Strawberry- Mango Salsa

Celebrate spring time with "Strawberry-Mango Salsa". I loved experimenting this recipe, simply because it is tasty, healthy and a joyful recipe.  It can be paired with any thing like chip and dip, seared fish or chicken, and even as a salad. 

This salsa is infused with traditional salsa ingredients like cilantro, lemon juice, pepper as well as couple of Indian ingredients. I have substituted jalapeno peppers with green chilies. 

The recipe is very simple and can be made without a clinch.

Ingredients

8 Strawberries,  chopped
1 Mango, peeled and chopped
1 Jalapeno or green chili, deseeded and finely chopped
5 sprigs of Cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 tsp Black pepper powder
Juice of 1/2 Lemon
1 tsp Extra virgin olive oil
Salt

Procedure

• In a mixing bowl, whisk jalapeno/ green chili, cilantro, pepper powder, lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and salt
• Add chopped strawberries and mango. Mix well
• Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours. Keep out 15 minutes before serving

Tip--

• Optional ingredients like red onions or green onions, cucumbers, and tomatoes can be added
• Add chat masala and serve it with pappadis or fried tortillas as a chat

Masala Vada

Masala Vada is my all time favorite in deep fried snack list!!

It is a deep fried snack made with channa dal or Bengal gram which is crisp on the outside and soft inside. Its great snack during tea time. 
Some recipes do not add garlic. I have used garlic, onions, cinnamon, cloves, mint or dil as aromatic ingredients.

Ingredients

2 Cups Benagal Gram or channa dal (soaked for at least 5  to 10 hours)

5 cloves of Garlic

5 Green Chilies

1'' stick of Cinnamon

4 Cloves

1 Onion, chopped

1 small bunch of Mint / Dill or both

1 small bunch of Coriander/ Cilantro

Salt

Oil for deep fry

Method

• Soak Bengal gram | Channa dal for 5 hours.Ccoarsely grind it without adding water

• Make a coarse paste of garlic, chilies, cinnamon, and  cloves

• In a mixing bowl, add the ground channa dal, garlic-cloves-cinnamon- green chili paste , chopped onions, mint/dill , coriander and adjust salt to taste.  Mix well

• Now, divide the dough into equal portions. Take each portion and pat the ball into 1/4th inch thickness

• Using a heavy bottom vessel, heat oil for deep frying. Gently add vada to it. Fry on both sides until it turns to golden brown.

• Serve hot with tea

Tip

• You can use red chilies instead of green chilies and adjust spice level as per taste
• Mint/ dill/ coriander is only optional ingredient. Adding these adds more flavor to this recipe
• Garlic is sometimes added or sometimes not added. Again this is only an optional ingredient

Kabuli Channa Chat

Chats are popular street foods in India. There are wide variety of chats like pani puri, bhel puri, masala puri, seve puri and the list goes on.

The recipe that I have presented is called "Kabuli Channa Chat". It is prepared mainly with with Kabul channa or garbanzo beans and it is accompanied with puris, onions, cucumber, sweet and green chutney.

  

Ingredients

1 cup Garbanzo beans (Kabul Channa), soaked overnight

1 onion, chopped

1 Cucumber, chopped

1 Tomato, chopped

Small bunch of Cilantro, chopped

1/2 cup, yogurt

For Puri

1 cup fine semolina (chiroti rava)

1 tsp Rice flour

1/2 tsp salt

pinch of Baking soda

For Sweet Chutney

3/4 cup Tamarind pulp

1 cup Jaggery

1/4 tsp Red Chili Powder

For Green Chutney

1 bunch Cilantro

1 bunch Pudina (mint)

3 Green chilies

1 inch Ginger

1/2 tsp Cumin seeds

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Chat Masala

Procedure

Puris

• In a bowl, mix semolina, rice flour, salt and baking soda. Add water enough to knead the dough. The dough should be very tight
• Allow it to rest for 1/2 hour until semolina absorbs moisture
• Divide the dough into equal balls and using a rolling pin, roll into circles (not too thick or not too thin). Cut it into small squares
• Now heat oil in a pan for deep frying puris, put small squares into oil slowly and fry in medium flame  until it turns to dark golden brown 

Sweet Chutney

• Melt jaggery in a pan. Simmer until it completely dissolves
• add tamarind and red Chili powder. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Stir often until thickens
• After it cools, strain the liquid and refrigerate

Green Chutney

• Using a blender make a paste of all ingredients that are listed for Green chutney. Add little water if required
• Refrigerate the chutney

Chat

• Boil Garbanzo beans (Kabul Channa) in a pressure cooker up to 4 whistles
• In a bowl, mix boiled garbanzo beans,onions, cucumber, and tomato

• Add 2-4 tsp of sweet chutney and 2-4 tsp of green chutney and mix well
• In a plate, put handful of puris and spread it evenly, next add spiced garbanzo and vegetable mix and spread it evenly. Garnish with Yogurt, sweet chutney , green chutney and cilantro
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Tip:

Puris can be made in advance and can be stored in an air tight container. It lasts up to two weeks or may be more. Sometimes it becomes soft, if it is exposed to air, then you can toast these puris in a preheated oven for 15 minutes to make it crispy

Sweet Chutney and Green Chutney can be made in advance and can be stored in an air tight container. Refrigerate after every use it increase its shelf life.