Bombay Wellingtons and Kadhi

Night number one, Wednesday, did not go so well.  I decided to make (with my nanny) "Bombay Wellingtons" which was a recipe that a friend had posted on Facebook from her blog.  I didn't have the exact ingredients so we used a yellow pepper instead of green, and puff pastry sheets which means you have to cook for 30-40 minutes instead (which made dinner late!) .

Aria doesn't like anything that is not bread and cheese so her not taking more than a rabbit size bite was not a surprise.  Avani did not think that the idea of a pastry with meat went well together and instantly shouted "Chicken with a Pastry!!  Those don't go together".  Now I forced her to take a bite and her preconceived notion that it would be disgusting still remained and she continued to complain while she ate it.  After we added some ketchup to it and she had eaten a satisfactory amount, I asked if she was done and she said no, ate the whole thing but "it was disgusting".  Anjay, who was the target audience, had just returned from a sausage plant where he saw a live hog be converted to the links that we buy in the grocery store and had temporarily became a vegetarian.  He didn't even take a bite.  I on the other hand thought they were fabulous!  Arjun had some leftovers last night and was also impressed so the recipe is great, thanks Amrith!

Night two, obviously we had to go vegetarian so I called up Mom and Dad (Atlanta ones) and told her I have all this Besan in the house and what can we make with it.  Mom threw out Kadhi and Pakora so we thought we would give it a try.  Here is the recipe we followed:

Pakora Ingredients:
1 Chopped Onion - dime size pieces
1/2 Chopped Cauliflower - dime size pieces
1 Chopped Potato - dime size pieces
1 Green Chili Grinded (or paste) with seeds removed
1 tspn Haldi (Turmeric)
1 and 1/2 tspn salt
1 cup Besan Flour
2 tspn Oil

Kadhi Ingredients:
1/2 Container Yogurt (store bought plain)
2 tbsn Besan Flour
1 tspn Haldi (Turmeric)
1 tspn Sugar
1/2 Lemon
1 tspn tea masala
1/2 tspn ginger paste
1 tspn cumin seeds
2 tbspn oil

Instructions:
1.  Prepare oil in either a fryer or a large pot with enough oil to dip the Pakoras. 
2.  Mix all the Pakora ingredients into a bowl.
3.  You will know the oil is ready when you put it in and starts to sizzle. 
4.  Take a spoon size of the mixture and fry in the oil until brown.
5.  Set the pakoras to the side.  If you make extra they are perfect to serve as appetizers with ketchup.
6.  To start the Kadhi, blend the yogurt with 1/2 the container of water and the Besan.  Make sure there are no lumps.
7.  Add the remaining ingredients and blend again.
8.  Heat up the oil in a pot or wok with the cumin seeds.  When it is hot enough it will brown and pop.
9.  Add the yogurt mixture at the high heat and stir.
10.  After a few minutes, reduce the heat to low heat and occasionally stir for 20 minutes.
11.  Add a few of the pakora pieces to the kadhi until it is soaked and serve hot!

Avani loved the Pakoras.  Aria, well was Aria.  Most importantly, Anjay loved it.  Success.