Fat-free Potato Chips and Low-fat Kofta Curry

“Next, you’ll be telling me to boil poories”, is what my MIL had said in exasperation one day! Some of us take the low-fat thing to an extreme. I manage that myself sometimes. ‘Boiled poories’ may never happen but, recently, I have managed fat-free potato chips and low-fat ghia (bottle gourd) koftas.

Good enough.

For the fat-free chips you should go to 28 cooks. Her Microtato Chips taste exactly like the fried, out-of-bag variety! Absolutely unbelievable, but better believe it. Sorry, no pics. Nothing can hold off anyone from chips. Not even I. I kept my counsel and did not make outrageous demands like ” Hands off, till I shoot”. And these are fat-free chips, hello!

My guess is they may not store well. But you have to deal with that if there are any left over. If.

For the fat-free Potato Chips you need:

scrubbed potatoes
a well-oiled microwave-safe (glass) casserole dish (or wax paper)
seasoning (I used lemon-pepper salt + some of my own dry, crushed, mint)

Slice or peel (if you have a peeler that thick-peels) potatoes. Season as desired. Oil your casserole dish and spread the sliced potatoes in a single layer. Microwave for 5-7 min (5 if you peeled, and 7 if you sliced). You now have unbelievable crispy-brown potato chips. You do not need to oil the dish again tonight! Really.

The only drawback is that by the time (or before!) you make the next batch, the first one is gone. So you may not be able to feed an army peacefully. That’s all.

Now for that north Indian Kofta Curry. I made the koftas some time back, so the proportions are not exact, but those of you who have done some ‘steaming’ should be able to manage quite well. Not the stuff for beginners, I’m afraid. I was using frozen ones today. These freeze well. I always make more than I need and freeze half of them.

Steamed Ghia Koftas
(all ingredients are approximate)

1 ghia (bottle gourd) 900gms or thereabouts, peeled and grated
1 1/2 C besan (chickpea flour)
1/2 C sooji (semolina)
garlic paste and grated ginger (to taste, optional)
1/2 t turmeric
2 t oil
salt
3/4 t baking soda

Bring water to boil in a pressure cooker or steamer. Mix all ingredients and pour into oiled pans for steaming. I use my steel pans that fit into each other. Steam (no pressure) for 25-30 min or till a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool. Remove and cut into cubes.

Here you have your basic ‘koftas’. You could grill them and serve as a snack or use in a curry. The north-Indian curry would involve the usual fried-masala base of cumin, ginger-garlic paste, onions and tomatoes, with some turmeric, coriander and chilli powders. Which is how I usually make these.

This week I did a Rajasthani variation on the curry. I was a bit rushed and not quite in the mood for all the onion-tomato time-consuming-bhuno thing. And, a very delicious and quick variation it turned out to be. Here’s my

Gatte-inspired Kofta Curry

Half portion of fresh/frozen steamed koftas (or koftas from about 600gms of ghia)
10-12 cloves garlic, mashed
1 t turmeric
1 t cumin seeds
1 1/2 t hot chilli powder
2-3 t coriander powder
1C dahi (yoghurt)
2 t ghee (oil only if you don’t use ghee, ever)
salt to taste

Heat ghee in a karahi/pan. Add cumin. After it splutters, add garlic. Stir for a few seconds (don’t brown the garlic) and add turmeric and the chilli powder. Now add the dahi. Keep stirring till the ghee separates and you see some ‘lacing’ (as in ‘lace’-pattern). Add the coriander powder and stir for a few seconds before adding a cup and a half of water and the salt. When the curry starts to boil, add the thawed kofta cubes and simmer till heated through. Sprinkle with loads of cilantro. Serve with roti.

A breeze when using frozen-ahead kofta cubes.