Coxinhas (Brazilian Chicken croquettes)

I came upon this recipe in Olivia's Cuisine for my Brazilian Food week in November 2017. It is a wonderfully delicious snack which can be used as main dish for dinner too and which it was for me! Recipe here: http://www.oliviascuisine.com/the-world-cup-gourmet-series-brazil-coxinhas-chicken-croquettes/

Makes: 30 

Ingredients

For the Filling

• 1.5 lbs chicken
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp poultry seasoning (Recipe below)
• ½ cup chopped parsley
• 1 package of cream cheese (I used substitute - given below)
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

For the Dough

• 1 large potato
• 2 1/2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cube of chicken bouillon
• 2 tbsp salted butter
• 2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• Breadcrumbs
• Bowl of almost freezing water
• Vegetable oil for frying

Preparation

• Pressure cook the chicken and potato with 1 chicken cube. After pressure is released, drain and reserve 2 1/2 cups broth for the dough.
• Mash the potato and reserve.
• Shred the chicken in a food processor or blender and reserve.
• Add the broth to a pan with the mashed potato and butter. Bring to a boil and add the flour, little at a time, stirring constantly till it forms a dough. Turn off heat.
• Knead the dough while it is still warm until smooth.
• To make the filling, sauté the onions and garlic until translucent and the add the chicken, poultry seasoning and the parsley. Mix everything together and season with salt and pepper. Add the cream cheese and cook until the cream cheese is melted and everything is incorporated.
• To make the coxinhas, take a little piece of the dough and form a ping pong sized ball. Flatten it into a disc, hollowing up the middle for the filling. 
• Spoon a tablespoon of the filling into the middle of dough.
• Press the dough closed around the filling, shaping it like a teardrop.
• To coat the coxinhas with breadcrumbs, first wet one of your hands with cold water and pass it on the coxinha. Then, coat the coxinha with breadcrumbs. Set it aside in a baking sheet and continue to coat all the coxinhas.
• Heat oil in a saucepan and fry them in batches till they are golden brown.
• Place them on kitchen tissues and serve with hot sauce.

Note:

Recipe for Poultry Seasoning:

• 2 tsp ground sage
• 2 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp ground marjoram
• 3/4 tsp ground rosemary
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp finely ground black pepper
• Mix thoroughly and store in airtight container

Substitute for cream cheese:

Strain yoghurt overnight in cheesecloth and use as substitute for cream cheese.

Dhokla

I had tried the instant dhokla recipes and failed miserably. So I decided to do the traditional dhokla with the traditional dhokla batter and it did come out very well! No shortcuts! Quite elaborate and time consuming but worth the wait and energy! Recipe from www.foodviva.com

Makes about 16 pieces

Ingredients
For the batter

• 1/4 cup gram lentil (chana dal)
• 1/2 cup rice (I used idli rice)
• 1/4 cup sour curd
• 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 tbsp green chili, ginger, garlic paste
• 1/8 tsp turmeric
• Salt, a pinch
• 1/2 tsp Enos fruit salt
• 1/2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
• Paprika powder, pinch

For tempering

• 2 tsp oil
• 1/2 tsp mustard seeds
• 1/2 tsp cumin seeds, optional (actually, better without!)
• 1/2 tsp white sesame seeds
• 2 curry leaves
• 2 to 3 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp chopped coriander, for garnish
  

Preparation

• Clean and soak gram lentils and rice for 6 to 8 hours or overnight.
• Drain and grind to a fine paste with sour curd and water. The batter should not be of idli batter consistency. 
• Add salt and turmeric, cover and allow to ferment in a warm place for 6 to 8 hours.
• Grease a container with oil and prepare a steamer with 2 to 3 cups water. (I used the idli cooker)
• Add oil and green chili, ginger and garlic paste to the batter and mix well. Add Enos fruit salt and mix in one direction for a minute. The batter should be doubled now.
• Pour it immediately into the greased mould. Sprinkle cumin seeds and red chili powder on the top and steam for about 10 to 15 minutes or till a fork comes out clean if inserted.
• Allow to cool for a couple of minutes and cut it into squares.
• Heat oil in a small pan and add mustard seeds. When they splutter, add sesame seeds and stir for 30 seconds. Add curry leaves, remove from flame and add water. Pour immediately over the dhoklas to coat evenly and serve immediately garnished with chopped coriander.