Prawns & Potatoes Bhaji

This is the most easiest version of a prawns dish. The taste is unbeatable & it goes well with chappatis.
A must try dish.

250 gms prawns, cleaned, shelled & deveined
250 gms potatoes, peeled & chopped into bite sized pieces
250 gms onions, thinly sliced
3 to 4 cloves garlic, crushed
red chilli powder, as per the pungency desired
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
salt, to taste
handful of finely chopped corainder leaves, for garnish
2 tbsps oil

Mix prawns, potatoes, onions, chilli powder, turmeric powder & salt in a bowl & set aside for 15 to 20 minutes.

Heat oil in a wok/ kadhai. Add the crushed garlic & saute till it turns light brown. Add the prawns & potatoes mixture. Mix well & let cook on slow flame till the potatoes are cooked. Saute occassionally. Once done, garnish with finely chopped corainder leaves & turn off the flame.

This goes great with chappatis.

Prawns Pattie

Cutlets & kababs are my favourites & they are always stocked up in my freezer. I carry this trend from my mom, who always had something for us to snack when we were hungry. My mother owns hundreds of recipes alone on cutlets & kababs. The below recipe is a combination of my mothers recipe & my own. These prawn cutlets are so delicious, that you will find yourself smacking on these, while you cook. Just ensure that you don't finish it off before your guests arrive.

1 lb medium sized shrimps, cleaned, shelled & deveined
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 medium potatoes, boiled & grated
handful corainder leaves, finely chopped
1 egg
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp vinegar
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
oil, for shallow frying

Divide the shrimps into 2 equal portions. Grind 1 portion of the shrimps to a fine paste. Remove into a bowl. Add the other portion of the shrimps to the ground shrimps. Add all the other ingredients except oil into the shrimps mixture. Mix well. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap & refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Heat oil in a pan. Form round shaped cutlets out of the prawns mixture & fry the cutlets in hot oil till nicely browned.

Serve hot.

Whole Wheat Bread

Making bread is not as difficult as it sounds. Home made bread is so tasty & it just melts in the mouth. We have now stopped buying bread from the store as it lacks the taste & freshness of home made bread. Give it a try. It is as easy as cooking rice or making chappatis for your daily meal.

2 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
7 gms packet of rapid rising yeast
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp melted butter
1/2 cup warm water

Stir in the yeast & sugar in the warm water & set aside for the yeast to rise. Meanwhile, sift the flour. Add salt & melted buter & mix well. Add the yeast mixture & knead to a soft dough. Add more warm water if required. Put the dough in a bowl & cover it with a plastic wrap & leave it in a warm dry place till it doubles in size. This should take about an hour or so.

Spray a loaf pan or a baking tray with an oil spray. Set aside. Pour a tsp of oil on the dough & knead well for a minute. Shape into a loaf or individual sized buns & place it in the greased baking tray. Cover with a warm damp cloth & leave it again in a warm dry place to rise until doubled in size.

Preheat oven to 350 deg F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until done. Brush the tops of the bread with some melted butter. Let cool & then cut into slices.