Compassionate, loving, caring and ever smiling is how I would describe my favourite teacher Mrs. Kachole. Our school used to offer Food and Nutrition (F&N) as a subject to 11th and 12th graders and apart from Social Studies, Mrs. Kachole was also our F&N teacher. It has been almost three decades now and I am not sure whether I liked the subject because it was taught by my favourite teacher or because I was generally inclined towards baking ( as a teenager I did not like cooking but adored baking) but after 11th grate I began to love cooking!! Mrs. Kachole was a home-science graduate and the passion she poured in the subject was so intense that all the students (boys included) did not frown upon working with kadais and ladles!! And the best part was this subject had no exams!!! The only evaluation that happened was an annual event where each of us had to create a healthy dish from the given brief (just like it is with the popular TV show Masterchef). While the basic preparations were done at home the final cooking had to happen in the school. Each of the created dish was judged on number of parameters by some prominent individuals and well-wishers associated with our school.
That brings me to the recipe I share with you today. It is a dish that I had created for my 11th grade F&N evaluation. The brief was non-fried, healthy, sprouts and a few things more that I fail to recollect. But this Sprouts-Potato Cake Chaat was the dish of the day in that event!! A favourite teacher and few such instances was all that was required to make me fall in love with cooking as an art and science….
Sprouts and Potato Cake Chaat is a simple recipe to put together and stands out when served as a chaat. It makes a wholesome meal when served as lite dinner or is a perfect accompaniment to tea. You can also bake it, but baking does not give it the deep golden crust we are looking for. Or you can do both, bake it at 170 C for 20-25 minutes and then cook it in a pan as described here, I have done that a few times and the results are equally good, the only concern is it takes lot of time).
Sprouts and Potato Cake Chaat
makes 1 – 9 inch cake
You will need- mixer grinder, pressure cooker, mixing bowl, a nine inch frying pan and a plate.
Ingredients
- 1 cup sprouted moong/green gram
- 1 cup sprouted kala chana/bengal gram
- 500 grams (3 large) potatoes, boiled and mashed
- 1/2 cup rice flour
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- a handful of peanuts, roasted and skinned
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
- 1/2 tablespoon black pepper, freshly crushed
- 1 teaspoon roasted cumin powder
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 3-4 tablespoon oil
To be ground to paste
- 1 inch piece of ginger
- 4 green chillies (adjust according to your taste)
- 2-3 pods garlic
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- a few mint leaves
- a fistful of coriander leaves
- little salt
To serve..
- 2 cups fresh yoghurt
- kahjoor-imli chutney
- fresh coriander chutney
- garlic chutney (optional)
- chopped onion
- pomegranate arils
- sev
Method
- Pressure cook sprouted moong and chana separately. Take care not to overcook the sprouts.
- Prepare a fine paste from the ingredients listed under ‘to be ground to paste’ section.
- In a large mixing bowl add the boiled potatoes, cooked sprouts, rice flour, chopped onion, the prepared paste, peanuts, sesame seeds, all the dry spices and salt.
- In a pan heat 2 tablespoons of oil and add the mixture. Mix it well and turn of the flame.
- Transfer the mixture on a plate.
- In the same pan heat another 1 tablespoon of oil and spread the mixture. Allow the Sprouts-Potato Cake to cook on a very low flame and form a crust. Once the crust is formed invert the cake on a plate or non-stick tawa/skillet add a tablespoon of oil to the same pan and slide the Cake back in the pan with the non-cooked side to the bottom and allow to cook so that a fine golden crust forms on the other side as-well. Be very gentle with the inverting and sliding ensuring not to break or damage the Sprouts-Potato Cake.
- The Sprouts-Potato Cake is done once golden crust has formed on both the sides.
- Transfer on a wire-rack so that the residue heat does not make the bottom soggy.
- Serve hot or cold.
- If serving hot serve it with green chutney.
- If serving at room temperature serve it as a chaat by slicing a wedge and pouring some whisked yoghurt, khajoor-imli chutney, green chutney, garlic chutney, pomegranate arils, chopped onions and sprinkle of sev.
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