Tag: Indian snack

Snacks

🥟 Matar Kachori – Crispy, Spiced, and Pure Comfort

Puspa


✨ A Winter Morning Memory

In Odisha, winter mornings often begin with the aroma of fresh kachoris frying at the street corner or in our own kitchen. I still remember my grandmother waking up early, preparing the spicy green pea filling with a secret mix of garam masala and hing, and gently rolling out each perfect disc.

By the time we finished our morning chores, a brass plate full of crispy, puffed-up matar kachoris would be waiting — served with a mild aloo curry or sweet tamarind chutney.

Even now, every bite takes me back to that warmth — both of the dish and of those winter mornings wrapped in woolen shawls.


🧾 Ingredients (Serves 4)

For the Dough:

2 cups all-purpose flour (maida)

2 tbsp oil or ghee

Salt to taste

Cold water, to knead


For the Filling:

1½ cups green peas (fresh or frozen, coarsely mashed)

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

½ tsp grated ginger

1 chopped green chili

¼ tsp hing (asafoetida)

½ tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp roasted cumin powder

½ tsp garam masala

Salt to taste

1 tsp sugar (optional)

1 tbsp chopped coriander (optional)


For Frying:

Oil for deep frying


👩‍🍳 Method

1. Prepare the Dough:

Mix flour, salt, and oil/ghee. Rub until crumbly.

Slowly add cold water and knead into a semi-soft dough. Rest for 20–30 minutes.


2. Make the Filling:

Heat oil in a pan. Add cumin, hing, ginger, and green chili.

Add the mashed peas, turmeric, salt, sugar, cumin powder, and garam masala.

Sauté on medium flame until the mixture becomes dry and aromatic.

Let it cool. Optional: Add chopped coriander.


3. Assemble the Kachori:

Divide dough into lemon-sized balls.

Flatten, add a spoonful of filling, seal edges, and gently roll out into a disc (not too thin).


4. Fry:

Heat oil on medium. Fry kachoris until golden and puffed.

Remove onto paper towels.


🍽️ Serve With:

Aloo sabzi (curried potatoes) for a breakfast platter

Sweet tamarind chutney for a snack-time treat

Masala chai for the ultimate cozy combination


💛 Why You’ll Love It

Festive, nostalgic flavor

Flaky and crisp with a soft, spiced center

Great for breakfast or evening snack

Easily prepped ahead

Snacks

Pav Bhaji – The Sound, The Sizzle, The Soul of Mumbai

Puspa

🛺 Scene One: Chowpatty, Rain, and Butter Everywhere

There’s a certain kind of chaos you only find near a Mumbai pav bhaji stall.

Two burners. Four hands. Ten bhajis going at once.
A massive tawa sizzling with mashed veggies, globs of butter, and a sprinkle of mystery masala.
Somewhere in the back, pavs are getting golden, greasy, and toasted to perfection.
And people — lots of people — all silently praying they get their plate next.

This is where I fell in love with Pav Bhaji.

Not at a restaurant. Not from a recipe book.
But from a street vendor who looked like he’d been stirring that tawa since birth.

🧄 What Goes In This Iconic Mash-Up (Serves 3–4):

For the Bhaji:

2 medium potatoes, boiled & mashed

1 cup cauliflower, chopped

½ cup green peas

½ cup capsicum, finely chopped

1 large onion, finely chopped

2 medium tomatoes, chopped

1 tbsp ginger-garlic paste

1½ tsp pav bhaji masala

½ tsp red chili powder

Salt to taste

2 tbsp butter + more for finishing

Water as needed

Chopped coriander and lemon wedges for garnish

For the Pav:

6–8 soft ladi pavs

Butter (don’t ask how much — just say yes)

🔥 How to Make It – With Thela Drama

1. Steam & Smash
Boil potatoes, peas, and cauliflower till soft. Mash them up. You want chunky-smooth, not baby food.

2. Sizzle the Masala
Heat butter. Add onions, capsicum, ginger-garlic paste. Sauté till golden. Add tomatoes, chili powder, pav bhaji masala, and salt. Cook till mushy.

3. Time to Mash
Add the boiled veggies. Start mashing. Add water to get the right consistency. Simmer. Taste. Adjust. Butter. More masala. More butter. More flavor.

4. Toast That Pav
Slather pavs with butter. Toast on a tawa till golden. Bonus: sprinkle a little pav bhaji masala on the pav too.

5. Serve Hot & Loud
Plate bhaji with butter on top, chopped onions, coriander, and a lemon wedge. Pav on the side. Serve with a “bhai, ek aur plate!” energy.

—

❤️ Why I’ll Never Stop Making Pav Bhaji

Because every bite tastes like Mumbai

Because it’s a dish you hear before you eat

Because it turns leftover veggies into rockstars

Because it tastes even better the next day

Because butter. Period.