For some quick bites

If you are one of those people who love having guests over, the conundrum of serving them tasty bites would have certainly bogged your mind. You want to serve them something delicious, yet doesn’t demand too much time and effort from you. Here are some easy dishes that score high on the yummy quotient as well as the convenience factor.

Mutton crispies
Ingredients: ½ kg boneless mutton cut into cubes, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, ½ tsp red chilli powder, 2 small onions ground to a paste, 1 tsp vinegar or lemon juice, 2 tbsp curd, salt according to taste, 1 cup oil, 2-3 tbsp dessicated coconut and 1 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves.

Method: Marinate the mutton pieces for at least two hours in the marinade made with onion, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder, curd, salt and vinegar. Pressure cook the mutton with little water to tenderise it. Heat oil in a pan and fry mutton over medium heat till all the water is evaporated and the mixture is totally dry. Sprinkle dessicated coconut and coriander leaves. Serve hot.

Sizzling chicken wings
Ingredients: ½ kilo chicken wings, 2 tbsp ginger-garlic paste, 3 tsp roasted cumin powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 2 tbsp  tamarind pulp, 2 tsp lemon juice, 4 tbsp red chilli paste, ½ tsp sugar, ½ tsp pepper powder, salt according to taste and ½ cup of oil.

Method: Rub the chicken wings with salt and pepper and leave aside for half an hour. Next, prepare a marinade with the rest of the ingredients. Marinate the chicken wings in the second marinade for at least two hours. Heat half the quantity of oil and tip in the wings with the marinade. Cook till all the masala is absorbed by the pieces. Pour in the rest of the oil and fry till the pieces get a shiny outer layer.

Note: To make red chilli paste, soak a few whole red chillies in warm water for a while and grind in a blender.

Crunchy prawns
Ingredients: 8 large tiger prawns, 2 tbsp onion paste, 2 tsp ginger-garlic paste, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1tsp lemon juice, 1 cup bread crumbs, 1 tbsp plain flour or corn flour, 1 egg, salt as per taste and oil for frying.

Method: First flatten out the prawns, following the incision on the back made to de-vein them. Place them on a plate and sprinkle salt and lemon juice. Prepare a marinade with onion paste, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli powder. Leave aside for half an hour. Make a thin batter with the flour and beat the egg with a little salt. Spread the bread crumbs on a plate. Dip the marinated prawns one at a time in the plain flour batter, next in the egg mixture and finally roll them over the bread crumbs. Fry them over medium heat for a couple of minutes and drain them on a kitchen tissue to get rid of excess oil.

Note: Remember over-frying prawns will make them hard and rubbery. You can use boneless fish to make crispy fish fingers with the same ingredients.