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What's Cooking? Indian recipes
P.S. Lakshmi Rao, a retired banker, has a passion for cooking. Her friends and family enjoy her culinary delights. Lakshmi is a long time Atlanta resident.

<<What's Cooking? Main


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Kajji Kayalu (Karanji)

3 Cups all purpose flour (maida)
2 Tablespoon oil
¼ Teaspoon salt
1 Cup water

Mix flour, oil, and salt. Add water and mix thoroughly by hand or in a food processor to make stiff dough. Keep it covered in a bowl.

Stuffing
1 Cup roasted chana dal (chana dahlia)
1/2 Cup almonds
½ Cup walnuts (optional)
1/ Cup cashew nuts
½ Cup pistachios (optional) 
1/4 Cup sesame seeds (optional)
½ Cup fresh or frozen shredded coconut
1 1/2 cups brown sugar or jaggery
2 Teaspoon crushed cardamom seeds (ilachi)
2 Cups oil

Roast almonds, walnuts and cashews in 250 degrees oven for ten minutes on a cookie sheet. Mix them two times in between. If you have a toaster oven you can use that too. Roast sesame seeds on top of the stove in a dry pan until light brown at medium low heat. Let them cool. Put coconut on paper towel and microwave for one minute to remove moisture.
Blend chana dal, almonds, walnuts, cashews, pistachios, and sesame seeds in a food processor until coarse. Add coconut, brown sugar, and cardamom powder and process for half a minute. Now the stuffing is ready. 
Make dough in to 45 balls. Coat them with flour. Roll each ball in to five-inch diameter poori. Fill one half of the poori with stuffing. Smear some water around inner edges of the poori. Fold other end of the poori over the edges and press with tines of the fork to seal. Repeat with rest of the dough balls and powder. You can use a kajjikayi maker if you have one.
Heat oil in a frying pan in medium low heat. Drop Kajjikayalu slowly in to the oil. Fry both sides until light brown and crunchy. Remove them from oil on to layered paper towels with a slotted spoon. 
Store them in a container with tight lid after kajjikayalu cooled completely. Kajjikayalu taste fresh for a long time if they are stored in a proper container.


Bajjies with Vegetables

3 Cups chickpea flour (graham flour)
½ Cup rice flour
1 Teaspoon ground red pepper
1 1/4 Teaspoons salt or to taste
¼ Teaspoon ground black pepper or white pepper (optional)
¼ Teaspoon cumin powder
1 Pinch of baking soda
2 Cups water

Mix all the above ingredients to make thin batter and keep it aside.

VEGETABLES
2 Medium size Idaho or russet potatoes 
1 Large eggplant or two small eggplants
2 Large cauliflower flowerets
½ Red bell pepper
½ Green bell pepper
1 Zucchini 
15 Ajwain leaves (if available) 
1 Medium onion

2 1/2 Cups oil (depending on the size of the frying pan.)

Wash and peel potatoes. Cut them in to 1/8-inch discs and soak them in water. Cut large eggplant in to ¼-inch slices and keep them in the water. If the slices are too big cut them in to half. Break two large flowerets from cauliflower and slice them thin. Cut red and green peppers in to ½ inch strips. Cut zucchini in to thin slices or ¼ inch discs. Wash and wipe ajwain leaves. Peel onion and cut it in to ¼ inch slices being careful not to let them break apart.

Heat oil in a frying pan in medium high. Drain potatoes and blot them with paper towels to remove excess water. Dip each piece in to chickpea flour batter and drop it carefully in to hot oil. Fry both sides until light brown. Remove bajjies on to three or four layers of paper towels with slotted spoon to absorb excess oil. Repeat this with other vegetables. You can eat them plain or with any chutney. 

Note: If you have leftover batter add chopped green chilies, ginger, fresh coriander leaves, onions and two curry leaves. Drop them like clusters in to the oil. Fry until light brown. Grand finale is the name of this dish.
You do not have to have all the above vegetables to make bajjies. You can use whatever vegetables you have in hand. You can also use fresh spinach leaves, pan leaves, plantain and yellow squash thin slices or discs.




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