Spicy Thai Soup with Mushrooms, Tofu, and Red Chillies

This is a wonderfully aromatic soup with fresh flavors. It can be totally customized to your liking by adding whatever vegetable or protein you like. I love mushrooms and so they are the star of the dish but once you have the base of the soup ready any vegetable can be added to it. The heat from the red chillies, and the flavor of kaffir lime, lemon grass and galangal root will awaken your senses and even clear a sore throat. I really enjoyed this bowl of soup watching the snow on the trees instead of spring blossoms in the month of March. But I am not complaining!

I prepared the base first and kept the vegetables and tofu ready to add later. If you cook the vegetables along with the broth then the vegetables loose their color and crisp texture and I like my vegetables to have a little crunch in them. Except carrots which take time to cook I did not add any other vegetable early on.

Ingredients

5-6 cups vegetable broth

1 can lite coconut milk

vegetables of your choice ( I used mushrooms, broccoli, grated red cabbage and carrots)

cubed tofu or any other cooked protein

2-4 dry kaffir lime leaves (use fresh if available)

2 stalks of lemon grass (washed and smashed)

3 cloves of garlic (minced)

1 teaspoon galangal root (minced) 

thai red chillies 3-4 whole

1-2 teaspoons hot chilli paste

chilli oil to drizzle (optional)

1-2 tablespoon brown sugar 

salt and pepper to taste

fresh basil or cilantro leaves for garnish

Do not crush the lemon grass completely as it has to be removed before serving

If  you do not find kaffir lime and galangal use more basil leaves, it will still add to the flavor of the soup. 

Method

1. Pour the broth in a stock pot along with lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal, garlic and salt.
2. Cover and let it boil for 5-10 minutes. 
3. Add sliced carrots and boil for a few more minutes. 
4. Turn off the heat and add soy sauce, coconut milk, chilli paste and sugar. Check seasoning and adjust accordingly. Tear a few basil leaves and add to the stock base.
5. Prep the rest of the vegetables and keep them aside
6. Just before serving remove the lemon grass stalk, and kafir lime leaves.
7. Add the sliced mushrooms, broccoli florets, grated cabbage, whole red chillies and tofu. Bring it to a boil and turn off the heat. Sprinkle pepper powder and drizzle with chilli oil.
8. Finally top with chopped basil or cilantro leaves.
9. Serve immediately.

Recipe source: http://thaifood.about.com/od/vegetarianthairecipes/r/vegtomyum.htm

Stuffed Parval

 I usually cook parwal as a simple stir fry sliced thinly along with potatoes. For a change this time I tried to make stuffed parwal and it was quite successful. The list of ingredients below may seem intimidating but not hard to find in an Indian pantry.  A typical Indian spice box (masala dabba) has anywhere from 6-9 spices - like cumin/coriander powder, chili powder, turmeric, mustard, fennel and cumin seeds, hing etc. Regionally the spices may differ and  one spice may be more dominant from the other. My spice box usually has the above mentioned spices in addition to whole spices like bay leaf, cinnamon, black pepper, star anise and cardamom. I love spicy food and therefore I enjoyed making and eating this dish that has lot of spices from the masala dabba and some more!

  Ingredients

 250 gms fresh parval (pointed gourd)

 For the stuffing
1 boiled potato
2 teaspoons red chili powder
2 tablespoons coriander powder
2 tablespoons dry mango powder (amchur)
1/2 teaspoon (good quality) hing
1 teaspoon fennel seed powder (saunf)
2 tablespoons sev bhujia (optional) I used Haldiram's spicy bhujia
2 tablespoons coarsely ground roasted peanut powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
1 teaspoon kala namak
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin and fennel seeds
salt to taste

For the dry gravy
a pinch of hing
1/4 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 medium sized red onion sliced
1 tomato chopped
4-5 garlic cloves, made into paste
2-3 whole green chilies
5-6 curry patta (leaves)
1 teaspoon coriander powder, pinch of turmeric and red chili powder
1 teaspoon sugar
salt to taste
chopped cilantro leaves for garnishing

 Method

Wash the parval. Trim the end and cut into halves. Scoop out the flesh from from both the halves and keep it in a bowl to use for filling. Steam the halved parval for about 5 minutes or till the outer skin is soft.

Stuffing
Mash the boiled potato and mix it with the scooped parval. Add all the spices listed for stuffing. Mix well and fill in the steamed parval halves.

Heat oil in a non-stick pan.  Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once the seeds splutter add hing, sliced onion, whole green chillies and garlic. Cook for about 2 minutes then add the tomatoes, turmeric powder, coriander powder, salt and sugar. Gently place the stuffed parval in the pan. Cover and cook on low heat for 10-15 minutes. The onion should caramelize and the parval will get slightly browned. A little water can be sprinkled if needed. Carefully turn them over to cook from the other side. Cover for another 5-7 minutes. Check to see if it has desired softness or let it cook for a little more time. I like to cook with the lid open towards the end just to evaporate some moisture and  get a slight crunch. Before serving garnish with chopped cilantro leaves and sev bhujia. Serve with chapati or rice.

Palak Dal Fry (Lentils with Spinach)

Dal fry is something I like to make often. But the regular-everyday version is made with oil instead of ghee and does not have a tadka (tempering) twice. Dal fry is not really fried or unhealthy. We can make it richer by increasing the amount of oil or ghee used in it.  I like to add vegetables to the dal which makes it  a complete meal. Here I have added chopped spinach along with the usual onion and tomatoes that go in it. Serve it with steaming hot rice and some more ghee on top.

Ingredients

1 cup toor dal

1/4 cup chana dal

1 teaspoon turmeric powder

5-6 curry leaves

1 medium sized onion (sliced)

4-5 garlic cloves (make a paste)

1 tomato (chopped)

3-4 dry red chillies or sliced green chillies

1 cup tightly packed fresh spinach leaves

pinch of garam masala (optional)

1 tablespoon lemon/lime juice

1 tablespoon oil 

salt according to taste

For second tadka

2 teaspoons ghee

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 teaspoon mustard seeds

a few methi seeds (fenugreek)

1/2 teaspoon red chilli powder

1/2 teaspoon asafoetida (hing powder)

Method

Wash and soak both the dals together for half an hour. Boil or pressure cook the dal with enough water, salt and turmeric powder till done. It should not become completely mushy. Keep it aside. Heat a pan with oil and fry the onion till golden. (keep some onions aside if desired for garnish later. Add the curry leaves and and garlic paste. Fry till the raw smell of garlic goes away. Add a pinch of garam masala powder and tomatoes. Cover and cook for 4-5 minutes. Now add the chopped spinach leaves. Mix well and pour the cooked dal over it. Stir well.
To prepare the second tempering (tadka) heat ghee and add methi, mustard and cumin seeds. As soon as the seeds splutter add hing and dry red or green chillies and the red chilli powder. Immediately pour this over the dal and cover. Keep it covered for a while. Just before serving squeeze the juice of a lemon and mix.

Guava and Lady Apple Salad

This salad is pure simple joy for me. There is nothing spectacular or fancy in it but I love it! I love eating guavas sprinkled with some salt and red chili powder. These are often sold on the streets in India when guavas are in season......tucked in an old newspaper sprinkled with salt and some other spices. I paired the guavas with lady apples -  not to be confused with crab apples or lady pink apples. These are very small in size and have a unique flavor which is slightly sweet and tart. Any other tart apple would taste good too. And even if there are no apples it does not matter as the star here is guava.

Ingredients


1 guava (should not be over ripe)
2-3 lady apples
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon red chili powder

Method

Wash and dry the fruits. Cut the guava in half and scoop out the hard seeds with a spoon. Chop the the guava and apples. Sprinkle with salt and red chili powder. Mix and enjoy!

Tandoori Tawa Masala Aloo (Potatoes with Tandoori Spices)

This is a quick and easy potato dish.These potatoes laced with tangy tomato paste, thick yogurt, garlic and spices are delicious and make for a great  side dish. I even make sandwiches  using the leftover vegetable filled inside a crusty bread or fill them up in a pita pocket with hummus for a quick dinner. The marinade can be used for other other tandoori flavored dishes like paneer, cauliflower, and mushrooms. It is simple and (almost) healthy.


Ingredients

5-6 medium sized potatoes boiled and chopped into big chunks or 10-12 red baby potatoes boiled and halved

For the marinade
5-large cloves of garlic grated
1/4 cup thick Greek yogurt
1/4 cup tomato paste
3 tablespoons coriander cumin powder
2 teaspoons red chilli powder
1 teaspoon turmeric powder
2 teaspoons fennel powder
1 teaspoon black pepper powder
2 teaspoons tandoori masala or garam masala
salt to taste

For tempering
1/2 teaspoon each of mustard, cumin and fennel seeds, kalonji pinch of hing, 2 slit green chillies and 5-6 curry leaves

One tablespoon olive oil and one teaspoon ghee for cooking

Method

Mix all the ingredients of the marinade in a large bowl. Add the boiled potatoes in it. Mix well and let it sit for about half and hour. Heat a non stick pan and add oil and a teaspoon of ghee to it. Once it heats up add the mustard, cumin, fennel seeds and kalonji. Cover the pan as the seeds will splutter. Add the green chillies, curry leaves and hing. Now  slide the potatoes in the pan. Let the potatoes get slightly brown on the edges and the raw smell of spices disappear. Just before serving garnish with cilantro.

Mishti Doi (Caramalized Baked Yogurt)

This is a no fail recipe which is absolutely delicious! It almost tasted like a cheesecake. The traditional Bengali sweet dish...mishti doi is made of caramelized sugar and thick yogurt. I wanted to try a baked version and found a collection of mishti doi recipes here and tried out one of them with a little twist. I used caramelized condensed milk following the directions found of Nestle's recipe page here. Instead of boiling the can in a double boiler as suggested I used a pressure cooker and boiled the can for about 40 minutes on low heat. The caramelized condensed milk can be eaten as a dessert just by the spoonful! Here it made the mishi doi special by giving it the rich flavor, sweetness and color.

 Ingredients

1 can condensed milk

1 can [12 oz.] evaporated milk (plain full fat milk can also be used)

Use condensed milk can to measure yogurt and use 1 and 1/2 can non fat Greek yogurt

(any other yogurt would work as well)
Cardamom seeds, crushed 

1/4 cup chopped pistachios and sliced almonds

Method

First caramelized the condensed milk by boiling the unopened can in a pressure cooker for 40 minutes. Let it come to room temperature before opening the can or it might burst.

Pour all the ingredients (except the nuts) in a large mixing bowl. Mix  well with  hand blender until froth forms on top. Pour the mixture into baking dish. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees Fahrenheit and place the baking dish uncovered for about 50 minutes. Check to see it is set.Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the chopped nuts and let it cool. Keep it in the refrigerator for at least 4-5 hours to chill before serving.

Recipe source: http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/sweets8a.htm

Eggless Banana Bread with Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butterchips

I have recently been practicing my hand at baking....something that I have never been very successful at! After a couple of attempts at baking simple cakes and cookies I have begun to gather a little confidence and even enjoyed experimenting with baking. This is one simple recipe using over ripe bananas to make this delicious bread.I found an easy and simple recipe to make this eggless banana bread and adapted it just a little bit.
Here it is.

Ingredients

4 very ripe bananas, mashed
1 1/2 cups spelt flour or all purpose flour
1/2 cup butter melted
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup milk/soy milk

1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
1 pinch salt

(Optional ingredients)

1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

1/4 cup peanut butter chips

1/4 cup sunflower seeds

Method

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  In a mixing bowl, combine mashed bananas with butter.  Add in milk, vanilla, and mix.  Add in sugar, baking soda, salt, and mix.  Add flour gradually and mix well. Add the chocolate and peanut butter chips (if using). Pour the mixture into a greased loaf pan. Sprinkle the top with sunflower seeds and a few chocolate and peanut  butter chips. Bake for 1 hour or until a wooden pick comes out clean.

Recipe adapted from here: http://australian.food.com/recipe/quick-and-easy-eggless-banana-bread-447487