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Cake Pops, Squid Ring Fritters and more New Year recipes

Ahead of the New Year, here are some more quick and yummy recipes for you to try at home.

Parties hosted by Nityamalini 38, a life skills coach and mother of two lovely girls are a huge hit among family and friends.

"My mom's chocolate cake, apple pies, cookies, spicy samosas, different varieties of parathas, rajma, and palak paneer are simply to die for", says 12-year-old Yazhini.

Organising parties may be a daunting and nerve-wracking task for many, but Nitya loves every bit of it and is totally unfazed.

"Parties are easy", she says confidently.

"Dishes served in parties are usually very simple; it is the presentation that matters. Simple elegant dishes, served in small portions, innovatively decorated and made colourful by ordinary garnishes, can go a long way in making your party a success" she says.

She shares with us some of her favourite recipes that have always won her heaps of praises.

Tried, tested and easy to make, these delicacies can be presented in your own unique style and creativity, adding or omitting ingredients to make it more interesting.

Cake Pops

Ingredients

• Lollypop sticks (As needed)
• 1 kg chocolate sponge cake
• 3-4 large dark chocolate bars
• Peanut butter
• Butter icing (mix equal amt of butter and icing sugar and mix till it is white and creamy)
• For decorating
• Sprinkles/desiccated coconut/crushed sweetened cornflakes

Method

• Crumble the cake with your hands.
• Add spoonfuls of peanut butter and butter icing to the cake, just enough to make a dough of the cake.
• Make small balls out of the kneaded cake.
• Dip the lollypop sticks in peanut butter and stick it into the cake balls.
• Arrange it in a tray and freeze the cake for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile melt the dark chocolate adding a few drops of milk in a double boiler.
• Take the cake out of the freezer and dip it in the melted chocolate.
• Roll it in the desired decoration and freeze it again for 30 minutes.

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Squid Ring Fritters and Chicken Kofta with Avocado Dip

Squid Ring Fritters

Ingredients

• Squid as needed
• Oil for frying

For the batter

• 1-2 egg whites
• Bread crumbs for coating or gram flour/fine sooji/rawa
• Salt
• Chilli powder
• Water

For the dip

• Mayonnaise as required
• 4 to 5 garlic cloves
• Lemon juice
• Salt and pepper

Method

• Clean the squid, take out the head and the ink.
• Clean the hollow part of the squid very well. Pat it dry.
• Cut it into ½ inch thin rings.
• Beat the egg whites well, season with salt and pepper.
• Dip the squid in the egg white, roll in bread crumbs, shake out the excess and deep fry in hot oil, till crisp and golden.

OR

• Mix gram flour, sooji , chilli powder and salt with water to make a batter that is not too runny nor too thick.
• Dip the squid in this batter and deep fry in oil.

For the dip

• Make the dip by mixing mayo, crushed garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
• Serve it with the fritters.

Chicken Kofta with Avocado Dip

Ingredients

• 1/2 kg minced chicken
• 2 green chillies
• Small piece of ginger
• Few cloves of garlic
• Coriander leaves
• Eggs for coating
• Oil for frying

For Avocado dip

• Avocado as required
• 1 green chilli
• 1 garlic clove
• Coriander leaves
• Lemon juice
• Salt

Method

• Grind together two green chillies, ginger, garlic, and a few sprigs of coriander leaves
• Add it to the minced chicken and mix it well.
• Season with salt
• Bind together and make small balls of the mixture
• Beat the eggs well with salt.
• Dip the chicken balls in beaten eggs
• Deep fry till golden brown.

For the dip

• Scoop out the avocado pulp and keep it in a bowl.
• Lightly crush the chilli, garlic and coriander leaves or you can mince them finely.
• Mash the avocado well and season with lemon juice, salt and the chilli, garlic and coriander mixture.
• Mix well and refrigerate till you serve.
• Serve the hot chicken koftas with this dip.

Cheese Corn Balls and Vegetable Basket with Salsa-Peanut Butter Dip

Cheese Corn Balls

Ingredients

• 50 gms grated cheese
• Frozen sweet corn
• 1 green chilli finely minced
• 1 tbsp maida
• 2 tbsp butter
• 1 cup milk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Potatoes boiled and mashed
• Maida mixed with some rice flour for coating

Method

• Lightly steam the frozen corn until soft, crush it lightly
• Heat butter in a pan, add maida and stir fry for about two minutes
• Add milk very slowly, stirring continuously over low flame so that no lumps are formed, until slightly thick
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Now add the cheese, corn and minced chilli to the white sauce and mix well, forming a thick paste.
• In a bowl take mashed potatoes, add salt and knead it well
• Rub some oil in your palm, take a small portion of the mashed potato, flatten it, fill with the cheese corn mixture and wrap the edges to form small balls
• Spread the maida and rice flour on a dish.
• Roll the stuffed potato balls over it and deep fry in medium hot oil until golden brown.
• Serve with green chutney or tomato sauce.

Vegetable Basket with Salsa-Peanut Butter Dip

Ingredients

• Boiled/steamed vegetable, cut in big chunks (like carrot, potato, sweet potato, broccoli, mushrooms, peas, etc.)
• Salt
• Pepper
• Melted Butter (optional)
• Sesame seeds roasted

For the dip

• 2 tomatoes chopped
• 2 onions chopped
• 1 capsicum
• Lemon juice
• Olive oil
• Green chilli
• Peanut butter
• Salt to taste

Method

• Boil or steam the veggies until they are 3/4th cooked
• Put it a big bowl, add salt, pepper, butter and roasted sesame seeds.

For the dip

• Lightly grind all the vegetables in a mixer to get slightly coarse mixture.
• Season with lemon juice, olive oil and salt
• Mix in the peanut butter and serve with the boiled vegetable basket.

Margarita and Pina Colada

Margarita

Ingredients

• 90 ml tequila
• 50 ml triple sec
• 50 ml lime juice
• Lemon slices
• Coarse salt

Method

• Rub the rim of a cocktail glass with the lemon slice.
• Press the rim into the salt.
• Combine the tequila, triple sec and lime juice in a shaker.
• Shake well and strain into the prepared glass.
• Garnish with the lime slice.
• Serve.

Pina Colada

Ingredients

• 100 ml rum
• 125 ml pineapple juice
• 50 ml coconut cream
• Ice cubes crushed

Method

• Combine all the ingredients in a blender.
• Blend until smooth.
• Strain into a chilled cocktail glass.
• Serve.