Thursday, November 26, 2009

Crispy Wheat Canapé Crowned with Savory Topping


I am cooking a big 20-course dinner for 50 people tomorrow. I have uploaded an appetizer that is part of the menu for you to enjoy or make it part of your carte du jour.

1 large Yukon gold or russet potato
1 cup finely chopped onion
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
Salt to taste
Plain yogurt, whipped
½ cup sweet chutney sauce (see recipe below)
½ cup hot chutney sauce (see recipe below)
Chaat Papdi (Indian crispy fried whole wheat rounds), available at Indian stores or substitute potato chips
½ cup or more thin chickpea flour noodles (sev), available at Indian stores

1. Cook the potato in boiling salted water until tender; drain and let cool. Peel and dice the potato, and place in a large bowl.

2. Add the onion and cilantro to the bowl; toss gently to mix. Season with salt and mix well.

3. Drizzle with yogurt, sweet and hot chutney sauces and mix very gently. To serve, spoon about a tablespoon of the mixture onto individual Indian crispy chaat rounds or chips. Sprinkle sev noodles on top. Serve immediately. Serves 4

Sweet Chutney Sauce

Use this as a dipping sauce for crudités onion rings or fritters.

½ cup raisins
2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate dissolved in ½ cup water
1 slice of ¼ -inch thick knob fresh ginger
½ tablespoon sugar
¼ cup water
¾ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground cumin

1. Combine the raisins and tamarind liquid in a medium saucepan. Cook over moderate heat until raisins are very soft 6 to 8 minutes. Cool and transfer to a blender or food processor.

2. Add the ginger, sugar, water, salt and cumin to the blender. Process to a smooth puree; stopping as necessary to scrape down the sides of the container. Transfer to a serving bowl. Let stand a few minutes for the flavors to meld. Cover and refrigerate the chutney sauce if not using. It keeps well for up to 1 week. Makes about 1 cup

Hot Green Chutney Sauce

Add more chiles if hotter taste is desired.

2 cups packed fresh cilantro with stems
1 cup packed fresh mint leaves
1 fresh green serrano or jalapeno chiles, stemmed
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup water

1. Combine all the ingredients in a blender. Process until smoothly pureed, stopping from time to time to scrape down the sides of the container.

2. Transfer to a serving bowl. Let stand a few minutes for the flavors to meld. The chutney can be refrigerated for up to 3 days. Makes about 1½ cups

3 comments:

  1. The canapes look very elegant and delicious!

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  2. Thank you, for your kind words! I looked at your site briefly and enjoyed your story. The pictures are gorgeous.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Thank you so much for your post and the invite. I will be happy to add our blog!

    ReplyDelete