, finely Chopped.

1 tablespoon Lime Juice

Heat a couple of tablespoons of the thickest coconut cream (from the top of the tin) in a small saucepan as shown below. Add red curry paste and ginger and coconut till fragrant.




Remove from heat and add palm Sugar, stir to dissolve. Place Mixture in a small bowl and add remaining coconut cream. Remove Scallops from shells, wash and dry shells. Combine Scallops and red curry mixture, mix well and stand for 1 hour.

Washed, de-veined and de-shelled Scallops





Washed Shells, that is used to serve the barbequed Scallops





Scallops in red curry marinade





Meanwhile, make the salsa: Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Set aside.





Now, after about 45 mins to an hour, take the marinated scallops and cook them on heated oiled char-griller for about 1 minute each side, till they become opaque. They cook super fast, so be careful not to over-cook it.




Place spoonful of salsa on the shells and top it with Scallops. Whoa! Its ready to give your guests a very pleasant shock!





Top Tips from KG:

1. I think this recipe as is can be used for shrimps too. This is just in case you don’t get Scallops.

2. This is generally served and complete with a grilled fish and bread.

3. If there is no wine, please don’t dine :). No, really, white wine goes fabulously with this!

4. For the Red Curry paste- either buy it ready made in any of the fancy supermarkets or write to me for the red curry paste recipe. :). Email: aparna dot das at gmail dot com



So long then! Bon Appétit!

Corny Chaat :-)

Step 1: Roast sweetcorn on cob

Step 2: Set aside

Step 3: Shave the corn kernels as shown in the pic

Step 4: chop onions, coriander, green chilies, lemon wedges.

 

Step 5: Add salt, Red chilly powder (optional), Chaat Masala and squeeze the lemon into the mixture. Add the rest of the stuff, mix well.

Step 6: Dig in

Ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm bliss!

Top Tips:

# Add boiled potatoes and tomatoes to make this a heavier, fuller snack.

# The roasted sweet corn on cob by itself is yummmmmy- spread butter over it and bite in, else, try it the usual way with lemon juice, chilli powder and salt.

#The chaat as mentioned above is excellent as a starter in parties, and sure to set a few tongues wagging about how J they are of your chef-giri.

(I owe this recipe to Corn Club, our most favourite hangout in Pune after college. And I can’t thank Poopsie enough who introduced us to this totally novel (then) place.)

Fish fingers in a jiffy

1. Cut fish fillets in finger shape (skinless, boneless)

2. Rub lime juice, a pinch of mustard powder, salt and white pepper powder. Keep aside for 10 minutes

3. Take bread crumbs in a plate. Dip the fingers into beaten egg mixture, roll over the crumbs

4. Deep fry or oven bake.

5. Serve with Tartar sauce or Tamatar sauce :)

6. Yenjaaay!