Potato/Farali Starter

To Serve 2 to 4 persons

Description:

A delicious starter prepared with potatoes and enriched with paneer & nuts mixture or cucumber & coconut mixture toppings. Relish as a farali delicacy too.

Ingredients for Potato Base:

• 2 large boiled potatoes (Do not peel the potatoes)
• 3 tbsp. arrowroot powder
• 3 tbsp. oil
• salt and pepper to taste

Ingredients for paneer & nuts topping: 

• 3 tbsp. crumbled paneer (cottage cheese)
• 3 tbsp. hung curd(yogurt) or thick curd
• 1tbsp roasted and coarsely ground nuts (cashewnuts and/or almonds)
• 1 tbsp. raisins
• 6 to 7 roasted almonds or cashewnuts slit into 2 for garnishing.
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 4 tsp chilli & ginger paste
• 2 tsp sugar (optional)
• 2 to 3 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp. oil
• salt to taste

Ingredients for cucumber & coconut topping:

• 1 medium cucumber.
• 2 tbsp. grated fresh coconut or desiccated coconut (soaked  in water and drained out)
• 3 tbsp. hung curd
• 2 tbsp. roasted coarsely ground peanuts
• 3 tbsp. chopped coriander
• 2 tbsp. lemon juice
• 2 tsp cumin seeds
• 2 tsp sugar
• 3 tbsp. chili & ginger paste
• salt to taste

Method for Potato Base:

1. Slice the boiled potatoes into about 1/2 cms thick circles.
2. Apply arrowroot powder on both sides of the potato slices.
3. Heat oil on a non-stick flat tava.
4. Put potato slices in tava & roast them on both sides till they are  crisp & light brown.
5. Sprinkle salt & pepper.
6. Remove potato slices from the tava and drain oil on oil soaking paper.
7. Arrange roasted potato slices in a serving dish ready to be served with toppings.

Method for paneer & nuts toppings :

1. Heat oil in a non-stick pan and add cumin seeds and allow it to splutter.
2. Add ginger chili paste  and sauté for a minute.
3. Add crumbled paneer make the fire slow and sauté for a minute. Keep stiring.
4. Add roasted & coarsely ground nuts, raisins and coriander.
5. Mix well and cook for a couple of minutes and remove from fire.
6. Allow it to cool.
7. Add sugar, salt and lemon juice.
8. Add hung curd(yogurt) and mix well.

Method for cucumber coconut topping:

1. Peel and chop cucumber into small cubes
2. Add 2 tsp salt to the cucumber, leave for 5 minutes and allow water to ooze. Squeeze cucumber to drain all water.
3. Put the cucumber in a bowl and add grated coconut, chopped coriander, ground peanuts, sugar, lemon juice, chili and ginger, cumin seeds and mix well.
4. Add hung curd and mix well.

To serve: (2 varieties)

1. Place a big spoonful of Paneer & nuts toppings on some roasted potatoes and garnish with slit cashews or almonds. 
2. Place a big spoonful of cucumber coconut toppings on some other roasted potatoes and garnish with green chutney or chopped coriander.
3. SERVE the two varieties.

Enjoy the tongue-tingling combo of cool and spice.

Gujarati Food

India,  a multifaceted country, has diverse cultures,  languages and regions and enjoys multiple cuisines too.

The most popular among them are the North Indian (mughlai or punjabi) and the South Indian (Idly, Dosa, Menduwada etc.).

Similarly, the west Indian state Gujarat has a popular Gujarati food which is primarily vegetarian. Gujarati Food consists of the gujarati thali, which contains dal, bhaat (rice), rotli (chapatti), shaak (vegetables) with accompaniments like farsan, raita, pickles, papad, kachumber, and buttermilk and gujarati nashtas (breakfast/snacks).

This space will array receipes of  gujarati cuisines with a modern touch.

Enjoy preparing and relish the gujarati food.

Shall appreciate any suggestions/comments.