Monsoon recipes: Stuffed Cheese Croquettes and more

Shweta Dwivedi sent in three recipes. First up is how to prepare Stuffed Cheese Croquettes:

Ingredients:

For filling:

• 1 cup mixed vegetables (beans, carrot, peas, corn and cauliflower)
• 1 small onion
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp garam masala
• 1/4 tsp chaat masala
• 1 tbsp coriander (finely chopped)
• Salt to taste

For coating:

• 2 cups maida
• 1 large potato
• 2 tbsp cornstarch
• 250 gm cheddar cheese
• 4 tbsps butter
• 50 ml milk
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1/8 tsp nutmeg powder
• Salt to taste

For frying:

• 2 eggs
• Bread crumbs
• Oil

Method of preparation:

• Chop up the vegetables nicely and blanch them in boiling water for 5-8 minutes, till they are soft. Remove and immediately immerse in cold water so that their colour is retained.
• In a pan, take 1 tbsp of butter and saute onion and garlic till translucent. Now add boiled vegetables and fry them for 1-2 minutes. Add salt and masalas and cook for another two minutes. Mix in coriander and keep aside for cooling.
• In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of butter and maida. Roast maida for 2-3 minutes on a low flame, till there is an aroma. There should not be any change in its colour.
• Remove maida from the flame and slowly add milk with constant stirring, till a nice paste is formed. Also add cornstarch dissolved in 2-3 tbsps of milk. Keep on medium flame and cook for 1-2 minutes to make the white sauce.
• Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg and let it cool for some time.
• Once the white sauce is cooled, mix grated cheese and mashed boiled potatoes in it and make a nice dough. If you find it too sticky, you can add some breadcrumbs.
• Divide this dough into 15-20 balls and stuff each with 1 tsp of vegetable; seal it and make croquettes of your desired shape.
• Dip each croquette in beaten eggs and coat with bread crumbs. Then freeze for at least 2-3 hours so that the cheese inside becomes stiff.
• When required, deep-fry the croquettes in oil for 2-3 minuteson a high flame without thawing.
• Tip: Cheese tends to melt when it heats up, so it's very essential that the croquettes be frozen before frying. Also, they should not be allowed to fry for more that 2-3 minutes -- the oil should be hot enough to give them a nice golden brown colour within this time. If you don't eat eggs, just coat the croquettes with a thin paste of maida dissolved in water, followed by bread crumbs.

Next up is this recipe for Ginger Spinach Soup:

Ingredients:

• 1 bunch of spinach leaves
• 3 tbsps cornstarch
• 6 cups vegetable stock
• 1-2 tbsps grated ginger
• 1/4 tsp white pepper
• 1-2 tbsps lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 small, finely chopped onion (optional)
• 1 clove finely chopped garlic (optional)
• 1/2 tsp ajinomoto (optional)
• Salt to taste

Method of preparation:

• Wash spinach leaves properly and nicely chop. Dissolve cornstarch in 1/2 a cup of cold water.
• In heavy-bottomed pan, heat oil and add onion and garlic, frying till translucent. Now add vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.
• Add ginger and dissolved cornstarch and reduce the flame and let it cook for 4-5 minutes, so that the flavour of the ginger comes into the soup.
• Add spinach and turn up the flame to high heat. Let it boil for 1-2 minutes, then add salt and pepper.
• Cook for another 1-2 minutes. The soup is now ready. Add lemon juice and serve. This is a great soup -- try it if you have a cough and cold or get drenched in the rain.

And finally, here's how to cook Chaat Katori:

Ingredients:

For katoris:

• 250 gms maida
• 1 tbsp rawa
• 1 tbsp ghee
• Salt to taste
• Warm water
• Oil for frying

For chaat:

• 1 cup boiled chhole
• 1 tbsp channa masala
• 1 large onion
• 1 tbsp ginger garlic paste
• 1 tsp Kasuri Methi
• 1 tsp garam masala
• 6-7 green chillies
• 3 tbsps oil
• 1/2 tsp jeera
• 500 gms potatoes
• 1/2 inch piece of ginger
• 2 tbsp chaat masala
• 1 tsp dried pudina
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves
• 1 tbsp arrowroot powder
• Salt to taste
• Ghee for frying

For garnishing:

• 2 cups curd
• Tamarind chutney as required
• Green chutney as required
• 100 gm bhujiya sev
• 3 tbsps black salt
• 3 tbsps jeera powder
• 3 tbsps red chillie powder
• 1 medium chopped onion
• A few juliennes of ginger
• 4-5 green chillies
• 1 tbsp anaardana
• 1 small bunch of coriander leaves

Method of preparation:

• Mix maida, rawa, salt and ghee nicely and make a smooth dough from it, using warm water. Set aside for 20 minutes.
• Break off small pieces of this dough and roll them into 8-10 balls. Flatten them using a rolling pin into puris and then using small, greased stainless steel katoris, mould each puri onto the outside of each katori, so that they will attain this shape when frying.
• Immerse the steel katoris coated with dough in hot oil to fry -- the puris will leave the katoris in the desired shape and you can remove the katoris from the oil. Fry the dough katoris till crisp and golden brown.
• In a pan, heat 3 tbsps of oil. Add jeera and 1 large chopped onion, frying till it turns light brown. Now add ginger garlic paste and fry again. Next, add 1 tbsp chaat masala, channa masala, salt and green chillies -- cook for 1-2 minutes and add boiled chhole (there should not be any water in the boiled chhole).
• Finish this chhole by adding Kasuri Methi, coriander leaves and half of the grated ginger. Mince it nicely to get a smooth filling for the patties.
• Boil and mash the potatoes, mix grated ginger, 1 tbsp chaat masala, garam masala, dried pudina, coriander leaves and arrowroot powder. Mix in well and divide into 8-10 balls.
• Stuff these balls with the chhole stuffing and fry in ghee till golden-brown.
• Before serving, shallow fry the already fried patties on a tawa till crispy. Place one tikki in each dough katori and then garnish with curd, black salt, jeera powder, red chillie powder, green chillies, sweet and green chutneys. Top each with chopped onions, juliennes of ginger and coriander leaves, followed by sev.
• Tip: You can prepare the maida katories and fry the stuffed patties in advance. When required, just assemble the chaat katori.

Do you have any special monsoon recipes that you'd like to share with us and other readers? Simply write in to getahead@rediff.co.in (subject line: 'Monsoon Recipes') with instructions on how to prepare lip-smacking rainy-day foods and we'll publish your recipes right here on rediff.com. Make sure to include your name, age and hometown and try to come up with the hottest, tastiest snacks you can this rainy season.

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