Karapappalu - Crispy Rice and Vegetable Patties

Two weeks ago, we posted a recipe about a popular flat bread from Telangana (Southern region of Andhra Pradesh) called Sarvapindi made with rice flour and moong dal. Did you know, you can make another kind of bread with similar ingredients called Karapappalu. The name directly translates as spicy patties.

It's usually served hot with tangy achar (pickled vegetables), but can also be eaten with plain yogurt as shown above. We love making this during the winter season as it warms the senses and fills you up. 

Ingredients:
- 2 Carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 Chayote*, peeled and grated
- 1 bunch of Scallions, chopped finely
- ½ box or 5oz of Chopped Spinach (frozen)
- ½ cup Coriander (Cilantro), chopped
- 1/3 cup Moong dal, soaked in water for 30 min (or microwave for 2 min to reduce soaking time)
- 2 to 3 cups Vegetable Oil (for frying)


Dry Ingredients: 
- 3 cups Rice Flour
- 2 tbsp Dry Coconut powder
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds (optional)
- 1 tbsp Chili powder (adjust to your taste)
- ½ tsp Turmeric powder
- ¾ to 1 tbsp Salt (or as needed)


Procedure:
Combine all the dry ingredients in a medium to large bowl and mix well. Then add all the chopped & grated vegetables and soaked moong dal to the dry mixture and mix well.

Slowly add water to the mixture and knead until it is of dough consistency. (Note: raw vegetables release water after few minutes of taking in salt, so keep the dough somewhat dry).

Heat oil in a frying pan on medium heat. Shape (lemon size) dough balls into round flat ½ cm thick patties. (Hint: To avoid dough from sticking to your fingers, slightly wet your hands.) Make 2-3 holes into each of the patties for uniform frying. Transfer each shaped patty into hot oil and fry to golden brown/reddish color. For best results: Turn each patty in-between for even frying.

***Quick Tips:

- Shredded zucchini or long squash can be substituted for Chayote. 

- You can use wax paper or plastic bag to press the dough into patties.

~Chocolate and Coffee Lovers Unite~

~Happy Valentine's Day~

Decadent Chocolate Espresso Bean Cookies

It's nice to try different things to spice up one's life. I love cooking Indian dishes with my mom because I feel it brings us closer together. However, lately I've been going on a baking binge...from gingerbread cookies, banana and walnut muffins to seasoned potatoes and carrots. I get inspiration from lots of places including what I see on TV and what I think would go well together. I think some of my mom's cooking skill rubbed off on me (in a good way)! Whenever an idea pops in my head, I have to follow through so I don't fuss over it too long.

Recently my mom brought home a bag of chocolate covered espresso beans that she received from one of her friends. My mom wasn't a coffee lover, but she knew my dad might like them. To her surprise, he didn't care too much about them either. So now we were stuck with a bag full of chocolate bitter beans.

What shall we do with them? I immediately Googled espresso beans and found my next baking adventure, thanks to 101cookbooks. I tweaked the recipe a bit by substituting some of their ingredients with the ones we had in our pantry. Below is the list of ingredients I used for my version. 

Ingredients:

- 2½ cups All-Purpose Flour

- 2 tbsp Coffee powder, freshly ground

- ¾ tsp Baking Soda

- ¾ tsp Baking Powder

- ¾ tsp Salt

- ½ cup Cocoa Powder

- 1 cup Unsalted Butter

- 1½ cups Light Brown Sugar and ½ cup Dark Brown Sugar

- 2 Large Eggs

- 3 tsp Vanilla Extract

- ¾ cup Chocolate covered Almonds, chopped

- 6.75oz Chocolate covered espresso beans

- 1.25oz Chocolate covered candied ginger

Preheat oven at 375 degrees. Makes 2-3 dozen chunky, medium cookies.

The procedure is similar to what is listed on 101cookbooks. For your convenience, it's listed below:

1) In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, coffee powder and cocoa powder. Set aside.

2) In a large bowl or electric mixer, beat the butter until it is fluffy and lightens a bit in color. Then beat in the sugar - it should have a thick frosting-like consistency. Mix in the eggs, one at a time, making sure the first egg gets incorporated before adding the next. Next add the vanilla and mix well.

3) Add the dry ingredients to the wet mix in about four waves. Stir a bit between each addition until the flour is incorporated well. At this point, you should have a moist brown dough that is uniform in color. Stir in the espresso beans, chocolate covered almonds and candied ginger by hand and mix only until they are evenly distributed through the dough. 

4) Use roughly one heaped tablespoonful for each cookie and place it onto the baking sheets. Don't worry about them being perfect.

I wasn't quite sure how the addition of the candied ginger would work in this recipe, but to my surprise, it was perfect. With each bite of this decadent cookie, you get a different taste: bitterness, spiciness, and sweetness; without overpowering either of those flavors. We are resisting the temptation of eating more than just one...however, we are still trying.

What are you doing for Valentine's Day? Staying in and cooking or dining out? Feel free to share your experiences with us.