Potato cheese balls

An old schoolmate of mine had come over and since we were meeting after a long time, I thought I could make something to surprise her of my culinary skills which she never knew I had or will ever have! And I had this sudden craving for something cheesy and I suddenly remembered this dish I had at a restaurant few days back. So yes, I started off and this took less than 15 minutes as it's as simple with the minimum but just the sufficient ingredients and it's more like a customized recipe... You can include/delete as per your taste ☺ I'm posting both the methods I tried today... Let's take off!

Ingredients:
Potatoes (boiled, peeled and mashed) - 2
Onion (very finely chopped) - 1
Cheese (grated) - Anything you like (I used cheddar)
Green chilly (very finely chopped) - 1
Red chilli powder - 2 tsp
Garam masala - 2 tsp
Salt - 1 tsp
Oil - For frying

For the outer coating: (You can use any of the two methods)
1. Bread crumbs - 1 cup
Egg white - 1 (or) corn flour mixed in water - 1 cup
2. Bread slices (corners removed) - one slice for one cheese ball you make
Water - As required

Method:

1. Mix together the mashed potatoes, onions, cheese, green chilly, red chilli powder, garam masala and salt in a large bowl.
2. Make small balls of the mixture and keep them aside. Meanwhile heat oil in a kadai or wok.
3. For the outer coating, if you're following the first method, take one ball of the mixture you made and dip it in egg white or cornflour mixed in water and roll it in the bread crumbs so as to get coated evenly. If following the second method, dip the bread slice in water on both sides, drain off the water by pressing the bread slice between your hands. Take a mixture ball, place it on the bread slice and roll it into a ball.
4. Deep fry the cheese balls. Make sure you don't turn them unless they turn brown as they might tend to break. Serve hot with tomato ketchup! 

The second one was prepared using the first method and the first one with the second. But whatever, both were yummmmmylicious! :D

Instant curd vada / Dahi vada

Hello guys! Hope you are melting in the summer heat just like me :D I've always liked the way summer is in the movies... The sunbaths, bikini strolls, surfing! But Chennai heat leaves me with ONLY one option - To sit indoors and hog on something cool with the normal snack being a bore! So here's a cool evening snack that's  not only finger-licking-good but also with just the minimum ingredients and hold on... Did I tell you this vada is made out of bread? Sounds cool, doesn't it? ;)

Ingredients:

Bread - 5-6 pieces
Onions (finely chopped) - 1
Carrots (grated) - 1/2 cup
Green chillies (finely chopped) - 1-2
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Coriander leaves (finely chopped) - 2 tbsp
Curd/Dahi (beaten smooth) - 1-2 cups
Cooking oil - To fry
Salt - To taste

Method:

1. Remove the sides of the bread slices and break the bread into small pieces in a bowl.
2. Add the onions, 1/4 cup of carrot, chillies, cumin seeds, 1 tbsp of coriander, salt and mix them well along with sufficient curd so as to get a batter consistency.
3. Heat oil in a pan. Wet your hands and take a small ball of the mixture and pat it gently on your palm to flatten it.
4. Gently put it into the oil. Deep fry till they turn golden brown.
5. Repeat the same for the remaining mixture. You can do it in batches. 
6. Drain the vadas and keep them aside. Pour some curd over them and refrigerate for half an hour.
7. Garnish with the remaining grated carrots and coriander leaves while serving.

Just out from the pan

After garnishing

Chocolate French Toast

Okay! So I had this sudden craving for something chocolaty and something that had to do with bread. Ummmm.. Bread + Chocolate = NO, not that chocolate bread spread again! The only proper thing I know to make with bread was the bread toast. So why not a simple, easy-to-make chocolate toast? ;)

Ingredients: 

White bread slices - 4 (Preferably thick ones because I used normal ones and they broke off)
Milk - 1 cup
Granulated sugar - 3/4 cup
Cocoa powder - 1/3 cup
Eggs - 2
Table salt - 1/4 tsp
Unsalted butter - 2 tbsp
Sliced bananas or strawberries - For garnishing

Method:

1. Mix granulated sugar, cocoa powder and table salt together in a bowl. 
2. Pour half a cup of milk and the eggs into this bowl and blend till there are no lumps formed.
3. Arrange the bread slices in a plate and pour this mixture over the bread slices.
4. Poke the slices with a fork so that it absorbs well. Let it soak for about 20 minutes, turning it once in between.
5. Heat butter in a nonstick tawa and fry the bread slices until they are well cooked (usually 3-4 minutes).
6. Remove from heat and garnish with bananas or strawberries.

I know this doesn't look like the original French toast. It was because of two reasons:

1. The bread was of the normal size. I should have used the thicker ones.
2. I didn't include a lot of ingredients which actually go into the making of the French toast. Will try the original version soon.

Cheers! ☺