Vegetable Burger with Potato Patty Indian style

Who doesn't love potatoes?? In this recipe, aloo/potato has taken a shape of a patty. Just one full burger with this patty is good enough to fill your stomach. We had tomato soup to go with this burger for lunch and it became a wholesome meal and for at least the next 3 full hours, we din't feel a bit hungry. 

There are many versions of vegetable burger depending upon the fresh vegetables used and the type of patty used which can be either a mixed vegetable patty, aloo tikki, simple potato hash browns or a even a simple aloo patty that is lightly spiced. 

Coming to the recipe, for this vegetarian burger, I have prepared a potato patty that is mildly spiced with Indian flavours. Its quite simple and tasty too. These patties are a great party starters that can be served hot with ketcup. 

If you have the boiled potatoes ready, the total time to make the patty and assemble the burger ingredients and build the burger tower just takes around 20 to maximum 30 minutes. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for potato patty:

Boiled and peeled Potatoes - 4 medium sized

Red onions - 2 medium sized - finely chopped

Fresh ginger - finely cut - 2 tablespoons

Cooked peas - 1 handful (optional)

Oil to fry onions - 1 tablespoon

Oil for shallow frying the patties

Salt as required

Pepper powder - 1 teaspoon

Green chilli - 1 finely minced

Coriander leaves - handful - finely cut

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Chaat masala powder - 1 teaspoon

Garam masala powder - 1 teaspoon

Turmeric powder - one pinch

Bread crumbs - 4 to 5 tablespoons

Ingredients for Burger:

Burger buns - 4

Butter to toast the burger buns (optional)

Mayonnaise

(I used store bought eggless mayonnaise)

Tomato ketchup

Sliced Tomatoes

Sliced Cucumbers

Onion cut into rings (optional)

Green lettuce or Red lettuce

(I used red lettuce)

Cheese slice (optional)

Method:

Prepare the aloo patties:

Grate the boiled potatoes and transfer to a mixing bowl. 

Add salt, pepper powder, finely minced green chillies and finely cut coriander leaves.

Mix well using a fork. Keep it aside.

Heat oil in a pan. Temper cumin seeds. Add the finely cut onions and ginger.

Fry for a minute and add turmeric powder, salt, chaat masala powder, and garam masala powder.

Note: If onions are not used, then, all of the ingredients that are added to the onions (except oil) can be directly added to the potato mixture.

Turn off heat and add it to the potato mixture.

Add a tablespoon of bread crumbs and mix well.

Take a handful of this potato mixture and make a ball. Press on top to shape it like a patty.

Dip in a plate of bread crumbs generously both sides and arrange them in a plate.

Heat at least 4 tablespoons of oil in a wide bottomed non stick fry pan.

Place the patty and cook on both sides until its browned. 

Make sure the patties are handled carefully as it can break apart.

Carefully arrange the cooked patties in a plate and cool them.

Build the burger tower:

Toasting the burger bun is optional.

Place the bottom side of the burger.

Apply mayonnaise. Place the lettuce.

Place one big aloo patty. 

Top it with cheese slice (if using), sliced tomatoes and cucumbers and onions too.

squeeze some tomato ketchup and close the burger tower with the top side of the burger bun.

Serve it with french fries and/or soup and/or salad. 

Tri colour gravy - Easy mixed vegetable kurma using readymade coconut milk

I wish all my blog readers advance Independence day wishes. Jai Hind !!

Every Independence day, I try exhibit my patriotism by cooking something that is tri colour - saffron, white and green. I would like to share one of those recipes to all my patriotic readers. I am posting this recipe a couple of days before the Independence day, as you can buy the necessary ingredients in advance if you are going to try this recipe.

This is a simple, quick and delicious kurma that's totally vegan. This is a very versatile gravy, so, depending upon the quantity of kurma needed, you can adjust the quantity and choice of vegetables as per your taste. 

Ingredients:

Coconut milk - 200 ml

(I used  one 200 ml carton - Dabur coconut milk)

Mixed vegetables - 2 to 2 and half cups

---saffron colour - diced Carrots

---white colour - diced Potatoes and/or Cauliflower florets

---green colour - Green peas and/or chopped Green beans

Medium red onion - 2 chopped (optional)

ginger garlic paste - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Ripe red tomatoes - 2 medium chopped (optional)

Oil for seasoning - 1 tablespoon refined oil

Spices - 1 bay leaf, 1 inch cinnamon stick, 4 cloves, seeds from 2 green 

cardamom

Green chillies - 2 if it is too spicy - vertically slit

adjust spice level as per your taste

Cumin seeds - 1 teaspoon

Salt as required

Water as required

Coriander leaves chopped - for garnish

Method:

1. Wash the cauliflower florets and add them in boiling water and cook for 4 to 5 minutes and turn off heat. drain water and keep it separately.

2. Heat oil in a non stick kadai. Temper the cumin seeds and add bay leaf, cinnamon, cardamom seeds, cloves, green chillies and fry for a minute.

3. Add onions and fry till its translucent and add tomato and cook for a couple of minutes. Add ginger garlic paste and fry for a minute. Skip onion or tomato or ginger garlic paste if you are not using. 

4. Now add the mixed vegetables except cauliflower florets and fill with water to just cover the vegetables and add required amount of salt and cook closed until the vegetables are tender.

5. Just when the vegetables are cooked, toss in the cauliflower florets and give a quick stir.

6. Now stir in the coconut milk and wait till one boil and turn off heat. Garnish with coriander leaves.

7. Serve hot with Appam / Roti / Phulka / Chapathi / Parotta / Set dosa or Basmathi rice that's cooked in coconut milk.

Alternative method:

Cashewnut paste can be added to the gravy for a rich flavour. Grind a handful of cashewnuts to a smooth paste using little water and add to the gravy just when the vegetables are well cooked. Then, pour the coconut milk. Cashewnut paste and Coconut milk reduces the spice level. So, adjust the green chillies accordingly. 

The other tri colour recipe in this blog is Capsicum Paneer Tikka

Sweet potato puran poli / holige / obbattu

Being festive season, there is always a need to prepare a sweet on every occasion. And for a few festivals, including puran poli in the menu is a must. The traditional puran poli otherwise called as obbattu, holige, babbatlu or boli is prepared using jaggery with either channa dal or grated coconut or in combination of both. 

There are numerous ways to prepare these polis. Adding a twist to the traditional method of making puran poli, and trying to make it more healthy, I came up with the idea of using sweet potato as the main ingredient for the puran. In this recipe, I have mashed the boiled sweet potatoes, mixed it with jaggery (not white sugar) and flavoured it with nutmeg and cooked until the puran consistency is reached. I have also used regular chapathi atta and not maida or all purpose flour for preparing the poli.

A touch of ghee gives it an added flavour. Avoid ghee for a vegan version. This is a recipe for diet conscious people, a recipe for the sweet potato/genusu lovers and a recipe for people who want to try something new. You can customize this recipe for flavours and for preferred sweetness. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients for 10 puran polis.

for puran,

Sweet potatoes / Genusu - 2 medium

Grated (ligth brown) Jaggery (or brown sugar) - 1 cup

Nutmeg powder - Quarter teaspoon

(I used a pinch of cardamom and a pinch of saffron too)

Ghee - 1 tablespoon (optional)

Water - half cup

for poli

Regular chapathi flour - 1 and half cups

(I used pillsbury multigrain atta)

Atleast half cup atta for dredging while rolling the poli

Salt - a pinch

Turmeric powder - Quarter teaspoon

Regular refined oil - 2 tablespoon

Water to knead to a dough

Method:

Boil the sweet potatoes. I pressure cooked it for 6 whistles to overcook it so it can be mashed well with no lumps.

Transfer the cooked sweet potatoes to a non stick kadai after peeling off the skin. 

Mash well to avoid lumps.

Add the grated jaggery and mix well and cook in medium heat and if needed add half cup water to kick start the jaggery to melt.

Keep stirring the puran.

Cook for at least 15 mins or until the puran consistency is reached. For checking the consistency, please see the note below.

Now add the nutmeg powder ( cardamom and saffron too if you are using them) and mix well. 

Adding ghee at this point is optional.

Let the content cool. Make lemon sized balls and keep is aside. Puran is ready.

How to check if puran consistency is reached?? 

Keep stirring the puran. You will notice that the content liquefies after jaggery melts and then slowly the content thickens as the water is evaporated/absorbed. At this point in time, turn off heat and take a teaspoon of the puran and cool it. Try to make a ball out of it. If the puran is still sticky and is difficult to roll it to a ball, the puran needs a little more cooking. 

When the puran is cooling down, prepare the dough.

In a mixing bowl, add the atta, salt, turmeric powder and oil. mix well. 

Now add water little by little and using the tip of your fingers, keep mixing the flour.

Knead it to a soft, pliable dough.

Make lemon sized balls and keep it aside.

Preparing the polis.

Like regular stuffed parathas, the puran is stuffed inside and rolled, then cooked on both sides dabbing ghee.

Roll a ball of dough. Dredge it with flour. You can use your fingers and palms alternatively to make it cup shaped to place the puran in the middle.

Place the puran in the center and close the puran on all sides with the rolled dough. Press on top. Try to avoid air pockets while sealing the puran inside. Make a ball and Keep it aside. Repeat until all the puran is used. For detailed step by step procedure please click here.

Using flour scarcely for dredging, roll out the stuffed dough to a regular paratha size. Make sure the surface is even. Roll to medium thickness. Repeat for all the poli.

Heat a non stick tawa. Place one rolled poli. When you see small bumps on the surface, dab with a teaspoon  of ghee/clarified butter or alternatively oil for the vegan version. 

Flip the poli and cook the other side dabbing ghee. Cook both sides until you see small brown spots. 

Transfer it to the serving plate. Repeat the process until all of the poli is cooked. 

Enjoy this sweet delicacy and finish it the same day as they don't keep well even if it is refrigerated.

Sweet potato is full of goodness and enjoy this delight guilt free.