Homemade Potato Chips | Easy Snacks Recipes

Long back,we had a newly-wed couple over for dinner and amma had made an elaborate meal for them.They arrived at tea-time so were treated with an array of snacks with tea which included Aloo bonda and homemade Banana chips.After having a bite,the husband asked his wife about her culinary skills and she was a bit amused and said,please don't expect me to cook 'that'looking at the chips.All of us had a hearty laugh.

Thinking back,I myself would not venture into making chips at home.Primarily because it is too much effort for something which is addictive and pretty much gets over sooner than the time it takes to make it and secondly because good quality chips are available in the market which we can buy when we fancy eating chips,which is very rarely.

But amma is amma and she will never settle for store-bought chips.So this time,she made some potato chips-just like that.I would have settled for Lays in the given time!All I had to do was to take pics as she peeled the potatoes,kept the oil for heating and got her 'chips machine' ready.Off it went straight into the hot oil and in less than 20 minutes,we had a batch of yummy homemade potato chips ready!

Homemade Jackfruit Chips | Homemade Banana Chips

Homemade Potato Chips

Ingredients

Potato - 1 kg
Oil - 1/2 ltr ( we used coconut oil )
Red chilly powder - 2 tbsp
Salt - 1 tbsp
Hing/Asafetida - 1 tsp

Method

Peel the potatoes.Wash and wipe them dry on a kitchen towel.
 
Make a dry mix of red chilly powder,salt and hing/asafetida.
 
In a kadai heat the oil to smoking point.
Using a chips machine slice the potatoes straight into the hot oil.Do not crowd the pan.
Stir lightly as the potatoes start to crisp up-will take anywhere between 5-7 minutes depending on the size of the pan and the temperature of the oil.
 
When the potatoes become golden brown and the edges become crisp remove the chips using a slotted spoon draining off as much oil as possible.
Immediately add a tsp or so of the dry mix spice powder and shake the chips.Repeat with rest of the potatoes.
Store in an airtight container.

 
Notes

• Maintain the temperature of the oil consistently for evenly fried chips.
• If you do not have a chips machine,slice the potatoes as thinly as possible and fry-it might take longer to fry if the chips are not thin.
• You can make a plain salted version too if you don't like adding chilly powder.

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Sharjah Shake - Banana Milkshake

Sharjah shake takes me back to my college days.When milkshakes and iced coffee had made their presence known pushing behind good ol' fruit juices and lime juices which were so popular in our college campus.Of course,the so-called diet watchers stayed miles away from this but we were less worried about all such nonsense and couldn't wait to have our regular tall glass of 'sharjah' everyday.

Banana in a milkshake is not a very appealing idea apparently,so for a long time we actually didn't know what went into the making of a sharjah.Our high flying friends broke the suspense and said it is just bananas and nuts in frozen milk.It didn't sound like we'd enjoy drinking something which had banana,but nothing could keep us away from the delightful,delicious and chilled glass of sharjah shake:)

Once the order is placed(and ours was always 2 glasses,for me and my friend Mary),the guys took out a packet of frozen milk and bashed it using a mallet.Off it went into the blender along with a small banana and a disturbingly high amount of sugar and two or three cashewnuts.Thick slurpy juice was poured into a tall glass and topped with boost.It was almost a meal for us most days which made us go into a brain-freeze for a moment and our lips numb for a while.
Making the milkshake at home is no big deal,but the trick to achieving the perfect consistency depends on the milk.If making for 3-4 people,it is better to freeze a 500 ml packet of milk,but since I was making a single-serving glass for myself,I froze a glass and a half of milk and used that.

Sharjah Shake - Banana Milkshake

Ingredients

Small Banana - 1
Cashewnuts - 5-6
Sugar - 3-4 tsp
Milk - 1 1/2 cups,frozen
Boost - 1 tsp(any chocolate flavored malt powder would do)

Method

 
Into a blender add the banana,cashewnut,sugar and the frozen milk and pulse till you get a thick milkshake.
 
Pour into a tall glass and dust boost on top.
Serve chilled.

Notes

• You can add dates,raisins etc to the milkshake to make it more rich-only it wouldn't be sharjah shake anymore,it will be named Sheikh's shake!
• Use frozen milk for the icy texture-the milkshake should not be pour-able but scoop-able.

Mary,this is for you.Staying thousands of kilometers away from each other,I can only reminisce about the wonderful life we lead and how we made each others life special,just by being there.Wishing you lots of love,peace,happiness and luck on your birthday.Hope you have a great year ahead:)

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Whole-wheat Pasta in Roasted Red Bell-pepper Sauce

It took a while for us to start liking Pasta but now we are so fond of it that at least once every week,one dinner is pasta.But we are quite particular how our pasta should taste-loaded with veggies in a cunning white cheese sauce,okay I do cut back on the cheese most of the time and thin down the sauce with the water in which pasta was cooked,but yeah you get the drift,don't you?

Long back,I had made marinara sauce from scratch and added pasta to it but we didn't like the flavor much,not as much as we did the white sauce.So I was wary to try this one out but the roasted pepper sauce with cream sounded too good not to try.I tried it with whole-wheat pasta from Fabindia but regular pasta should work fine too.
Whole-wheat Pasta in Roasted Red Bell-pepper Sauce
Recipe source - The Pioneer Woman

Ingredients

Roasted Red Pepper - 1,whole
Almonds - 5-6
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Onion - 1 medium,finely chopped
Garlic - 2 cloves,finely chopped
Cream - 1/2 cup
Cheese - 1/4 cup grated
Parsley flakes - 1 tsp
Whole-wheat Pasta - 1 cup (or any Pasta of your choice)
Broccoli - 1/2 cup,chopped
Salt to taste

Method

 
Roast the bell pepper on a high flame for about 5-7 minutes,or until the pepper is burnt/charred on the outside.Set aside on a plate until cool to the touch.
 
Peel off the charred skin and cut open the pepper,remove the tip and the inside membranes.Chop the pepper roughly.
 
Into a mixer jar,add the chopped pepper and the almonds and grind to a smooth paste.Keep aside.
 
Meanwhile cook the pasta in salted boiling water for about 8 minutes or until al-dente.Whole-wheat pasta is best under cooked or else it will turn into a mush while stirring-you don't want that!
 
When the pasta is almost done(about 6 minutes)add the broccoli and cook it along with the pasta.
Remove a cup of the water in which the pasta was cooked and drain the pasta.
 
In a pan add olive oil and the chopped garlic.Mix in the chopped onion and stir until it turns soft.
 
Pour in the red pepper sauce.Add salt to taste,parsley flakes and mix in the cream.
 
Add the cheese and the cooked pasta-broccoli and mix well.If you feel the sauce is too thick,thin it down with the reserved water in which the pasta was cooked.

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