MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS WITH RAW MANGO- GREEN CHILLI DIP

Have you ever had an appetiser for dinner? We did it last night. Do we really have any time for enjoying appetisers on the weekdays? We do not have ..... not at our home where some one finds it really difficult to leave his first love and come back to his wife and kid ..... more so when the kid has his major examination knocking at the door..... at least this is the scenario at this home. It is absolutely unnecessary to listen to a worried wife pleading to sit with the son at least for an hour now. The knowledge level of the mother of this particular house is questionable and limited to "H2O maney jol.... O2 maney oxygen"...."eei prithibi je amai oxygen nitey dicchey akhono dhakka merey joley feley deini eei onek bhagyo amar" ..... 

What she can do to keep herself engaged? She makes some plan and calls for Cristine ..... come let us do some"mukhorochok".... may be a "fry.. shry" this time. Ideally the fry had to have some kheema or fish stuffing inside because it is the eve of our biggest festival. Then it is also the start of a fasting week for many in India & the Indians stationed abroad! I definitely will take care of their sentiments.... 

I also need to see the Bengalis do not use their sticks on me.... come on MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS is a good option to have before setting out for your pandal hopping! Phuchka may have been a better option but I do not know if chaat is welcome during fast or not. Even on the "Shasthi".... day, Bengalis of the West Bengal origin keep fast or do not eat rice. In my side of the family, all four days are painstakingly vegetarian as the daddy's extended family still perform Durgotshob at their Bangladesh home. Before her marriage, the daughter of the house then would run to her now in-law's place or at Chandrayee's place for a taste of fish and meat. At times, my little brother would also accompany me though he was never a foodie like his didibhai.

Before we dive into some "jomiye ekta pathar jhol" or "chingrir jyamon tyamon".... let us share something that would say ..... fast can be a feast too. A couple of my friends in this island, back in India and elsewhere shall be keeping fast from today I know.... my small way to say.... you mean. I also felt this kind of food can appeal to the Western world too if you can take the heat of my RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP.... just take a look at the number of chillies I used.... hahaha .... no worries, choose yours. I simply loved it and the man who tells his friends oil and chillies come for free in our house loved the platter..... 

We had the fries with some rice, narkol diye cholar dal and choto chingri diye aloo-potol to complete the dinner ..... while J Lo must be having her dinner with an assorted vegetables and seeds salad and a low-fat Greek yogurt..... To my defence I will say so long I have a saree to hide my tummy.... I can believe in "go as you like.... zindegi do pal ki"..... Keeping in mind my followers and friends who are keeping fast today, I kept this appetiser and the dip.... MIXED VEGETABLE & MIXED FRUIT FINGERS WITH RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP totally free of onion and garlic. 

Earlier, I never used semolina as a coating, I found it really awesome to get that crisp, hard coating which does not allow the fries to get soggy for a long time.... You can reheat them after few hours and still feel its fresh and crisp. The fingers may not look perfect but they had been too tasty. You actually need to refrigerate them for at least an hour before frying! I had not time to, the taste would not change! Come,  prepare the fries along with me and enjoy the heavenly bites. Do not forget to have your favourite beverage with it either.

INGREDIENTS : [for the RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP]

Raw Mango - 1[shredded]
Green Chilli - 3-4 [choose yours]

Chopped Coriander : 2 tbsp
Ginger Extract : 1tsp
Sugar : 1 tsp
Black Salt : 1/4 tsp
Water : 2tbsp


INGREDIENTS : [for the batter]

Corn Flour : 3tbsp [I do not know if we can use this for fast]
Salt : A Little of [rock or black salt as alternative]
Water : 1/2small cup or little more

INGREDIENTS : [for the MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS]

Cauliflower Florets : 1coffee mug
Potato : 2 medium sized
Carrot : 2 medium sized
Beet Root : 1 medium sized
Green Pea : 2tbsp
Coriander Leaves : 1small cup [chopped]
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped]
Raisin : 1 tsp
Cashew nuts : 2 tsp
Cumin Seed : 1/4 tsp
Cumin Powder : 1tsp
Coriander Powder : 1tsp
Dry Mango Powder : 1 tsp
Turmeric Powder : 1tsp
Salt : As Required [rock or black salt as alternative]
Corn Flour : 2tbsp
Semolina : 1 medium tea cup
Oil : 100-150ml for deep frying

METHOD :

Let us prepare the RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP first and refrigerate till the fries are done.

Take the peeled, washed and shredded raw mango, sugar, black salt, ginger extract and 4 green chillies in a grinder....

Grind to a paste adding the water. Transfer to a bowl and refrigerate till we are done with the fries.

Let us proceed with the making of the VEG FINGER FRIES!

Peel, wash and cube the potatoes, carrots, cauliflower florets and beet root. Pressure cook them in enough water adding little salt and turmeric up to 3-4 whistles, at low heat! Let cool, take down, open the lid and strain all of the water.

Take the vegetables in a wide mouthed bowl, mash adding salt and turmeric powder. Later I felt, I need not have mashed the cauliflower florets but chop them small!

Heat 2 tbsp oil in a wok. Temper with the cumin seeds & washed, chopped green chillies. Add the dry fruits & give a stir! 

Add the mashed vegetables to the wok and fold in well. Add all the remaining powdered spices except for the dry mango powder and fold in very well. Keep stirring for 7-8 minutes until the water dries up.

Add the slightly mashed green peas, sugar, dry mango powder and fry for a minute or two. 

Now add the corn flour, chopped coriander leaves to the mixture. Adjust the salt. Fold in very well and stir for a minute. We are done, we will transfer the mixture to a plate and let cool for sometime.

Take out small portions and prepare finger like shapes! Prepare a semi-liquid batter with the cornflour & water, mix well!

Dip the fingers in the batter & then roll on to the semolina. Repeat the action! Once done, we will refrigerate them for sometime. I did not have the time to refrigerate, may be so some fingers had a little of cracks!

Deep fry the vegetable and dry fruit fingers at medium to low heat in batches. Once they turn golden brown, transfer them onto tissue paper for the excess oil to drain. 

Arrange the MIXED VEGETABLE & DRY FRUIT FINGERS on a nice plate and serve with the cool, RAW MANGO-GREEN CHILLI DIP along with some salad.... It still remains incomplete if you do not have your favourite beverage with this superbly delicious platter.