Fish (Salmon) tikka

Fish tikka has always fascinated me and why wont it ? It is such a healthy appetizer without compromising upon the taste at all.  It, when served with capsicum and tomato makes for a beautifully laid out spread too….sure to win hearts when you are planning to host dinner for your friends !!

I had a guest coming over too…someone who I recently befriended. What got us talking ( endlessly !!) was our common passion …. cooking, baking and an eagerness to learn more. I decided to make fish tikkas as appetizers when I invited her over for dinner. This was my first attempt at fish tikkas and a successful one at that. You really can't go wrong with it , with just the right amount of spices. It doesn't take long too ( except for the marination time ) which is just my kinda recipe ….quick yet drool worthy !!!

It is simple to make but looks so exotic…I secretly feel it is such a cheat way of garnering some praise for one's culinary skills..I looovvveee such dishes :) Go ahead, make these and be prepared to be showered with heaps of praise :)

Ingredients :

You can replace fish with chicken to make chicken tikkas.

Serves : 2 - 3

Boneless fish ( I used salmon fillets )   - 300 - 350 gms, skin peeled and cubed into bite sized pieces
Capsicum - 1, cubed into bite sized pieces
Onion-  1/2, cubed into bite sized pieces
Firm tomato - 1 , pulp and seeds removed and cut into bite sized squares ( or you can use cherry
                                                                                                                                        tomatoes )
Skewers for holding the pieces

Marinade :
Thick yoghurt - 1/4 cup
Ginger-garlic paste - 1  tbsp
Turmeric powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1  tbsp ( I like my tikkas spicy but you can adjust it according to your
                                desired spice level )
Coriander powder - 1 tsp
Cumin powder - 1 tsp
Garam masala powder - 1 tsp
Salt - to taste
Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Method :

1. Clean the fish pieces and pat dry them. Marinate them with all the ingredients given under "Marinade" and keep in the refrigerator for about an hour or more ( the longer the marination period, the better ). You can also keep it overnight in the refrigerator. 
2.  Mix the capsicum, onion and tomato in the marinade just before grilling.Thread the marinated fish pieces onto skewers alternating with capsicum, onion and tomato in desired sequence.
3.  Preheat the oven to 200 degrees celsius on broil/ grill.
4.  Place the skewers on a  grill rack and place the grill rack on the topmost shelf, closest to the upper heating element. Do not forget to place a drip tray below the grill rack since water will start dripping as the fish pieces get grilled.
5.  Grill the fish for about 15-20 minutes ( depending upon the oven ) turning the skewers once in between for the fish to get grilled evenly. 
6. Remove from the oven. Serve hot with mint chutney, chat masala and lemon wedges.

Spinach / palak cutlets

Whenever I bring home a bunch of spinach, I invariably (and always with a sense of guilt ) , postpone using it up until the fresh green leaves slowly start giving way to black ones. It is then that they catch my attention and then bringing it back from the throes of death , I end up with a palak dish that day. Maybe, it has to do something with the fact that Spinach was never really my best friend. Actually, none of the oh-so-healthy leafy vegetables are ( Sigh !). 

This time, when I brought this fresh bunch of spinach, I was determined not to let it shrivel and wither away.  The very same day, I took it out and set out to make a healthy cutlet out of it. Just mix up all the ingredients , shallow fry and voila..you have a lip smacking and healthy appetizer/ snack . So what are you waiting for ? Grab those ingredients, fasten the apron strings and get set..here goes the recipe…

SPINACH CUTLETS
Ingredients :

Makes 8 - 10 medium sized cutlets

Spinach ( palak ) - 1 big bunch
Potatoes, boiled and mashed - 2 large or 3 medium sized
Peas, steamed and lightly mashed  - 1/3 cup
Green chillies, chopped - 2
Ginger, peeled and grated (or finely chopped or pounded) - 1/2 inch piece
Coriander leaves, finely chopped -  1/4 cup
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp ( more or less depending upon the desired spice level )
Coriander powder powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Lemon juice - 1/2 tbsp
Semolina or bread crumbs (optional ) - for coating
Salt - to taste
Oil - for shallow frying

Method :

1.  Wash and clean the spinach leaves. Pat them dry.
2.  Blanch the spinach leaves thus : Bring a large pot of water to boil. You can add little salt . Once it gets boiled, turn off the heat. Immerse the spinach leaves in this hot water and close the vessel with a lid. Keep like this for about 10 minutes. After 10 minutes, remove the lid and pass the water with the spinach through a colander . The spinach leaves will get collected in the colander. Run cold water through the leaves to stop the process of blanching and to preserve the nutrients. Squeeze out all excess water from the leaves. Chop them and keep aside.
3.  In a bowl, mix all the ingredients except oil and make 8-10 balls out of it. If the mixture is too sticky, apply little oil on your palms while forming balls.  Flatten the ball into thick discs ( or whatever shape you desire ).
4.  You can shallow fry the cutlets straightway or coat them with semolina or breadcrumbs and then fry. They taste good, either ways ( I have included pictures of both ). Serve hot with tomato ketchup or chutney of your choice.

Chana chaat

Chaat has always been my favorite…a sense of guilt lingering for days after notwithstanding !! But this is one such chaat which is healthy as well ( I wish there were healthier versions of chocolates too ).

This tasty and easy chana chat can be stirred up in a jiffy…quite apt for an evening snack or as a side dish / salad.

So ,with a bit of preplanning (or otherwise, if you have leftover boiled chana ), this chana chaat is truly a winner when it comes to tasty and quick recipe, which will disappear as quickly as it was made !!  Try it…here's the recipe :

Ingredients :

Kabuli chana                                  1 1/2 cups 

Tomato                                          1 medium, chopped finely

Onion                                            1 medium, chopped finely

Green chillies                                  2, chopped finely

Red chilli powder                           1/2  tsp

Chaat masala powder

 / jeera powder                              1/2  tsp

Salt                                                to taste

Lemon  wedges                               few

Coriander leaves                            for garnishing (I didn't use any since I ran out of it )

Method :

1.   Soak kabuli chana overnight or for at least 6 - 8 hrs. Drain the water and keep aside. Cook in a pressure cooker for a whistle.

2.  Take the kabuli chana in a mixing bowl. Then add the tomato, onion, green chillies, red chill powder, chaat masala and salt and mix well.

3.  Squeeze in lemon and mix in again..Finally, garnish with coriander leaves and serve with lemon wedges.