CRISP POTATO-PEANUT COINS WITH DATES-YOGURT DIP

Anytime is a good time for fries & fritters in our home.... the reason why my sweating out sessions at the  gym are not that fruitful as they should have been. Who knows what is waiting there for me when I go to live beyond the clouds. I am not bothered who I am going to live with there, I am humble enough to think there is no better moron than me in this world. What bothers me is that will I be served Hilsa, Mutton, Prawns and Pakoras there? Perhaps not ..... else the human race would not have longed for "life" this much.... I presume 80% of my race is a foodie like me... haha. How was Durga Puja spent this year.... it came and went without leaving any remarkable memory to remember. People have really become crazy.... I saw few people are actually interested in how the mother is  worshipped.... what the rituals are. They are more interested in showing off who belongs to which lobby..... how powerful one is in the social forums. Even I love getting clicked, to be seen in media but there has to have a limit.... people cross pass that limit. 

To me, my family comes first in any given situation...... off course followed by friends unless anyone is trying to control / conquer me. In the virtual world I wish to remain loyal to the people for whom I own a blog. In real life, I do not believe in any lobby or group... if anyone is trying to drag me in to it.... you are just causing breathlessness to to this poor soul ..... I am that disloyal person who you will find beside your hospital bed among few.... but not in your present ma'am.... present sir group. A decent and sincere note to few people.... if you cannot show your love to my family when I am seeking it.... I do not need your personal care either .... do not expect me to show any special care or attention towards you. I say all these on behalf of those soft yet firm, compassionate, overly emotional Scorpions who believes the world is  his / her home.... my Scorpion "couch partner" made me think that way.... thats a mariner speaking after all. I could have proved it well if only I knew that baking thingi..... woh! I can prepare one dal, one curry, one mixed-veg, rice, chapati by the time I look at the screen and add a little flour here.... take a little a sugar from there..... and then scream..... Cristine..... I forgot to add baking powder.... its all your fault.... 

Cristine could leave us any day for me... she has not in the last three years .... people can feel vives..... I never hesitate sitting with her in a food joint....... on a day of high pitched shrill notes from me gets her a t-shirt. She knows she never has to stand outside a restaurant with a stroller when we eat at a restaurant. No, I am not trying to get rid of the moron tag.... just a question why do you have to wait for death to see hell.... just look around.... get the feel..... Life... yet is beautiful if we can avoid unnecessary complications.... thats makes me a happy, merry loner.

Trust me, in real life I do not speak 1/4 of what I do here. This space still remains when I am not there... this thought gives me pleasure. As I say we are world citizens as a family though my blog does not reflect that. Baking classes here are too expensive .... given we live in an exclusively expensive island. When I look at the superbly done row houses .... the husband says wife do not even look. The wife is adamant.... husband.... "they can invite us over tea.... 'bahar itna sundar... na janey andar kaisa hoga"..... ahah.... and we are unable or unwilling even to pay the 35% extra stamp duty we as foreigners are supposed to buy a decent flat in a condominium. It is better to visit the Asian store and buy a 1-1/2 kg weight 'Padmar Ilish' for 35-40 dollars and please your tummy. If you still want to kiss me..... here I am.... spare my lips but... haha.... I am in a happy mood.... you see my curry leaves and mint leaves plants are growing together giving space to each other.... wish we could be that way....

Here are some fries with a chilled dip for all our friends and their kids spread worldwide.... for the angels I have used less chillies, you can skip it entirely as we are using black pepper powder. It is the season for 'kumropotash'.... I wonder how people curve so beautifully on it.... even more wonder thinking do they waste the flesh? Did Sukumar Ray know about Halloween when he wrote "Kumropotash?" If you are not using the flesh.... send it to me.... I will prepare some "kumro chechki" with pumpkin and coconut.... or "batichochhori" with pumpkin, potato and prawns.... resend. Meanwhile, let me prepare this easy, irresistibly tempting vegetarian appetiser with shredded potato, chopped peanut, onion, little of chopped green chilli, chopped coriander leaves, refined flour, corn flour, bread crumbs. I named this superbly crisp fritters CRISP POTATO-PEANUT COINS and served it with DATES-YOGURT DIP. We also had a beetroot-onion salad and a soya sauce-green chilli dip with it. Both recipes for CRISP POTATO-PEANUT COINS WITH DATES-YOGURT DIP is below with few stepwise pictures.... Shall we do them together and continue with the festive mood?

INGREDIENTS : [for the Dates-Yogurt Dip]

Plain Yogurt : 150-200gm
Dates : 1/2small cup [chopped]
Onion : 1tbsp [chopped]
Green Chilli : 1/4tsp [chopped]
Coriander Leaves : 1tbsp [chopped]
Black Salt : 2-3pinches

INGREDIENTS : 

Potato : 2 big [peeled and shredded]
Green Chilli : 2 [chopped]
Peanut : 11 [chopped]
Onion : 1medium [chopped]
Coriander : 2-3tbsp [chopped]
Corn Flour : 3-4 tbsp
Gram Flour : 2 tbsp
Turmeric Powder : 1/2 tsp
Salt : As Required
Oil : 100 ml [the left over can be used later]

We will do first all the chopping that is required. Let us prepare the dates-yogurt dip first and set it for chill.

Take the plain yogurt and and black salt in a bowl and whisk well. Add the chopped dates, onion, coriander and little of the chopped green chillies if the kids are not having it. Transfer to a serving bowl and place it in the refrigerator to chill.

For the superbly crisp potato-peanut coins we will peel and shred the potatoes, soak them in salted water for 1/2 an hour.

Then we will pour them in a strainer, squeeze any excess water from them and keep in a plate. You can take in a kitchen towel & drain further!

Get your chopped peanuts ready too.

Take the shredded potato, chopped onion, coriander, little of chopped green chilli, chopped peanuts, corn turmeric powder, salt in a bowl & mix well! Add the cornflour & gram flour, mix well without adding any amount of water! Tear off portions & shape like coins!

Heat the oil in a wok and deep fry the fritters in batches. Once done, place them on to tissue papers for the excess oil to soak.

Arrange them on a serving plate and enjoy fresh and hot with the dates-yogurt dip. We also had some papad. I do not know if it was world in a platter or not.... but it was something to be thoroughly enjoyed.