Few weeks ago we celebrated our toddlers birthday. We had three parties for her. Two for her playgroups and one for our old friends group.
When I was growing up in India we used to have a standard menu for all birthday parties. Homemade cake, semolina custard or gulabjamun (fried milk dough in sugar syrup); some savory dish like samosa, cutlets, ragada pattice (potato patties with white pea gravy) etc.; potato chips and fruity drink. There always used to be potato chips and a fruity drink.
So for one of the parties I decided to do something similar.
It was an evening snack party and the menu was
Ragada Pattice
Chocolate banana cake
And I bought vegetable kachories, potato chips and Guava juice.
Here are the recipes
Ragada Pattice
(Serves: 6 to 8)
Ingredients
For ragada:
2 cups dry white peas
41/2 cups water
2 tbsp. oil
one pinch asafoetida
2 big onions
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 inch piece ginger (1 tbsp. finely grated)
4,5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dry mango powder
one generouspinch of garam masala
1/4 tsp. chilipowder (optional)
2 tsp. salt
For potato patties:
5 russet potatoes
11/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chilipowder (optional)
4 tbsp. bread crumbs
2,3 tbsp. oil for frying
For tamarind chutney:
1 cup tamarind juice
4 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
one pinch salt
one pinch chili powder (optional)
For cilantro chutney
1 cup cilantro (tightly packed)
1 clove garlic
1 inch piece ginger (1 tbsp. finely grated)
4,5 Thaichilies
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
Method
Ragada
· Pressure cook white peas with water. For my pressure cooker I wait to get 3 whistles and then wait for 20 minutes to open the cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker; soake the beans in 4 cups of water overnight. Strain them and saute them in 2,3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the water back and simmer for 40, 50 minutes till they are soft. Alternatively you can also used canned white or cannellinibeans.
· Chop onion finely. Mince garlic.
· Turn the stove on medium. Heat the skillet for few minutes. Add oil. Add asafoetida and onion. Add turmeric and cumin powder. Saute for 3,4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic,dry mango powder, garam masala, salt and chili powder. Cook for 10 more minutes till onions are cooked through.
· Add the cooked peas. With a masher mash the gravyroughly. We do not want to turn it into paste but break the peas just enough to make a thick gravy.
Adjust the salt and water. Bring the gravyto boil and simmer
The consistency of this gravy should be like a chili, so in the last stage adjust add some water if you need to.
Potato patties
· Pressure cook white peas with water. For my pressure cooker I wait to get 2 whistles and then wait for 20 minutes to open the cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker put potatoes in cold water. Bring water to boil then simmer for 10, 20 minutes depending on how big the potatoes are.
Remove the skin of potatoesand mash them.
Add salt, bread crumbs and chili powder if using.
· Mix everything together. Try to press a ball of dough in between your palms. If it crumbles, add two more tablespoons of bread crumbs.
· Take an ice creamscoop. Scoop out the potato mixture and form it into a pattie.
Heat an indoor flat grill or tawa for 4,5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of oil and put the patties. Turn the stove to medium-high and cook for 2,3 minutes till the patties turn golden brown. Turn them and brown the other side. Repeat the process for all the patties.
Tamarind chutney
Mix tamarind juice, water, sugar, cumin powder, salt and chili powder in a bowl. Mix well. Once the sugar dissolves the chutney is ready.
You can also use tamarind pulp. Add 2,3 tsp. of pulp with 1 cup of water and use that in the recipe.
If you have access to fresh tamarind: Take the skin off and put it in a pan. Add water and boil. Let it cool. Mash the mixture. Remove the seeds and threads and run the mixture through blender. This pulp is much tastier than the store bought pulp. Use 4,5 tbsp. of pulp with water.
If you have access to salt cured tamarind (This is what I usually use. The above recipe is with the store bought juice because it is easily available and quicker) Put it in a pan. Add water and boil. Let it cool. Mash the mixture. Remove the seeds and threads and run the mixture through blender. Use 4,5 tbsp. of pulp with water.
Cilantro chutney
Chop cilantro, garlic, ginger and chillies. Put all this with salt and water in the blender and make it into puree. Your cilantro chutney is ready.
Variations
As suggested earlier you can use canned white beans for ragada.
For the potato patty: you can use a slice of bread instead of breadcrumbs. Put the bread in water. press it really well to remove all the water. Crumble it and use it in the potato mixture.
You can use date chutney instead of tamarind chutney. Use seedless dates instead of brown sugar in the recipe. Run the mixture int he blender to make a puree.
You can add handfulof mint leaves in the cilantro chutney.
Tips
· Do not add salt to peas before they are fully cooked. They cook faster without the salt.
When I was growing up in India we used to have a standard menu for all birthday parties. Homemade cake, semolina custard or gulabjamun (fried milk dough in sugar syrup); some savory dish like samosa, cutlets, ragada pattice (potato patties with white pea gravy) etc.; potato chips and fruity drink. There always used to be potato chips and a fruity drink.
So for one of the parties I decided to do something similar.
It was an evening snack party and the menu was
Ragada Pattice
Chocolate banana cake
And I bought vegetable kachories, potato chips and Guava juice.
Here are the recipes
Ragada Pattice
(Serves: 6 to 8)
Ingredients
For ragada:
2 cups dry white peas
41/2 cups water
2 tbsp. oil
one pinch asafoetida
2 big onions
1/4 tsp. turmeric
2 tsp. cumin powder
1 inch piece ginger (1 tbsp. finely grated)
4,5 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dry mango powder
one generouspinch of garam masala
1/4 tsp. chilipowder (optional)
2 tsp. salt
For potato patties:
5 russet potatoes
11/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. chilipowder (optional)
4 tbsp. bread crumbs
2,3 tbsp. oil for frying
For tamarind chutney:
1 cup tamarind juice
4 tbsp. light brown sugar
1/4 tsp. cumin powder
one pinch salt
one pinch chili powder (optional)
For cilantro chutney
1 cup cilantro (tightly packed)
1 clove garlic
1 inch piece ginger (1 tbsp. finely grated)
4,5 Thaichilies
1/8 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water
Method
Ragada
· Pressure cook white peas with water. For my pressure cooker I wait to get 3 whistles and then wait for 20 minutes to open the cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker; soake the beans in 4 cups of water overnight. Strain them and saute them in 2,3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat for 10 minutes. Add the water back and simmer for 40, 50 minutes till they are soft. Alternatively you can also used canned white or cannellinibeans.
· Chop onion finely. Mince garlic.
· Turn the stove on medium. Heat the skillet for few minutes. Add oil. Add asafoetida and onion. Add turmeric and cumin powder. Saute for 3,4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic,dry mango powder, garam masala, salt and chili powder. Cook for 10 more minutes till onions are cooked through.
· Add the cooked peas. With a masher mash the gravyroughly. We do not want to turn it into paste but break the peas just enough to make a thick gravy.
Adjust the salt and water. Bring the gravyto boil and simmer
The consistency of this gravy should be like a chili, so in the last stage adjust add some water if you need to.
Potato patties
· Pressure cook white peas with water. For my pressure cooker I wait to get 2 whistles and then wait for 20 minutes to open the cooker. If you do not have a pressure cooker put potatoes in cold water. Bring water to boil then simmer for 10, 20 minutes depending on how big the potatoes are.
Remove the skin of potatoesand mash them.
Add salt, bread crumbs and chili powder if using.
· Mix everything together. Try to press a ball of dough in between your palms. If it crumbles, add two more tablespoons of bread crumbs.
· Take an ice creamscoop. Scoop out the potato mixture and form it into a pattie.
Heat an indoor flat grill or tawa for 4,5 minutes. Add a tablespoon of oil and put the patties. Turn the stove to medium-high and cook for 2,3 minutes till the patties turn golden brown. Turn them and brown the other side. Repeat the process for all the patties.
Tamarind chutney
Mix tamarind juice, water, sugar, cumin powder, salt and chili powder in a bowl. Mix well. Once the sugar dissolves the chutney is ready.
You can also use tamarind pulp. Add 2,3 tsp. of pulp with 1 cup of water and use that in the recipe.
If you have access to fresh tamarind: Take the skin off and put it in a pan. Add water and boil. Let it cool. Mash the mixture. Remove the seeds and threads and run the mixture through blender. This pulp is much tastier than the store bought pulp. Use 4,5 tbsp. of pulp with water.
If you have access to salt cured tamarind (This is what I usually use. The above recipe is with the store bought juice because it is easily available and quicker) Put it in a pan. Add water and boil. Let it cool. Mash the mixture. Remove the seeds and threads and run the mixture through blender. Use 4,5 tbsp. of pulp with water.
Cilantro chutney
Chop cilantro, garlic, ginger and chillies. Put all this with salt and water in the blender and make it into puree. Your cilantro chutney is ready.
Variations
As suggested earlier you can use canned white beans for ragada.
For the potato patty: you can use a slice of bread instead of breadcrumbs. Put the bread in water. press it really well to remove all the water. Crumble it and use it in the potato mixture.
You can use date chutney instead of tamarind chutney. Use seedless dates instead of brown sugar in the recipe. Run the mixture int he blender to make a puree.
You can add handfulof mint leaves in the cilantro chutney.
Tips
· Do not add salt to peas before they are fully cooked. They cook faster without the salt.
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