Chai Pakoda Platter

Ingredients

• Mirchi Pakoda
• 8 bhavnagrichilles
• 1 cup grated mixed cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• ½ teaspoon red chilli flakes
• Bread Pakoda
• 8 white bread slices
• Chutney mayo as required
• 4 cottage cheese (paneer) roundels
• ArbiPakoda
• 4-5 medium colocasia roots (arbi), peeled
• Batter
• 2 cups gram flour (besan)
• 2 tablespoons rice flour
• ½ teaspoon turmeric powder
• ¼ teaspoon red chilli powder
• Salt to taste
• A pinch of baking soda
• Oil for deep frying
• Chaat masala to sprinkle
• Chai for serving

Method

1. To prepare mirchipakoda, take mixed cheese in a bowl, add parsley and red chilli flakes and mix well. Slit and deseed bhavnagri chillies. Stuff the cheese stuffing in the chillies.
2. To prepare bread pakoda, cut bread slices into roundels with a cookie cutter.
3. Place 4 roundels on the worktop and pipe some chutney mayo in the centre. Place a piece of cottage cheese roundel on each bread roundel and pipe some more chutney mayo on top. Cover with remaining bread roundels and seal well.
4. To prepare arbipakoda, thinly slice colocasia roots.
5. To prepare the batter, take gram flour in a bowl, add rice flour, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, salt and 1¼ cups water and whisk well to make a smooth batter.
6. Add baking soda and mix well.
7. Heat sufficient oil in a kadai. Dip stuffed mirchi, bread sandwiches and arbi slices, one at a time, in the batter and slide into hot oil and deep-fry till golden brown and crisp.
8. Drain on absorbent paper. Sprinkle some chaat masala on all pakodas.
9. Arrange the pakodas on a serving platter and serve hot with tomato ketchup and cups of hot chai.