Vegetable Burger

I don't know if i have mentioned this in any of my earlier posts, that i am a big fan of this program "Eat St" (Eat Street) that comes on the channel "Nat Geo people". In fact, that particular channel has some terrific food shows (Apart from my favourite Cesar Milan :)) like Street food from around the world hosted by Ishai Golan (Of course, some shows are repeats), Food lovers guide to the planet, Top tables top cities (Again by Ishai Golan) and Grandma's boy (where they show the cute looking Irish chef Donal learning secret recipes from Nona's (grannies) of Italy). A lot of cooking that i see lately is done with wine, and me and hubby both being wine lovers, i want to try it someday. So, i am doing some wine cooking learning these days and one of the very interesting information chart that i came across about wine that i would like to share with you all :

So, while cooking in wine is still long, i decided to satisfy our sinful cravings (looking at the cheesy, creamy, fried lip smacking smart food that is shown on eat street) with some homemade burgers. So, a quick walk down the road to get some buns, taking out my all-time-saviors (boiled potatoes) from the refrigerator, boiling some veggies, frying the patty and putting everything together in the bun - it all happened within 45 minutes!!! Trust me, it's that simple and that easy if you have boiled potatoes ready at hand. I always stack some in the refrigerator.

A warm cheesy burger, some tortilla chips by the side and a glass of hot chocolate and our dinner was done!!! :)

Ingredients:

Boiled potatoes : 2 medium

Boiled vegetables - 1 cup ( i used a mix of carrots, french beans and peas)

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Corriander powder - 1/4 tsp

Salt - to taste

Chaat masala - to taste

Cornflour (you can even add maida)- 1 tbsp

Oil - to shallow fry the patties

Burger buns - 3-4

Tomato - 1

Onion - 1

Cheese slices - 3-4 (or you can make it double cheese)

Mayonnaise - as required

Green chilli sauce - as required (optional)

Tomato ketchup - as required (optional)

I didn't have lettuce at hand, but you can use them if you have.

Recipe:

Mash the boiled potatoes well. Now mash the boiled vegetables and mix them together well. 

Add red chilli powder, salt, corriander powder, chaat masala and cornflour and mix it all well.

Shape into round size patties according to desired thickness. I prefer them to be not too thin (as they would break or becomes difficult to flip) or too thick (as it takes a lot of time to cook and hence absorbs more oil, also at times remains uncooked from within). So make medium sized patties.

Heat oil in  a pan and shallow fry the patties both sides till golden brown.

Remove excess oil by patting the patties on a tissue napkin.

Cut the burger buns into half and apply a little butter on both sides.

Now toast the buns on a dry tava till they become warm or little brown.

Make thin slices of the onion and tomato.

On one of the half buns (lower), put a slice of cheese, 2 thinly sliced tomatoes and 2 thinly sliced onions. Now place the burger patty on top of it.

On the second half bun (upper), apply some mayonnaise, green chilli sauce(optional) and some ketchup (optional). 

Place this bun on top of the patty. Put a toothpick in between so that everything sticks together (and is in one place :)) while serving.

Note: You can add an extra slice of cheese if you wish. You can even add some cumin powder or garam masala to the patty for a different taste. The number of slices of onions/tomatoes to be added is according to choice. You can skip adding them too. Here's a simple one i had made once - just the buns, cheese slice, patty and some sliced tomatoes :)

Drool-iscious Burger is ready :))

Happy cooking :))

Chole Tikki

And here i write my 50th post : Blogging has surely given me lots of learning and knowledge and with all the love and support i am getting from friends,viewers and followers, i hope to continue this a long way! "Miles to go before i sleep" :)

I wanted to cook something special for my 50th post, but i couldn't help posting this one as Election ( and especially Narendra Modi) fever is ON everywhere in India! The newspaper is filled with all ( and only !!) articles about Lok Sabha Elections! Though am glad that people ( especially common man, and youth are voting to see a change in the Government ), i couldn't help but salute the PR agency of Narendra Modi who have left no stone unturned but to make us eat, sleep, dream Narendra Modi. I especially loved the hilarious "Modi Sarkaar" quotes that has been doing the rounds on social media, especially Facebook and whats-app. To quote a few favourite ones,

So, just when i picked up my Thursday morning newspaper ( which was the Voting Day in Delhi ), i saw Narendra Modi on the front page of the newspaper, and couldn't help make a quote myself for the breakfast i had cooked -
"Chole ke bina tikki hai bekaar, ab ki baar Modi Sarkaar" and i laughed out so loud myself, that i thought i had to share it with you all ! So here's bringing Chole Tikki for you...

Chole tikki, Aloo tikki, aloo chaat are the terms i learnt when i shifted to Delhi. In Mumbai, we get Ragda pattice which is made with yellow peas ( white Chana/Vatana) whereas Chole is made with chickpeas.
Now this one is again one of my Leftover Recipes, where i had Chole in the refrigerator from the earlier night ( and for some reason, me and hubby like some dishes like chole, rajma or some gravy dishes more from the earlier nights than when cooked fresh!! ). And yes, i had Boiled potatoes too! I normally boil potatoes and store in fridge. Comes in handy when you want to make a quick snack!
This is normally served with the green chutney ( corriander-mint ) and the brown chutney ( tamarind-dates) , but since i am always in a hurry in the mornings to make the tiffins, i skipped this bit. Despite that, it tasted delicious!

So Chole-tikki adorned Hubby's breakfast tiffin and no doubt, he relished it :))

Ingredients :

Potatoes : 3 medium

Corriander powder - 1 tsp

Cumin powder - 1 tsp ( you can also use cumin seeds or even ajwain to add a different taste)

Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp

Amchur powder - 1 tsp (This made up for the tamarind-date chutney that i didn't make)

Besan/Cornflour - 1 n half tbsp ( I used besan )

Rock salt ( sendha namak ) - to taste

Oil - for frying

Other :

Cooked Chole - 1 cup

Chopped onions - 1/4 cup

Chopped tomatoes - 1/4 cup

Sev - As required

Lemon juice/ Chaat masala / Red chilli powder ( Optional ) - As required for garnishing

Corriander leaves - For garnish.

Recipe :

Boil, Peel and mash the potatoes well.

Mix in all the spice powders.

Add Salt.

Now add the Besan.

Mix everything well and make medium sized ( or as desirable ) patties of the potato mixture.

Heat oil in a pan. 

Shallow fry the Patties till crisp and golden brown.

Now add the Chole on top.

Add chopped onions and tomatoes.

Add the chutneys if you have or add sev (Baarik sev as we call it , tastes great with this )

Add Chaat masala, red chilli power and/or lemon juice if you want.

Garnish with Corriander leaves.

Relish it for breakfast with green tea, and yes, Don't forget to say , "Ab Saas-bahu khaayenge Chole-tikki aur achaar, Ab ki Baar Modi Sarkaar ) !!! ( From one of my friend Aniket Badame ).

Alternatively, you can also make these tikkis as a snack, and serve it along with chutney. Or sandwich them between breads with a layer of ketchup. Be as creative as you can ! 

Happy Cooking :)