Mother's day with Veggie burger and milk cakes

Today was a beautiful Sunday and mother's day. After getting pampered for 2 weeks by Mom with good food, my daughter and I decided to pamper my Mom. First I thought of making something authentic but knowing my skill levels at typical oriya stuff, I decided to make something that she likes and will be able to eat happily. She has a sweet tooth and though usually I stay away from sweets I made this easy milk pedas for dessert.

Dinner was a different story. I know much she enjoyed her stay with me in Delhi while I was working. All my friends would land up unannounced on weekdays or weekends and stay for a proper home cooked lunch/dinner or both. Sometimes they would come over even when I would be out. She was their good friend too. So while most days she fed us, sometimes we used to take her out to eat burgers at Nirula's or Wimpy's. Initially she resisted fast food, but after few months, she loved it too. So I made veggie burger (she is pure vegetarian) to remind her of good days...

Since its my Mom favorite recipe that I can make, I am sending this off to Shama nagarajan of easy2cook recipes who is hosting an event called MOM'S MOST FAVOURITE RECIPE EVENT.

Vegetable Burger recipe

This recipe is my Moms. I usually make it with potatoes and all vegetables, but she suggested to add nearly equal quantities (as potatoes) of paneer. The vegetable burger suddenly went from the usual to just mind blowing. Add less paneer, if you want. Replace paneer with minced soy if you like.

Ingredients for the cutlet

Home made Paneer - 1 cup
Potatoes 3 - boiled and smashed well
1 carrot - grated
handful of peas
1 onion finely chopped
green chillies cut finely
salt to taste
1/2 tea spoon of garam masala
1/2 lemon
bread crumbs - 1/4 cup
Oil for frying

Burger

hamburger rolls cut and lightly toasted in butter
Lettuce leaves washed and cut
onions cut in thin round slices
Tomatoes cut in thin round slices
Spicy Tomatoes Sauce

How to

Take 1 tea spoon of oil and fry the paneer. Add grated carrot and peas and salt to taste. Keep aside.
Take the potatoes and add the cut onions and chillies and salt and mix well. Add as much paneer as you need (I added same quantity of paneer to potatoes).
Add the garam masala and the lemon juice, adjust spice level now.
Take big rolls of the mixture above in you hand and make nice patties. Roll them in bread crumbs and keep aside for 5-10 min.
Deep fry the cutlets.

Now assemble the cutlets on warm freshly toasted hamburger rolls and serve with lettuce, onions and tomatoes. Add some spicy tomatoes sauce and serve fresh.


Milk pedas or milk cakes

My friend T promised it was a simple no frills and yum sweet done in 6 minutes in the microwave. While the recipe is not mine and I am not sure hers either, its my implementation of it. The sweet was real easy to make and tasted like the milk cakes you get in Orissa.

Ingredients

2 cups non fat dry milk

14 oz (1 can) sweetened condensed milk

1 butter stick

1/2 cup ground cashew nuts

1/4 tea spoon cardamom powder

How to

Warm the stick of butter in microwave for 1/2 minute.

Mix butter, milk powder and milk well.

Set it in a microwaveable bowl. Ensure the bowl is much larger than the content, else the mixture bubbles over and makes a nice mess (mine did...)

Microwave it for 3 minutes.

Mix well and microwave it again for 2 min.

Now, add cardamom powder, and ground cashew and and mix well and microwave it for 1 min.

Spread it evenly on a cookie sheet or a plate. Cover the surface with a very thin layer of ghee/butter before spreading the mixture. Cut into diamond shapes. Serve cooled...

My diamonds didn't look pretty, so I put in the microwave for 1/2 min extra and shaped them with my hand...