Veggie Club Sandwich

A club sandwich is usually toasted bread with mayo and bacon, lettuce, and tomato. A traditional club used to be two slices, now it's usually three slices with two layers of fillings. I'm breaking all the rules, by using two slices, losing the mayo and the meat. This is actually a traditional sandwich filling that's used in India, a chutney or a pesto made out of cilantro leaves. The sandwich is usually slathered with butter to keep the bread from gettin soggy especially if you're packing it up for a picnic or eating it later. Mine I would like to think is a healthier version and you could make it low carb too, by using low cal bread. I'm tired of eating low cal, so I went all out and made it with potato bread.

I make the green chutney beforehand it's a handful of cilantro leaves, add mint too if you like, green chillies, ginger, garlic, cumin seeds, salt, sugar and lemon juice. Blend this and keep in the fridge it lasts for a few days.

2 slices bread

a smidgen of butter if not eating right away

green chutney

1 tbsp shredded carrot

cucumber slices

red onion slices

feta cheese(optional)

tomato slices

Toast the bread, apply butter if you're packing it up to eat later or if you just like butter.

Spread a tsp of chutney on the bread slices.

Layer with carrots, cucumbers, red onions, feta, tomato and toast.

Cut diagonally and serve.

Grilled Corn Indian Style (Roasted Bhutta)

Grilling or roasting corn this way transports me back to Mumbai, this is the time you'll see vendors everywhere roasting corn. The vendor usually roasts the corn on a charcoal grill. I used my stove top instead but you can use your grill for this too. I like the convenience of doing it inside, so I can multitask a the same time. To be honest I used to want a gas stove top, but I'm finding out, that it's easier to use the electric stove top as the heat is a little slower and you can leave whatever you're roasting on the griddle and work on other things simultaneously.

Corn on the cob

Cayenne Pepper

Salt

Lime or Lemon cut into half

Remove the husks off the corn.

Place the corn on a wire cooling rack or the contraption I have is like a little griddle or roaster with holes, which I place on my stove top.

Cook or roast the corn evenly and keep rotating the corn till it is brown all over.

Mix the salt and cayenne pepper, dip the lemon half into this mixture and apply on the corn.

Enjoy the hot and sour flavor of corn.

Crispy Mushroom and Onion Pizza

I had seen this on Everyday Food, and adapted it to whatever I had in my pantry. This was my dinner tonight, can be used as a appetizer too, very quick and no fuss meal. I used rotis which I lightly cooked on the skillet. The original recipe used Ricotta cheese and Asiago cheese. You could also add green peppers and olives or any other veggie.

2 whole wheat Tortillas 6 inch/Rotis

2 tsps olive oil

1/4 cup of cheddar cheese grated

2 tbsps of goat cheese crumbled

1/2 cup mushrooms thinly sliced

1/4 red onion thinly sliced

salt

pepper

red chilli flakes

Preheat oven to 450 degrees.

Place the tortillas on a lined cookie sheet. (If using Rotis cook lightly on both sides on a skillet)

Brush the tortillas with the olive oil.

Sprinkle the cheese evenly.

Add mushrooms and onions.

Sprinkle salt and pepper on the veggies.

Bake for about 10 minutes, mine were done in 8 minutes, or till crisp and brown.

Remove and cut into quarters and serve sprinkled with red chilli flakes.

Ravioli Stuffed w/ Spinach and Cheese

Ingredients:
1 2 lb package of the Stuffed Ravioli
2 mini peppers minced
2 scallions minced
4 olives sliced
Basil leaves

Dressing:
3 tbsp EVOO
6 tbsp lime juice
1 garlic clove crushed
¼ tsp red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper



I bought these from Costco, you get two packages of 2 lbs each, I used just one package for this recipe. You can freeze the other packet if not using right away.

Cook Ravioli as per package instructions. Meanwhile make the dressing with the Olive oil, lime juice, garlic clove, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper.
Add the dressing to the cooked Ravioli, add the rest of ingredients. Stir gently and serve.

Carrot and Onion Rice Adai

This adai tastes like a rava dosa and a onion uthappa, and is so easy to make as there is no fermentation.

2 cups raw rice

3 tbsp besan (chickpea flour)

1 tbsp cooked rice

2 tbsps onions finely chopped

1 carrot finely grated

1/2 green chilli finely minced

1 tbsp ginger grated

1 tbsp cilantro minced

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

a pinch of hing

oil for making the adais

Soak rice for a few hours or overnight, grind smoothly with 1/2 cup water add cooked rice and besan and blend well.

Add all the other ingredients to the batter.

Make adais and serve with chutney powder and yogurt.

Unniappam/Neyappam

1 cup rice flour

1/2 cup wheat flour

1 cup jaggery

1/2 cup water

1 banana mashed to a smooth paste

4 green cardamons powdered

1/2 tsp ginger powder

Canola Oil

Method:

Heat jaggery with water and cook till melted completely.

Leave it aside to cool.

Add both flours to the cooled jaggery mixture.

Add the mashed banana and cardamon and ginger powder..

Mix well and keep aside for 2 hours.

Heat the Appakara(a pan with indentations in them), add oil about halfway upto the indentations.

Meanwhile stir the batter add a little water if it's too thick.

Add a tbsp of batter in each cook for about or so then turn and cook both sides.

Remove add more oil if required and cook all the unniappams.

Makes about 20 unniappams.

Instant noodles

1/2 cup cabbage sliced thin

1 carrot sliced into thin shreds

a few green beans sliced thin

1/2 onion sliced

1 garlic clove crushed

1 green chilli minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1tbsp oil

1/4 tsp red chilli flakes

1 tsp soy sauce

1tbsp tomato ketchup

1 tsp red chilli sauce

2 packets ramen noodles or any instant noodles

2 cups water

1tsp sesame oil

1tbsp cilantro minced

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Microwave beans with 1 tsp of water to for 2 minutes.

Heat oil, add red chilli pepper flakes, onions garlic, green chilli, and ginger.

Saute till light brown.

Add vegetables and a little salt and pepper,and cook for a few minutes.

Add soy sauce, tomato ketchup, and red chilli sauce.

Add water, break noodles into half and cook till dry add sesame oil and cilantro, stir well.

Serve hot or cold.

murukku

rice flour 2 cups

urad flour 1/2 cup

jeera seeds 1/2 tsp

sesame seeds 1/2 tsp

ajwain 1/4 tsp

pepper pwd 1/2 tsp

soft butter 1/2 stick

salt 2 tsps

hing 1/4 tsp

water 1 cup approx

Method:

Mix flours butter, ajwain seeds, sesame seeds, cumin seeds and pepper pwd.

Add hing and salt to water.

Add this water little by little to make to a soft dough. You might not need all the water or you might need more.

Use a Murukku Press to make murukku.

Fry on medium heat till golden.

Sprouted Mung Bean Curry

This is a nice and spicy dish especially in the winter months to warm one up.

Soak whole mung beans for about 8 hours in cold water, once they get plump, drain off the water and cover with a wet paper towel and keep for a couple of days. The ones in the picture took 4 days to sprout that long. I kept rinsing them with fresh water everyday.

1 cup dry mung beans soaked and sprouted

2 tbsps oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 red chillies

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 onion minced fine

1 tsp ginger paste

1 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp green chillies paste

1/2 tsp chilli powder

1/2 tsp turmeric powder

1 tsp sambar powder

1/2 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp tamarind paste

Salt

Heat oil add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, red chillies, and hing, once they splutter,

add onion and saute till golden brown.

Add the ginger paste, garlic and green chillies paste.

Stir for a minute add the spices, chilli powder, turmeric powder, sambar powder and garam masala powder.

Add about 2 cups of water and the mung beans.

Once it comes to a boil, lower the heat, cover and cook till the beans are tender and the gravy has reduced.

Add tamarind paste and salt, Cook for a few minutes.

Remove from heat, garnish with cilantro leaves.

Serve with rice, rotis or any bread.

This recipe is an entry to two events one is to Suganya @ Tasty Palettes who is hosting the Sixth Helping of My Legume Love Affair - Hot & Spicy ,created by Susan of Well Seasoned Cook, and the other event is JFI Sprouts hosted by http://www.ammaluskitchen.infovegan/.

Enjoy!!!

Veggie Enchiladas

My family loves this dish,I store the leftovers in single servings to take for lunch the next day. This recipe was on Everyday Food, I changed some ingredients and added more heat as I like it spicy. You can halve the ingredients and make it in a 8 inch dish but I find it easier to make it in one big casserole dish and freeze the rest if there are any leftovers.

Filling
1 can (15 oz) black beans rinsed and drained

1 box (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

1 can (8 .75 oz) corn kernels

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 garlic clove crushed

Salt
Pepper

Sauce
4 tbsps oil
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp cayenne powder
2 chipotle chillies in adobo sauce minced and 1 tbsp adobo sauce from the can
2 tbsp tomato ketchup or tomato puree
Salt and pepper to taste

16 corn tortillas
2 cups grated Cheddar cheese

To make the filling-
Heat oil, add cumin seeds, red pepper flakes, minced garlic stir for a minute add the beans, spinach and corn kernels.

Add salt and pepper.

Stir for 2 minutes remove from heat and keep aside to cool.

To make the sauce-

Heat oil add flour and cook for a minute.

Add 2 and 1/2 cups of water and whisk.

Add cumin powder, cayenne powder, and the minced adobo chillies,.

Add salt and pepper and the tomato ketchup or tomato puree and cook sauce till thickened.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Stack corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and microwave for 1 minute on high.
Put 2 ladles of sauce in a baking dish about 16 inch baking dish or a casserole dish.
To make the enchiladas, add 2 tablespoons of veggie filling a tsp or less of cheese on the tortilla. Roll and place seam side down in the baking dish over the sauce.
Pour sauce over the tortillas. Sprinkle the cheese and bake for 20 minutes till bubbly.

Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Brinjal Roast (Cooking At Home With Pedatha)

I have been trying out various recipes from this cookery book, Cooking At Home With Pedatha, and have had great success. This Brinjal Roast has been a favorite with everyone at home, I have just changed the recipe a little bit by adding sambar powder with the chilli powder, another variation I have made is, I use Japanese eggplants instead of the round variety as they are easily available in any supermarket, and then I steam these in the microwave for 5 minutes, and hence I use less oil and it cooks faster. These changes I have made are due to the fact that this is how I have always made Brinjal Roast or Fry as I call it by adding sambar powder before I got the cookbook.

5 Japanese Eggplants look for the slim thin ones

salt to taste

1/2 tsp red chilli pwd

1 tsp sambar powder

To Season:

2 tbsps oil

1 tsp Mustard seeds

1/2 tsp udad dal

1/4 tsp hing

1/4 tsp turmeric

a few curry leaves

Method:

Cut the brinjals into 2 inch pieces and then halve them in the middle.

Steam them in a microwave for 5 minutes.

Heat oil add seasoning ingredients once the mustard seeds splutter add the brinjals and let it brown on a medium flame.

Then add salt chilli pwd, and the sambar pwd.

Cook until done.

Serve with rice as a side dish.

Note:She used round brinjals, did not microwave it and did not use sambar powder. I also changed the quantities to suit my palate.

Beetroot Pachadi ( Asianet Cookery Show)

I saw this on Asianet TV, a Cookery Show on a Malayalam TV channel. I have always made Pachadi or Kichadi with tomatoes, white pumpkin and cucumbers, but never with beetroots. Pachadi is a good side dish with different Dal based curries or even as a Raita with a Pulao or Biryani.

1 small beetroot peeled

salt to taste

1/2 cup yogurt whisked

To Grind:

1/2 cup coconut

3 green chillies

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 cup water

To Season:

1 tsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp udad dal

1 red chilli

a few curry leaves

Method:

Steam beetroot and grate.

Simmer with salt and 1/4 cup water.

Meanwhile grind to a fine paste the masala and add to simmering beetroot.

Simmer for a few minutes.

Heat oil for seasoning add mustrad seeds, udad dal, and red chilli, once the mustard splutters add curry leaves and pour over the beetroot.

After it cools down add the whisked yogurt and serve.

Moru Kootan with Raw Mango (Yogurt Based Sauce)

Moru means buttermilk or thinned and whisked yogurt and kootan means a gravy or curry in Malyalam.

1 cup cubed white pumpkin

1/2 of a raw mango sliced lengthwise

Salt to taste

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1 cup yogurt whisked

2 tbsp sour cream optional

Grind to a paste:

1 1/2 cup grated coconut

10 green chillies or according to your spice level

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

Seasoning:

1 tbsp coconut oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilli

1/2 tsp fenugreek seeds

a few curry leaves

Cook pumpkin and raw mango with salt, turmeric, and chilli pwd and 1 cup of water till tender.

Meanwhile grind the ingredients to a fine paste with 1 cup of water.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the ground paste and let it come to a simmer.

Remove from heat add the whisked yogurt, and sour cream.

Put it back on low heat, and let it come to a simmer. Remove right way do not let it boil as the yogurt could curdle. Check for salt add if required.

Heat oil for seasoning add mustard seeds, red chilli, fenugreek seeds once they splutter add curry leaves, and pour over Moru Kootan.

Enjoy with rice.

NOTE: I use sour cream to give it a little better consistency as I use homemade yogurt made with lowfat milk. This yogurt does not withsatand heat well, hence the sour cream. But if you are using store bought yogurt or whole milk yogurt you can eleminate the sour cream.

Sambar

1/2 cup Tuar Dal

Brinjal, Okra, Pumpkin, Drumsticks all together cubed about 2 cups

1/2 tsp turmeric

Salt to taste

1 tsp tamarind paste

1/2 tsp jaggery

2 tbsps chopped coriander leaves

Masala for grinding:

1 tsp oil

1 tsp fenugreek

1 tbsp coriander seeds

2 red chillies

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 cup grated coconut

2 tsp sambar powder( I use 777 Sambar Pwd)

Seasoning

1 tbsp coconut oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilly

1/2 tsp hing

1 tbsp shallots minced

a few curry leaves

Cook the dal till tender, I use a pressure cooker.

Cook the vegetables with salt and turmeric and 1 cup of water, once cooked add tamarind paste.

Let it boil well.

Meanwhile make the ground masala, heat oil add fenugreek seeds, coriander seeds, red chillies, and hing, stir till golden, do not burn.

Add coconut, stir for a few minutes add sambar powder, and remove from heat.

Grind to a fine paste with about 1/2 cup water.

Add this paste to the boiling vegetables.

Add the cooked dal, and about 1/2 cup water check the consistency add more water if required.

Remove from heat once the sambar comes together, add coriander leaves.

Heat oil for the seasoning, add the mustard seeds, red chilly, hing, curry leaves, and shallots.

Fry till golden brown, pour over sambar.

Serve with rice.

EAT FRESH - Wonderful Winter

This is my entry for EAT FRESH - Wonderful Winter which is being hosted by Meeta.

Here is what's in my grocery bag from Denver, Colorado.

I usually shop at H Mart which is an Asian market, and has a huge variety of vegetables especially Indian veggies compared to the local grocery store, and far more cheaper too.

The Farmer''s markets don't start until summer here, so I make do with H Mart.

I have red pumpkin, green mango, broccoli florets, carrots, french beans, cucumber, cabbage, green plantains, and white pumpkin in my picture. I'm bummed I have could not get curry leaves, there is some kind of curry leaf crisis, hopefully we will get some soon.

Vegetable Kuzhambu

I decided to make Vegetable Kuzhambu to clean out my fridge, as I had bits and pieces of different vegetables. This curry is easy to make no coconut to grind or dal to be cooked. The prep work is in cutting the vegetables.

A mixture of whatever vegetables you have cut into cubes, I used:-

White Pumpkin

Carrots

French beans

Suran/Yam frozen

Drumsticks frozen

Padwal/Snake Gourd frozen

all together I would say about 2 cups of vegetables

4 pearl onions cut into half

3 green chillies slit

1 small tomatoes chopped

1 tsp tamarind paste

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

2 tsp coriander pwd

1 tsp cumin seed pwd

1 tsp sambar pwd

salt to taste

1 tsp gingelly oil

1tsp rice flour mixed in 1/4 cup of water

Tadka:

1 tsp gingelly oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

2 red chillies

1/2 tsp udad dal

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp methi seeds

Curry leaves

Heat 1 tsp oil, add the pearl onions and green chillies.

Saute for a few minutes.

Add all the dry spices, hing, turmeric pwd, chilli pwd, coriander pwd, cumin seeds pwd, and sambar pwd.

Stir then add all the vegetables and the tomatoes.

Stir well for a few minutes then tamarind paste and some water.

Add salt and cook the vegetables, I just cook it in the pressure cooker as it's faster.

Once the vegetables are cooked add the riceflour paste and cook till there is a nice gravy.

Then get the tadka ready:-

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, red chillies, udad dal, cumin seeds, and methi seeds,

once the mustard seeds splutter add the curry leaves.

Pour this over the kuzhambu.

Goes well with rice of course, or chapathi or dosa.

I served mine with rosemata rice and cabbage thoran.

Pakodas with leftover besan batter

I had some besan batter left after making the Batata Vadas,maybe a 1/4 cup of batter.

Iadded 1 small grated raw potato, 1 scallion, 1/2 tsp green chutney, 1/4 tsp red chilli pwd, a little salt, and a little more besan pwd, add only if needed.

Drop a few spoonfuls add fry till golden brown and crisp.

Batata Vada/ Aloo Bonda

It's spring but there is a chill in the air still feels like winter, and I'm craving batata vadas. If I was in Mumbai, I would just step out and get batata vadas at any nook and corner. They taste heavenly with pav a kind of dinner roll, lots of garlic chutney and green chutney. Well I'm not in Mumbai, but in the US of A, and when I get these cravings, what do I do, just prepare them myself.

2 medium potatoes

1 tbsp cilantro leaves

1 tsp lime juice

salt to taste

oil for frying

Grind to a coarse paste

1/4 inch piece ginger

1 clove garlic

3 green chillies

2 tbsp cilantro leaves

For the Tadka

1 tsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/4 tsp udad dal

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

For the Batter

1/2 cup besan

1/4 cup rice flour

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp salt

a pinch of soda bicarb

Boil the potatoes. Peel them and break them into medium chunks.

Heat oil for the tadka, add mustard seeds, once they splutter add udad dal, hing and turmeric.

Add the paste, saute for a minute add the potatoes, stir well add salt to taste.

Once everything is blended add cilantro leaves and lime juice.

Remove from heat and let it cool.

Then make into 2 inch balls, it makes about 12 vadas.

Heat oil for frying.

Then make the batter, mix the besan, rice flour, salt, chilli powder, hing, salt, and a pinch of soda bicarb.

Add water to make a batter, it should not be too thick or too watery.

Once the oil is hot, dip the vadas in the batter and drop them carefully a few at a time.

Fry these till golden brown and crisp.

Serve hot with green chutney or ketchup.

Idli Fry

I'm on a leftover cooking frenzy, I don't like throwing any leftover food, my waist will confirm that. My fridge had two idlis just two for a week just sitting there, and I did not have the heart to throw them out, and nobody would eat it either. So today I had this brainwave of pan frying them, I remember eating Idli Fry when I was little at Vishwa Bharti a little Udupi restaurant in Mumbai. They were deep fried obviously and served with a sweet yogurt. But I went with pan frying.





Leftover Idlis definitely a couple of days old, as it gets harder

Chilli powder

Cumin Powder

Salt

Gingelly oil/ Canola oil



Cut the idlis into long strips, I cut one idli into four long pieces.

Sprinkle chilli powder and cumin powder on the idlis and mix well.

Heat 1 tsp oil, add the idlis.

Brown the idlis and let it form a crust.

Sprinkle a teeny bit of salt on the fried idlis.

Serve with ketchup, chutney or curds.



I made these and they were gone in a minute, and I was left craving for more. Go figure!!

Carrot Cake

I had a ton of flour, and dry fruits leftover from my christmas cake making saga. I had planned to make another batch of the cake for my friends as this cake is hard to come by in the US, one cannot just go buy it in a store. Anyway I was trying to get myself into a mood to make it, as I had a couple of dinner invitations, and this would make a good hostess gift, as this cake gets better the longer it is stored. But then I skipped the whole idea and decided to make a carrot cake instead after watching Ina Garten's Carrot and Pineapple Cake, here is the recipe, I followed it to the letter except did not use vanilla or cinnamon, as I did not have both of these ingredients.

1 pound carrots
1/2 cup fresh pineapple
2 cups sugar
1/1/3 cups oil
3 extra large eggs
2 1/2 cups flour plus 1 tbsp for mixing with the raisins and flour
1 tsp garam masala
2 tsps baking soda
1 tsp salt
1 cup raisins
1 cup walnuts chopped

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.


• Butter 2 cake tins, I used a loaf tin and a 8 inch round tin. Line with parchment paper and butter and flour the tins.



• Grate the carrots using a box grater, do not use a food processor as this will make the cake too wet, and it won't hold it's shape.


• Chop pineapple finely.



• I used a hand mixer, beat the sugar and oil well.



• Add the eggs and beat till until light yellow.



• Sift together, the 21/2 cups flour with garam masala, baking soda, and salt.



• Add to the egg mixture and mix on slow speed.



• Toss the raisins and walnuts with the 1 tbsp of flour.



• Add to the cake mixture


• Then add the carrots and pineapple, stir well.



• Divide between the two pans, lace on a cookie sheet, and bake for 55 to 60 mins according to the recipe.
• But it took me 65 minutes maybe because of the high altitude. Check with a toothpick.


• Once baked place them over a wire rack to cool.


• The cakes were really tender even though the batter felt very heavy and dense while I was mixing it. The cake tasted like carrot muffin, yummy!!!

Parippu vada/ Masala vadai

I'm going to a friend's house for a potluck dinner, she wanted some finger foods. I though these hot and spicy vadas would be a good option, as it's very cold in Denver right now.

Makes about 30 vadas

1 cup Chana Dal

1/2 cup Tuar Dal

2 tbsp Udad dal

4 Red chillies

Soak all of the above for 2 hours, then drain for an hour.

1 jalapeno chilli/ 3 green chillies

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 inch ginger

1/4 tsp hing

1 1/2 tsp salt/ or to taste

Add all the above ingredients to the blender and a ladle of the soaked dal.

Grind the dals in small quantities adding a couple of teaspoons of water if required.

It should be a coarse consistency with a few whole dals still visible.

1 red onion

a handful coriander leaves

Mince red onions and coriander leaves add to the ground mixture. Mix everything really well.

Heat oil. Add 1 tbsp of the hot oil in the ground mixture to make the vadas crispy.

Take a tbsp of the mixture and flatten it into a disc in the palm of your hand.

Carefully slip it into the hot oil, I fried about four or five at a time.

Fry till golden brown and crisp.

Drain on a rack with a cookie sheet tin under it.

This will prevent it from getting soggy, as it cools.

Don't grind the onion into the vada mixture this makes it watery.

Aloo Dum

I have been craving some good restaurant food, and there is not a lot of choice or variety in Denver compared to the California or Dallas. We don't eat out a lot, so it had to be something that I could cook, and wanted something spicy and comforting. Here I was surfing the blogworld to see if there was anything exciting that I could cook, and chanced upon Bong Mom's Cookbook and the aloo dum recipe.

That was it, I was going to have Aloo Dum for dinner, so here is my recipe hot with puris.

10 round baby potatoes

1 tbsp coriander seeds

1 tsp black peppercorns

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 green cardamom

1 inch cinnamon

2 cloves

1/4 tsp saunf

1 onion chopped

1 tomato chopped

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1/2 tsp garlic paste

1 tsp red chilli powder

2 tbsp plain yogurt

1/4 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp sugar

salt to taste

1 tbsp cream

1 tbsp cilantro leaves chpped

4 tbsp oil

Method:

Cook the potatoes in water till tender, peel and keep aside.

Heat 2 tbsp oil add coriander seeds, black pepper, cuminseeds, cardamom, cinnamon, cloves and saunf.

Add onions and saute till golden.

Add the tomato, ginger, garlic and chilli powder.

Add yogurt cook till well combined.

Remove from heat.

Blend in a blender, till smooth.

Heat the remaining oil add hing and turmeic add the potatoes and cook till they have crisp exterior.

Add the blended sauce, salt, and sugar and let the potatoes simmer till a thick gravy remains.

Add cream and cilantro leaves.

Serve with puris.

Container Gardening

mint

red spinach
curry leaves
green chillies
green chillies

Sundal

Brown ChickPeas Salad, that's what I call them when I take it to work for lunch, sounds very exotic right!!!

Brown chickpeas/kala chana 1 cup soaked in the morning if you want to use them in the evening, so almost 6 hrs of soaking. (Use canned chickpeas if this is too much work)

Oil 1 tsp

Mustard seeds 1tsp

Urad dal 1/2 tsp

Red chilli dry 1

Hing a smidgen

Curry leaves

Green chilli & ginger paste

Sambar pwd 1/2 tsp

Onion pwd 1/4 tsp

Salt to taste

Fresh coconut grated 2 tbsps

lemon juice 1/2 tsp

Method:

Cook the chickpeas in the pressure cooker for about 15 minutes under pressure.

Let it cool then open the cooker.

Heat oil add mustard seeds let it spultter, add urad dal, red chilli, hing and curry leaves.

Add green chilli and ginger paste, add the chickpeas and whatever water was left in the pan and the salt..

Cook till almost semi-dry, add sambar masala and onion pwd. Stir for a few minutes and add grated coconut.

Take off heat add lemon juice.

Serve at room temperature.

Once cooled add chopped tomatoes, onions and cucumbers and voila, you have a salad.

Potato Cutlet

These potato cutlets are really yummy, with a crisp exterior and soft center, I like eating them with ketchup or just between two slices of bread.


5 medium potatoes(I used Yukon gold)

2 tbsp cornflour powder

1 tsp ginger & green chilli paste

1 tbsp grated onion

1 tbsp cilantro leaves chopped

1/2 tsp garam masala

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp cumin seeds pwd

1/2 tsp salt

oil for pan frying

4 tbsps rice flour for coating the cutlets





Method:



Boil potatoes either in a pressure coker for 3 whistles or peel and cut them into cubes and cook them for 15 minutes or so till fork tender.

Mash the potatoes, I like mine smooth, you can leave it chunky if you like.

Add the cornflour, ginger & green chilli paste, grated onion, cilantro leaves, garam masala pwd, chilli pwd, cumin seeds pwd and salt. Mix well till blended.

Divide into ten portions and shape into rounds about 2" in diameter.

Roll in rice flour.

Heat oil add three cutlets at a time and fry till golden and crisp.

Serve with green chutney or ketchup.

Pongal

Yellow Moong dal - 1/2 cup

Rice - 1 cup

Ginger grated - 1 tsp

Curry leaves - 3

Cumin seeds - 2 tbsps

Peppercorns- 1 tbsp

Hing - 1/4 tsp

Ghee - 2 tbsps

Salt - 2 tsps or to taste

Dry roast moong dal in a pressure pan till a nice aroma comes off.

Add the rice and wash and rinse both.

Add 5 cups of water and cook for 1 whistle on pressure.

Meanwhile dry roast the cumin seeds and peppercorns and powder.

Heat 1 tbsp of ghee, add ginger and curry leaves stir.

Add hing, cumin seeds and pepper powder, stir.

Add one and a half cups of water to this mixture.

Let it boil add to the rice and dal mixture

Add salt mix well.

Serve hot with coconut chutney.

Parippu Pradhaman

This was the prize winning recipe at the Colorado Keralites, Onam function. I was surprised that I won the first prize. For the onam sadhya each member brings a dish for about 20 people, so 4 members might bring Aviyal for 20 people and so forth. I was asked to bring payasam as they did not have enough volunteeers signed up for this dish. When I took the payasam for the sadhya, that's when I realized that there was a payasam competition. I didn't think much of it because I never win anything, so it was a pleasant surprise to hear Vinod call out my name as the winner. Anyway I think I have blabbered enough here is the recipe. Onam by the way was in the beginning of Sept our community celebrated it today due to other commitments and time constraints.

The quantities are more as this was for a sadhya for about 20 people, you can halve it if cooking for a smaller group or triple it if need be.

Recipe:

Yellow moong dal - 2 cups

Jaggery - 2 lbs

Coconut milk canned- 2

Cardamon pods - 11 peeled and powdered

Ginger powder-1/4 tsp

Cashews chopped- 1 cup

Raisins - 1 cup

Fresh coconut slivered into small pieces - 1/4 cup

Ghee- 4 tbsps

Dry roast the moong dal in a pressure cooker pan, till a nice aroma comes out.

Wash and rinse the moong dal.

Add 5 cups water and cook the dal under pressure for 1 whistle.

Meanwhile cook Jaggery with 3 cups of water.

Add the cooked dal to this mixture and cook till well blended.

Add the coconut milk to the above mixture, and spice powders, cook on medium heat.

Keep stirring for about 10 minutes or so tll you see a low boil then remove from heat.

Heat ghee add coconut slices, and fry till golden, then fry the cashews and raisins separately add to payasam.

Serve warm or at room temperature.

Paal Payasam

12 cups milk
½ cup rice
¾ cup sugar
½ tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp cashews unsalted
2 tbsp raisins
1 tbsp ghee (browned butter)

Cook milk in a heavy bottomed pan on medium heat till milk is reduced to half its quantity, this takes almost an hour.
Add rice and cook till rice is tender, maybe another hour.
Add sugar and cardamom powder, and take off heat.
Heat the browned butter or ghee, add cashews and raisins fry till golden add to pudding.
Serve hot or at room temperature.

Pudina Paratha/ Mint Flatbread

Pudina Paratha, a whole wheat layered unleavened flatbread cooked in a skillet.
I have pudina(mint) growing profusely in my garden, I just harvested a lot of the leaves, and froze them. I have been making pudina paratha, pudina chutney, and pudina rice, can't think of anything else to make with it.
This paratha has mint powder freshly made from the frozen leaves, one can use fresh leaves to make the powder too. Don't forget to check out the link for mint leaves powder, I have a nifty way of making this aromatic powder.
This paratha again travels well. I'm have been racking my brain thinking of dishes I can take on our road trip to Grand Canyon. We will be travelling from Denver to Grand Canyon to Las Vegas and back, about four days of being on the road. I have to really stock up enough desi khana, or we are going to be in trouble.
Anyway here is my recipe for Pudina Paratha, very simple and tasty.




2 cups wheat flour

1/2 cup milk

1/2 tsp salt

Mint powder

oil



Mix the wheat flour and salt, add milk and water if needed to make a soft dough.

Keep it aside for 10 minutes.

Divide into equal parts about 6, and roll into balls.

Flatten the ball with the rolling pin, apply oil and sprinkle mint pwd.

Roll into a cylinderical shape.

Press and roll to make the shape longer.

Starting from the short end roll into a sperical shape like a peda or a circle.

Press sprinkle some flour and roll it about 6 inches in size.

Cook on a tawa, apply oil or ghee till golden brown on bothe sides.

Serve with any vegetable, raita and pickle for a very satisfying meal.

Mint Leaves Powder/Drying Herbs

The microwave can be your best friend in the kitchen. Drying herbs in the microwave is a very simple process. This works for any kind of leaves or herb. The pretty color it retains when dried in a microwave is one of the greatest advantages.

Take about a cup of pudina or mint leaves, spread them on a microwave safe plate.

Start with 30 second increments and keep checking to see if the leaves are dry.

Once dry they should crumble easily to a fine powder.

Remember to keep checking every 30 secs until done.

Baingan Achaari/Eggplant Pickle

Eggplants are such a versatile vegetable, and it can take on any avatar, and still tastes great. They have a special place in every cuisine of India as well as internationally.

Eggplant is one vegetable which absorbs a lot of oil, I wanted to make the Achaari Baingan without a lot of oil. So instead of frying it directly nuking it in the microwave seemed to work well. Here is my contribution to JFI event for July hosted by Sangeeta from Ghar ka Khana.

6 small brinjals

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp kalonji(onion seeds)

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp chilli pwd

1/4 tsp fenugreek pwd

2 tomatoes pureed

1/4 tsp sugar

salt to taste

gingelly oil

2 green chillies slit

1 tbsp coriander leaves

Slit the baingan into four keeping them whole.

Sprinkle salt on the baingan and microwave them for about 5 minutes.

Heat 1 tsp oil and fry the baingan till light brown.

Heat another 2 tsp oil, add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, kalonji seeds, hing, and turmeric.

Stir well add garlic, stir lightly add chilli pwd and fenugreek pwd.

Add tomato puree, sugar and salt.

Keep stirring till thick add baingan and green chillies. Cook till a thickish gravy clings to baingan. Add coriander leaves. Serve hot with rice or rotis.

Sooji Dhokla from Trupti's - The spice who loved me

I love Trupti's blog, I made the Sooji Dhokla, but wanted it without the crispness. I followed Trupti's recipe exactly, I used 1/2 cup yogurt and about half cup water, and steamed it in a 8 inch round cake tin. Then did the tadka with mustard seeds and green chilli. Here are the pics, Thanks Trupti. They came out really soft and were very easy to make.

Mango Pickle/ Manga curry

Remember the unripe mango from Sunnyvale, well one was made into thokku, the other one is becoming a pickle, an instant pickle actually. I love this pickle have been eating this from the time I was a kid, I think every Malayali knows how to make this. Just remember to store it in the fridge as it does not stay well after two weeks, if it lasts till then. That's the reason I make it in small quantities.

1 unripe mango

2 tbsp gingelly oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

salt to taste

2 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 tsp fenugreek pwd

Cut the mango into small cubes with the skin. Add salt chilli pwd,hing, and fenugreek pwd, dont' mix just sprinkle these spices on the mango and keep aside.

Now heat oil add mustard seeds, once they splutter pour over the spices and mangoes. Stir well till combined, Check for salt.

Once cool transfer to a sterlized bottle. Keep at room temperature for one day for the flavors to blend, then store in the fridge. Yummo!!! Goes well as a spread on chapati, bread or with rice.

Mango Thokku/ Mango Chutney

I was in Caifornia last week visiting my sis-in-law, who had come from India. I tasted the mango thokku there, it was awesome, I even bought two mangoes from the Farmer's market in Sunnyvale. The storebought version tastes like nothing compared to the homemade one. It's such a easy recipe, especially if you use a microwave, it cuts your cooking time into half. These go well with my Dal Parathas, just had one for breakfast from yesterday. Here's my sis-in-law's recipe.

1 raw mango peeled and grated

2 tbsps gingelly oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp hing

1/2 tsp turmeric pwd

1/2 tsp jaggery

1 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp fenugreek pwd

Heat oil add mustard seeds and hing, once they splutter add turmeric pwd stir.

Then add the grated mango salt and jaggery, and stir till well combined.

Remove this mixture to microwave safe dish and cook for about five minutes in the microwave till the mango reduces and you see the oil coming out, or cook it on the stovetop.

Add chilli powder and fenugreek powder and cook for another minute or so.

You will know it is done when the whole thing gets a nice color and gets all mushy and sticks together.

Mango thokku is ready, cool and transfer to a sterlized container, keeps well in the fridge. Now wasn't that easy, I'm never buying Thokku from the store again.

Dal Paratha/Lentil Flatbread

I had eaten this Paratha way back in Bangalore , must have been in 1997 or 1998, in a West Indian restaurant, I think it was called Sue's. I wonder if it's still there, this was a small joint near Indiranagar, and one would have to wait during weekends to get in. I still remember the taste of those Dal Parathas. It was kind of strange eating an Indian staple in a Caribbean restaurant. I was thinking of a breakfast dish to contribute for the WBB event and came up with my version of Dal Paratha.

These by the way taste delicious even cold the next day. So a great travel food for us Indians especially while we are on the road, I get tired of eating from all the fast food joints, and start craving for some nice Indian Spicy food. Maybe somebody needs to write a series of foods that travel well.

This breakfast/brunch dish is my contribution to Trupti's Weekend Breakfast Blogging event WBB#12

Dal Paratha (Makes about 8 to 10)

Filling

1 cup yellow spilt moong dal

3 cups water

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp hing

1 tbsp ginger grated/paste

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp chili pwd

1 tsp coriander pwd

2 tsp amchur(mango powder)

1 tsp garam masala pwd

salt to taste

1 tbsp minced coriander leaves

Dough

3 cups wheat flour

1 tbsp oil

salt to taste

Soak the dal for 2 hours.

Heat oil add cumin seeds, and hing.

Then add ginger, turmeric pwd, chilli pwd and coriander pwd.

Add dal and 3 cups of water. Bring to a boil.

Cook covered on low heat for 20 to 25 minutes until dal is soft but not mushy. Don't forget to keep stirring while the dal is cooking.

There should be absolutely no water. Add the amchur pwd, garam masala pwd, salt and coriander leaves and leave it to cool. I usually grind the filling in the food processor so it looks like puran poli filling and can be made into a ball. The grinding is optional. I like the texture better and you can put more filling this way.

Meanwhile make the dough, by mixing wheat flour, oil, salt and add water as needed, to make a paratha dough. Keep the dough for about 10 to 15 minutes.

Then divide and roll into balls. Add the filling and roll into about 5 to 6 inches in diameter.

Cook on a tawa or skillet by adding oil on both sides and cook till brown.

Serve hot or cold with pickles and yogurt, hot or cold. I had mine with mango thokku(recipe to follow). This paratha is very filling I couldn't eat more than one. A great idea for brunch as they can be made in advance. I make my filling and dough the previous night, and leave it in the fridge, and make the parathas fresh in the morning or for brunch as the case might be.

Vegetarian Shami Kababs/Lentil Kababs

An extemely popular appetizer and usually made with minced meat. The word kabab is derived from the Persian (aab means water and kum means less - it is a dish cooked with less water). I had tasted the vegetarian version when I purchased the frozen kababs from the Indian grocery store. I decide to experiment and used beans instead of the meat. One can use the canned variety of beans for convenience. I have made these with kala chana too and they turned out great. These can be cooked and frozen and can be use as patties for burgers if made bigger in size.

Makes about 10-12 kababs

1/2 cup red beans/adzuki beans/chori

1/4 cup chana dal

1/2 of a small onion chopped

1 tsp ginger grated

1 green chilli minced

1 clove garlic chopped

1/2 tsp chilli pwd

1/2 tsp garam masala

salt to taste

1 small potato boiled and grated

2 slices bread soaked, squeezed and crumbled

1 tbsp chopped mint leaves

1 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Oil for frying

All-purpose Flour

Soak the red chori(or any lentil/beans of your choice)and chana dal separately for an hour.

Cook in a pressure cooker in separate containers.

For the red beans add half cup water, place another container on top of the red beans for the chana dal, add 1 tbsp water, and chopped onion, ginger, green chilli, garlic, chilli pwd, and garam masala pwd. Cook for 2 whistles.

If not using the pressure cooker just cook both separately till tender.

Drain the water completely from the red beans and mash or crush using a rolling pin or potato masher. Drain the water from the chana dal mixture if any, process in the food processor.

Mix the mashed red beans, ground chana dal mixture, grated potato, crumbled bread, salt, mint and cilantro leaves, till well combined.

Divide into equal portions and shape into round kababs. Heat 2 tbsps oil.

Roll in a little flour and shallow fry the kababs a few at a time till golden brown.

Serve hot or cold with green chutney, lemon slice and onion rings. Delish!!!!!

Dosa

Dosa for breakfast today, from yesterday's idli batter.

Chamanthi, gun powder/mulgapodi and yummy dosa

Olan

Olan is one of the simplest and tastiest dishes I have ever come across, just green chillies and coconut oil to flavor the whole dish. My mom would make it using coconut milk, but I like it just plain and without the richness of the coconut milk. When I use to cut the pumpkin for my mom she would always remind me to cut them into flat squares and not cubes. She had all these rules about how each vegetable should be cut for each dish, and these rules I think are followed by most Keralites. Because when I got married my husband and his family had the same vegetable cutting rules. I usually serve this with something sour like rasam or tomato dal , just to offset the blandness and balance the meal. Indian meals are all about balancing different flavors.

1 cup white pumpkin

1/2 cup yellow pumpkin

1/4 cup little red beans/chori/adzuki beans

3 green chilies

1 sprig curry leaves

1 tbsp coconut oil

salt to taste

Slice the pumpkins into flat squares(not cubes) about one inch in size.

Cook the beans in a pressure cooker for one whistle.

Cook the pumpkin and beans in 1 cup water, with salt and green chillies till tender.

Once cooked take off heat, add curry leaves and coconut oil.

Serve as a side-dish with a sour based curry(tomato dal, sambar, rasam etc) and rice.

Tomato dal mixed with rice and Olan

Kuruku Kalan

From the top Vazhaka mezhuvaratti(Raw plantain fry), Muringa ela kootan(Drumstickleaves curry), Kuruku kalan, and Rice

I had a lot of sour curds in the fridge, and what else can a Mallu make with sour curds but kuruku kalan. I could also make moru curry or puliserry,but I was feeling nostalgic, and kuruku kalan would be the perfect remedy for my homesickness. In this recipe the curds are cooked and evaporated till it reduces to almost half and can be stored in the refrigerator for a long time. I usually make it with 2 cups of curd, so I have enough evaporated curd to make kalan twice. I learned to make this dish from my mother-in-law, who is from Puthcode. This curry is very different from Moru kootan where raw curds are added to the dish and then cooke. Whereas in kuruku kalan the curd is cooked and exaporated first and then added to the dish and cooked again. This is the traditional way it is made for sadyas, weddings or festivals.


To make the kuruku or evaporated curds
2 cups sour curds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp black pepper powder
1/4 tsp salt

Kuruku or evaporated curds

Cook this down to 1 cup on medium heat, keep stirring ocassionally. It will look like yellow cottage cheese. Store this in the fridge till you are ready to make the kalan. you could make more kuruku just increase the quantity of sour curds. I sometimes microwave the whole thing it take about 15 minutes. Keep cooking it at 5 minute increments till it reduces to half.

To make the kalan:
1/2 cup of the kuruku from the above recipe
1/4 cup white pumpkin
1/4 cup chena/yam
1/4 cup raw plantain
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp mehti powder
salt to taste

Grind to a paste
1 cup coconut
6 green chillies if using jalapenos use 1 or 2
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 cup water

Seasoning
1 tsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp mehti seeds
1 red chilli
4 curry leaves

Cut the vegetables into one inch cubes.
Cook with a cup of water and salt and turmeric.
Grind the ingredients for the paste.
Add to the cooked vegetables.
Add the kuruku or evaporated curd to this mixture.
Once it boils and thickens, add mehti powder.
Remove from heat and keep aside.
To season heat oil add mustard seeds, once they splutter add red chilli mehti seeds, and stir.
Add curry leaves, pour over kalan.
Serve as a side dish with rice and muringa ela kootan or any dal based curry.

Idli and Thenga Chamanthi

Idli and chamanthi reminds me of the lazy summer mornings in Kerala eating b'fast on small banana leaves. In those days I could devour ten of these and not worry about where it was going to show. Anyway today's b'fast was idli and thenga chamanthi(coconut chutney). I'm enjoying my spring break and cooking up a frenzy of long forgotten dishes. My idli recipe is simple, and I use just regular Sona masuri rice to make the idlis. I use the same batter to make dosas or uthappams the next day. It's usually idlis the first day, then dosas the next day, and if any batter is left uthappams. I soak the rice and dal on Friday morning and grind it in the evening in my Oster blender. Leave it in the oven to ferment overnight with the pilot light on, and the batter is ready on Saturday morning for idlis.

Idlis

3 cups sona masuri rice

1 cup udad dal

1/2 cup cooked rice

2 tsp salt

Wash and soak separately for atleast six hours. Grind udad dal with water till very smooth.

Grind rice with water and cooked rice till smooth.

Mix both batters well add salt and leave to ferment in the oven with the light on.

When the batter rises usually takes about 8 hours or more depending on where you live, pour into idli mould and steam idlis for 10 minutes after the steam starts coming.

Serve with chamanthi.

Chamanthi

1 cup fresh grated coconut

3 red chillies

1/4 tsp tamarind paste

salt to taste

Seasoning:

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1 red chilli

3 curry leaves

1 shallot(cheri ulli/ sambar onion) finely minced

Roast the red chillies till crisp.

Grind the coconut, red chillies, tamarind paste, and salt till smooth adding a little water.

Heat oil for seasoning, add mustard seeds, add red chillies, once they splutter add curry leaves and shallots.

Fry till the shallots are brown add the coconut mixture, let it warm through on medium heat.

Serve with idlis.

Easter Bunny is here!!!

Isn't this bunny cute, found him in my backyard, looking for food. We fed him carrots. By the end of the week he would come and eat the carrot out of our hands. Good timing I thought with Easter around the corner.

Bhindi Fry

This is one of my favorite dishes, from my childhood. It is such a simple dish and so easy to make. Another reason I like it is because it does not have a lot of masalas in it. Enjoy!!

1 cup chopped into slice tender bhindi/okra/lady's finger

1/2 medium onion chopped

3 green chilles minced

1 garlic clove minced

3 curry leaves

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

a pinch hing

1/4 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp pepper pwd

Heat oil, add mustard seeds, once they splutter add hing, turmeric, and pepper pwd.

Add onions, green chillies, garlic, and curry leaves.

Saute till translucent, add bhindi, stir well.

Cook till on low heat till tender, add salt, and remove from heat after another five minutes.

Serve with rotis or rice.

Puthcode Pulinkari

My husband is from Puthcode, and he always talks about this Pulinkari. I decided to try and make it, but he still seemed to think that it didn't taste the same. Oh well!!! I was just trying to please him.

1/4 cup Red Pumpkin
1/4 cup White Pumpkin
1/4 cup Raw Plantain
1/4 cup Suran/Chena/Yam
1/2 tsp turmeric pwd
1 tsps tamarind paste
1 tsp jaggery
salt to taste

Grind to a fine powder:
Red Chillies 4

Rice 1 tbsp
Udad Dal 1 tsp
Mehti seeds 1/2 tsp


Seasoning:
Coconut Oil 1 tbsp
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Red Chilli 1
Curry Leaves 4

Roast each item till well browned and grind into a fine powder.
Cut vegetables into cubes about an inch in size and boil in 1 cup of water with salt and turmeric.
Add tamarind paste, hing and jaggery, boil for a few minutes.
Add the ground powder,and stir well, so no lumps are formed.
Add 2 cups water and let it cook till it looks like a nice gravy.
Remove from heat.
For the seasoning, heat oil add mustard seeds and the red chilli, once it splutters add the curry leaves.
Pour over pulinkari and serve with rice and olan.

Spicy Potato Podimas

Traditionally this dish is made with green chillies and ginger, but I like it with the red chilli powder especially served with rasam and rice. The chutney powder gives it an additional kick.

4 boiled and mashed potatoes
a pinch hing
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp chilli powder
1/2 tsp chutney powder/mulgapodi (normally used to eat with dosas)
salt to taste

Seasoning:
2 tsp oil
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp udad dal
a few curry leaves

Heat oil add seasoning ingredients in the order given.
Add hing, turmeric powder, and chilli powder, immediately add the mashed potatoes and salt.
Stir well to combine. Cook for 10 minutes on low heat, add chutney powder, stir again and remove from heat after five minutes.
Serve with rice, roti or bread.

Eggless Almost Fatless Banana Nut Oatmeal Muffins

I think these are the best, I bake these muffins during the weekend and devour them during the week for breakfast, as I'm rushing out of the door. I sometimes add cranberries, raisins, and splenda to make it even healthier. You could also use whole wheat flour. The garam masala or allspice reminds me of the holidays and also adds a warm flavor during these cold months.

2 ripe bananas

1/4 cup applesauce

3/4 cup flour

1/2 cup oats

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp allspice/garam masala

2 tbsp canola oil

1/4 cup milk or soy milk

1/4 cups walnuts chopped

Topping

1/4 cup walnuts chopped

2 tbsp sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a six cup muffin pan with oil and dust with flour.

Mash the bananas well.

Mix the flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and allspice.

Add the bananas, applesauce, oil and milk.

Stir add walnuts.

Pour into prepared pan.

Sprinkle chopped walnuts and sugar on top.

Bake for 15 to 17 minutes.

Curried Ginger Potato Latkes

5 potatoes, peeled and grated
1/4 cup onion grated

1 tsp ginger grated
1/4 cup cornflour
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp cayenne powder
1/4 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp garam masala powder
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
salt to taste
olive oil

Combine grated potato with all the ingredients except the oil.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a nonstick pan.
Fry the potato latkes by dropping 1/4 cup measures of the mixture into the pan, and flattening them in the pan.


Fry on each side for about five minutes till cooked. Add more oil if needed.

This recipe is my contribution for Jihva for Ingredients - Ginger event.

Chicken 65

Boneless chicken breast 1 lb

Ginger paste 1 tbsp

Garlic paste 1 tbsp

Red chilli powder 1 tsp

Turmeric 1/2 tsp

Garam masala powder 1/2 tsp

Cornflour 1 tbsp

Yogurt whisked 1/4 cup

Green Chillies 2 slit lengthwise

Curry Leaves 5

Salt

Oil 2 tbsp



Cut chicken breasts into 1 inch cubes. Mix ginger, garlic,red chilli powder, turmeric, garam masala powder, salt, and cornflour. Add chicken to this mixture and marinate for a couple of hours in the fridge.

Heat oil add chicken and pan fry in batches till golden brown and tender, till all the chicken gets fried. Keep aside. In the same pan add green chillies and curry leaves, stir for a few minutes. Add the whisked yogurt, and the fried chicken. Keep stirring till all the liquid evaporates. Serve hot as an appetizer.

Aloo Methi

Fresh Fenugreek Leaves with Potatoes

Methi or fenugreek leaves are usually used when they are tender and green to make a dry dish called Aloo-Methi. The leaves of the fenugreek are bitter, but the potatoes and onions in this dish balance out the bitterness. I remember eating this as a child and even taking it to school for lunch with chapaties.

1 bunch methi leaves look in the Asian stores that's where I buy them
2 new potatoes cubed about 1 inch
1 small red onion chopped
3 green chillies minced
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp oil
1 tsp mustard seeds

Strip the leaves off the stems, and wash the leaves several times to get the grit off. Chop the leaves fine and keep aside. Nuke the potatoes in the microwave with 1 tbsp water for five minutes till cooked.
Heat oil add mustard seeds, once they splutter add the onions, green chillies, and garlic. Saute till golden add turmeric and the potatoes, stir. Add the chopped methi leaves and salt, stir well.
Once the leaves wilt, cover and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes till all the water gets evaporated and the greens cook. Mash the potatoes slightly till everything gets combined.
Serve with chapaties or rice. I have even eaten this with bread.

Paneer Bhurji Panini

A easy lunch idea for adults and kids, just add some carrot sticks or a side salad and a fruit, and lunch is all packed and ready to go. This recipe idea is my contribution to The Daily Tiffin. http://dailytiffin.blogspot.com/

I had leftover paneer bhurji from my New Year's Eve party, just enough for a sandwich/panini. Paneer is Indian cottage cheese, much more firmer in texture than the American version. It is a kind of pressed non-melting cheese similar to ricotta, atleast in the way it is made. This is the only cheese that is completely vegetarian. It is often used in savory and sweet dishes, and also eaten as a source of protein.

Anyway I used store-bought paneer for this dish but home-made paneer is much more better in texture.

2 tbsps paneer bhurji spread on one slice of bread I used multi-grain white sandwich bread, but sourdough might be better, cover with the other slice. Grilled on George Foreman Grill till golden and toasted. I had this for lunch, and I should say the sandwich was great even though I had made it this morning.

Paneer Bhurji

1 cup crumbled paneer

1/2 red onion chopped

1 green chilli minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1 tomato chopped

1 green pepper copped

1 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper pwd

2 tbsps cilantro leaves

1 tbsp oil

Heat oil add cumin seeds, once they brown add onion, green chilli, and ginger. Saute till light golden add tomato and green pepper, stir for a few minutes. Add paneer, salt, pepper and cilantro leaves. Stir till well combined. Use as a filling or a side dish.

Moru Curry/Curd Curry

Moru curry, an easy throw it together kind of a curry when there are no vegetables in the house, and your mind draws a blank as to what to cook. Hopefully you would have yogurt and a few herbs somewhere in the fridge.

1 cup of yogurt preferably sour
1 clove of garlic minced
1 tsp ginger minced
2 green chillies minced
a sprig of curry leaves
1 tbsp coconut oil
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/2 tsp fenugreek powder
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp pepper powder
1/2 cup water
1/2 tsp salt

Don't be put off by the long list of ingredients, these are staples in any Indian kitchen.
Blend the yogurt till smooth with a whisk. Heat oil add mustard seeds and cumin seeds and once the mustard seeds splutter, add the minced garlic, ginger, green chillies and curry leaves. Stir till golden a few minutes add cumin seed powder, fenugreek powder, turmeric, and pepper powder. Stir and add the water. Once it boils remove from heat, whisk this concoction slowly into the yogurt till well blended. Add salt. If the yogurt is poured into the hot pan and hot water, it is going to curdle, that's why the pan needs to be taken off the heat and whisked slowly into the yogurt, so it doesn't get shocked. Moru curry is ready to be eaten with rice.

Turkey Jhalfrazie

My leftover turkey/chicken from Christmas dinner is always made into a jhalfrazie. What is a jhalfrazie? It is a dry kind of stir-fry, if you will, usually made with leftover meats, which have been marinated and cooked, and fried with lots of green peppers and onions. In the British days, the cooks would reconstruct leftover meats into a new dish and that is how this term came into being. The authentic jhalfrazie or should I say the restaurant jhalfrazie is made out of leftover tandoori meats, but I don't follow any such rules. My dish has a American-Italian-Indian-Chinese flavor to it, that's why it's a stir-fry. American because of the poultry seasoning on the turkey, Italian because of the pesto, Indian because of the curry paste, Chinese because of the soy sauce and sesame oil, and so I rest my case.The turkey was made with the Cilantro Pesto, the pesto recipe was the one I submitted to Kalyn's Kitchens Holiday Herb Blogging event.

Leftover marinated and cooked Turkey or Chicken cut into cubes about 2 cups

1 clove garlic minced

1 tsp ginger minced

1 green chilli minced

2 tbsp onion minced

1 tsp Curry Paste(Okay still working on putting links to previous posts, haven't figured that one out, pls help)

1 green pepper cut into strips

1 onion cut into cubes

1 tsp soy sauce

1 tsp sesame oil

Heat the oil, add the minced garlic, ginger, green chilli, and onion. Saute till golden add the green pepper strips and onion cubes stir on high heat, add turkey and curry paste, and keep stirring till well combined. Add soy sauce, stir. Serve hot with rice, rotis or use as a filling in a tortilla wrap.

Curry Paste

This curry paste is always in my fridge, I usually make it fresh about once a week, can be frozen too. It's a basic curry paste and you can embellish it to whatever your cooking. I use this paste as a fish or chicken marinade. To make a tandoori paste just add yogurt and garam masala to it. I also use it in Chinese or Thai cooking. When making a curry, I just saute some onions, and this paste and tomatoes, fry well, add coconut milk and veggies or chicken, and it's done.

Pretty versatile huh!!!

Whole head of garlic

2 inch fresh ginger

2 tbsp vinegar

1/4 tsp salt

Blend till smooth. Keep in plastic or glass containers, avoid metal containers as there is vinegar in it. IThe vinegar and salt act as preservatives.

Indian Masala Seasoning

Kalyn's Kitchen's herb blends inspired me to make my own seasoning blend with a Indian twist, I usually give Chai Tea Mix, and a Pulao Mix as Christmas gifts. I am a teacher too and have a lot of co-workers that I usually give gifts to, so this seasoning blend would be something different. I do have some staunch fans for my Chai Tea Mix, and they ask me every year for it. Anyway here goes my Indian Masala recipe. This seasoning can also be used for tandoori chicken/vegetables/fish, by mixing some yogurt and salt to the masala and marinating in it and then broiling it. Yummy !!!!

4 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp ginger powder
2 tbsps onion powder
2 tbsp chilli powder
3 tbsp cumin powder
4 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tbsp dried parsley
1 tbsp garam masala powder
1 tsp turmeric

Mix everything until combined. This seasoning can be used on chicken, turkey, pork, fish, and any vegetables as a rub or a marinade. Can be used instead of curry powder too.

If you don't have garam masala just mix 1 tsp clove powder, 1 tsp cinnamon, 1 tsp cardamon powder, a pinch nutmeg.

Thanks for the idea, Kalyn.

Weekend Herb Blogging

2006 Colorado Blizzard

My backyard

My frontyard

Just outside my back door

My patio table and grill

Indian Pan Potato Fries

My son is addicted to potatoes in any form, especially fries, hash browns, potato cutlets, mashed potatoes in that order. So I'm always thinking of ways to make these. But he likes these Indian French fries, better than the ones from the drive-thru. Which makes me feel better as I can control all the ingredients. Instead of pan frying like I did, you could bake it in the oven at 450 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes.

4 large Potatoes

2-4 tbsp Oil as needed

1/4 tsp Cumin seeds

A pinch of Asafoetida

1/2 tsp Chilli powder

1/2 tsp Salt

French cut the potatoes, I use a French Fry Cutter, makes my life easy. Add 1 tbsp water and nuke in the microwave for 5 minutes. Drain. Heat oil in a large frying pan, add cumin seeds and asafoetida. Add potatoes once the cumin seeds get a little golden. Leave the pan on medium heat and keep stirring occasionally till the potatoes get a nice golden color and turn kind of crispy. Once done add salt and chilli powder, and stir for a few minutes and then serve.

Cilantro Pesto

An Indian take on pesto, and I like the kick the green chillies give. I started making this pesto as I would always have cilantro in the fridge, and after a week, I had to use it up or trash it. This freezes well too, I use the pesto for pastas, dips, spreads, marinades, and even in some curries.

I used this pesto for my Thanksgiving turkey breast, just put the pesto under the skin and some spice rub on the top and bake as usual.

Cilantro leaves about 2 cups I add the stems too

Almonds 2 tbsp

Garlic cloves 2

Ginger 1/2 inch

Green Chillies 2

Peppercorns 5

Salt 1/2 tsp

Olive Oil 1/3 cup

Blend cilantro, almonds, garlic, ginger, green chillies, peppercorns, and salt to taste. Drizzle olive oil while letting the blender run. If using for pasta add parmesan cheese while mixing in with the pasta.

Weekend Herb Blogging

Oven Chicken Fry

What with the Blizzard in Colorado, I was getting antsy sitting at home, and then I started thinking about food, and had visions of whipping up some exotic dish. Anyway I decided to make some regular chicken fry instead, but in the oven. This is such a regular dish in Mallu households, and invariably I had some chicken marinating in the freezer. It is normally a high calorie dish because it is fried in oil, but baking and broiling it cuts down on some of the calories. I'm trying to be careful with my diet, and cuting down on fats as much as I can.

3 Boneless chicken breasts cubed into 1 inch pieces
Ginger paste 1tbsp
Garlic paste 1tbsp
Red chilli powder 2tbsp
Fennel seeds powder 1 tsp
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Cornflour 2 tbsp
Vinegar 1tbsp
Salt to taste

Mix all the spices, cornflour, vinegar, and salt well. Then add to the chicken. Marinate in the fridge for a couple of hours.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Place aluminium foil on a cookie sheet spray lightly with oil, place chicken on the foil, and spray chicken lightly with oil. Bake till chicken is done, then turn the oven to Broil and broil for a few minutes so the top part of the chicken gets some color.
Serve hot.

Thenkuzals

Thenkuzals are delicate crispy nibbles, eaten with chai or afternoon tea. My son loves them, and Diwali was a good excuse to make them. It took me less than a hour to make them. They taste so much better then the store bought stuff.
Rice flour 2 cups
Urad flour 1/2 cup
Butter 2 tbsp
Salt 2 tsps
Hing 1/4 tsp
Pepper powder 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1 tsp
Oil for frying
Mix the rice flour and urad flour, add butter, and rub it in. Add pepper powder and cumin seeds to the the flour mixture. Take 1/2 cup water add salt and hing, stir until dissolved. Add to the flour mixture and make a soft dough. Add more or less water as need be.
Heat oil. Add the dough into the murukku press, use the thenkuzal plate for this.

Press out the thenkuzal and fry till light golden. Drain on paper towels.

Rice Laddoo/Ari Unda

This is a traditional sweet from Kerala. I remember eating this when I was a kid, visiting Kerala during summer vacations. Our Kerala visit was a yearly ritual, and a two-day journey from Bombay to Kerala, which I loved as I got to meet all my cousins, and eat lots of mangoes and read books.
Ari means rice in Malyalam, and unda means round/ball. Traditionally the rice is soaked, ground, and powdered. Then mixed with coconut and jaggery syrup to make this delicious creations. I used rice flour instead and it turned out fine.It has a unique taste and is pretty filling.
Rice flour- 1 cup
Coconut grated - 1/2 cup
Jaggery - 1/2 cup
Water - 1 cup
Jaggery
Add the grated coconut to the rice powder, and mix well.
Rice flour and coconut being roasted
Use a big skillet to roast this rice and coconut mixture, on a low heat, stirring constantly until it changes color and you get the aroma of the rice roasting. Keep aside.
Heat jaggery and water, and make a syrup. Remove from heat add the rice and coconut mixture, stir well. making round balls
The mixture needs to be moist or it cannot be shaped into balls.
Ari undas ready to eat
Make round balls, while the mixture is still hot. Pressing well to keep its shape.
This is my entry for the Special Edition Jihva hosted by Vee of Past, Present, Me.

Rava Dosa

Dosas are to South India what crepes are to France. The dosa is a large crepe made with fermented batter of rice and urad dal. Rava dosas, however, are made from an airy thin batter of rice flour and semolina, and can be made whenever one gets the craving to eat dosas. This batter is poured out on an iron flat griddle letting the batter flow in the pan. The pan needs to be hot so the batter does not stick and comes off easy.

Makes about 7 dosas
Ingredients:
Rava (Semolina) ½ cup
Rice flour ½ cup
Salt ¾ tsp
Soda bicarbonate ¼ tsp
Green chilies 2 finely minced
Ginger ½ inch grated
Curry leaves 2 finely minced
Cumin seeds ¼ tsp
Yogurt 2 tbsp
Water 2 cups
Oil for making the dosas
Method:
1. Mix the rava, rice flour, salt, and soda bicarbonate.
2. Add the green chilies, ginger, curry leaves, and cumin seeds.
3. Add the yogurt, and water mix well with a whisk till no lumps are formed.
4. Set aside for a few minutes, and get your tava or flat non-stick pan ready.
5. Heat the tava, add ½ tsp oil, and use a cut onion to spread the oil on the tava.
6. Pour a ladleful about ½ cup batter on the hot tava in a circular motion without touching the tava, see that you pour it in a thin layer, because it is hard to spread the batter with a ladle. The batter will have a lattice work effect, and a lot of holes.
7. Pour ½ tsp of oil and cook on medium heat. Cook only on one side till crisp and golden. Use a flat spatula to coax the dosa off the tava fold over and serve with chutney.

Usually using the cut side of the onion to clean the tava does the trick and I have hardly ever had a dosa stick. I also use a cast iron flat griddle pan to make my dosas.

Jeera , Cumin Seeds

Mythili of Vindhu is hosting a food-blogging event called 'Mistress of Spices', and we get to write about our favorite spice.
I’m choosing Jeera as my favorite spice for this event; I hope it’s not too late to post.
Cumin (Jeera) is usually used both as a whole seed or ground powder in virtually any Indian curry dish, which makes it one of the most important of all Indian spices. Cumin seeds can be either white or black. Black cumin seeds have a slightly sweeter and more delicate flavor than the white seeds. It gives that powerful aroma which many people associate with Indian food. Cumin also has a bitter and nutty taste. Cumin is identified with Mexican cuisine as well. Cumin can be found in some Dutch cheeses and in some traditional breads from France.
Cumin is an ancient spice and the use of which dates back to ancient Egypt, has been mentioned in the Bible, been used by Greeks, and been referenced in middle age Europe. Cumin is also known to be an appetite stimulant and believed to ease stomach disorders, such as diarrhea.
Cumin is the dried fruit of a small herb. Cumin adds flavor to foods, liquors and beverages. The spice is of particular value in the blending of Indian curry powder. It also enlivens pulaos, biryanis and kebabs. Cumin has digestive properties and when boiled in water and drunk, is very refreshing. It is also used in medicines, toiletries and perfumery.

Indian cumin grows abundantly in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Utter Pradesh. It is exported in its natural form as well as oil and powdered forms. Exports are mostly to USA, Singapore, Japan, UK and North Africa.
Lastly, my parents are currently visiting, and they insist on drinking Jeera Water, water boiled with Jeera and Ginger powder. This is a very common way of drinking water in Kerala, and in Malayalam, is called Chukku/JeeragamVellam; Chuka meaning dried ginger, jeeragam meaning jeera, and vellam meaning water. “Chukkuvellam”, the boiled and herb-infused water has become a trademark of Kerala. Tourists have been fascinated by this herbal concoction, often falling into the everyday habit of drinking it.

Tropical Smoothie

Frozen fruits like papaya, mango, strawberries, and pineapple which come in a bag, or any frozen fruit of your choice about1 cup
Any watery fruit like watermelon 1 cup cut into cubes
Honey 2 thsp

In a blender place the fruits and honey. Blend on high speed until smooth. Serve in a tall glass.
If you don't have watermelon just add 1/2 cup water instead.
This is a great smoothie, no dairy, and low cal. I usually have this for my mid-morning snack.

Baingan Fry (Brinjal Fry)

A FYI, an eggplant considered a vegetable is actually a fruit, and it originates from India. It gets more interesting, in the US, the eggplant was used as a table decoration till the 20th century. Didn't know that...Anyway I had gone to the Asian store to buy my weekly round of veggies. They always have plentiful varieties of eggplants in the store. For this recipe you can use any variety, they all turnout well.

Ingredients:
Japanese eggplant 5 cut like frenchfries, a little thicker though, 1/2 inch in diameter, and 1 inch long
Red onion 1 large sliced
Green chilles 4 cut lengthwise
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp

For the Tempering:
Mustard seeds 1 tsp
Cumin seeds 1tsp
Garlic minced 1 clove
Curry leaves 5

Method:
1. Zap the brinjals in the microwave for 5 minutes.
2. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, let it pop add the rest of tempering ingredients as listed.
3. Add green chillies, then onions, saute for a minute.
4. Add brinjals, and salt. Keep stirring.
5. Cover and cook for 15 minutes on low heat, till everthing is fried well. Remember to keep stirring occasionally.
Goes well with a chapati or tortilla. Serve rolled up as a wrap. Yummy!!!

French Beans Thoran

I buy the French beans at Costco, and they are a staple in my house. Thoran is a dry vegetable curry , with the flavoring of coconut in it. My embellishment to this dish is the tempering which is slightly different from the traditional, mustard seeds and udad dal tempering. Instead I add cumin seeds and garlic which add a definite kick to the otherwise bland dish.

Serves 6-8

French beans 2 lbs chopped finely
Salt to taste
Oil 2 tbsp

Grind to a coarse paste

Fresh/Frozen Coconut grated 2 tbsp
Green chillies 3
Cumin Seeds 1/2 tsp

For the tempering

Mustard Seeds 1tsp
Cumin Seeds 1tsp
Hing a pinch
Turmeric 1/2 tsp
Garlic chopped 1 clove
Curry leaves 4

Method:

1. Heat oil, add mustard seeds, once they pop add rest of the tempering ingredients in the order listed.
2. Add beans, salt, ground paste.
3. Cover and cook on low heat, till tender and dry.
4. Serve as a side dish.



If I am in a hurry, I zap the french beans for 5 minutes in the microwave, then the whole cooking process takes only 10 minutes or less.

Curry Leaf (Karipatta, Karivepalla, Murraya koenigii spreng)

I cannot think of cooking Indian food, especially South Indian food without Curry Leaves. It is hard to find them during winter in the Indian stores in Denver, so we decided to buy a Curry Leaf Plant instead. When Rajan went to Dallas, he bought the plant in one of the Indian grocery stores. Mine looks like the dwarf variety, which does not grow tall, but spreads its branches.
Its leaves are highly aromatic and are used as aherb or spice.. In Indian cooking curry leaves are used fresh in some recipes, while the most common method is to fry them in oil for the tadka (tempering of curries).
Curry Leaves can be stored in a Ziploc bag, in the refrigerator for a few weeks and they will remain fresh.
There is nothing like picking fresh curry leaves just the right amount when you need them for cooking.

Bhatia Nurseries in New York sells Murraya Koenigii (curry leaves) phone 212-221-7040.



Weekend Herb Blogging

Pumpkin Pachadi

We had the pachadi for lunch with the fenugreek dal from Mahanandi's website and rice.
I am home for the holidays which is a great luxury for us. I have almost three weeks off and get to spend time cooking and catching up on my reading, and now blogging.

Pumpkin Pachadi
(serves four)

White pumpkin- 1 cup cubed into half inch pieces
Yogurt- 1/4 cup
Salt to taste
Mustard Seeds-1/2 tsp
Red Chillies-2
Curry leaves-4
Oil- 1tbsp

Blend the following-
Fresh Coconut- 2 thsp
Green Chillies-3
Mustard Seeds-1/4 tsp

Method:
Cook the pumpkin with 1 cup of water and salt till cooked.
Add the coconut paste and simmer for a few minutes till thick.
Let it cool add the yogurt.
Heat oil, add the mustard seeds, red chillies, once they splutter add the curry leaves, pour over the pachadi.
Enjoy with rice.

Vegetable Curry

Today is my first time blogging, we had some friends come over for dinner, and I served this Vegetable curry with Puris.

Serves about four

Cauliflower florets - 1 cup
Mushroom - 1 cup sliced
Peas - 1/2 cup
Tomatoes -2
Green chillies-2
Ginger-about 1/2 inch
Mustard seeds-1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds-1/2 tsp
Hing(Asafoetida)-1/4 tsp
Chilli powder-1/2 tsp
Garam Masala powder-1/2 tsp
Salt to taste
Coriander leaves chopped 2 tbsps
Canola Oil-1 tbsp

Method:
Prepare the vegetables.
Blend tomatoes,green chillies, and ginger in a blender.
Heat oil in a pan, add mustard seeds, when it splutters, add cumin seeds and hing.
Add vegetables, saute for a few minutes, till they get cooked a little, then, add the blended tomato mixture.
Add salt, chilli powder and garam masala powder, let it simmer and reduce to a thick gravy.
Add coriander leaves.
Serve hot with puris or any kind of bread.