Poha

Poor man's food or not this is my favorite breakfast. I also make it as an afternoon snack with tea or a when I am in a mood for light dinner. I love this simple but versatile flattened rice dish. Although I make it in a couple of different ways this is the one I enjoy the most - with peanuts, a little spicy, tangy and slightly sweet. The Gujarati way.
Top it with sev (fried savory noodles) pomegranate seeds or even some pickle on the side.

Ingredients

2 cups flattened rice or poha  washed with luke warm water
1 red onion (chopped)
1 potato (cubed)
3-4 green chillies
1 sprig curry leaves
1 tsp turmeric
a few peanuts (optional)
1 tsp. mustard seeds
1 tbsp sugar
Juice of 1 lemon
chopped cilantro for garnishing
1 tbsp oil for cooking
salt according to taste

Method

Heat oil in a wok or kadhai and add the mustard seeds, curry leaves and peanuts. Once the seeds splutter add the onion and potatoes. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes. The potatoes should become soft and onions slightly brown. Add the turmeric and green chillies. Now add the poha which should have fluffed up and become soft. Mix everything well and add the salt and sugar. Finally squeeze the juice of lemon and garnish with cilantro.

Paneer and babycorn

I completed my internship and am feeling very relieved and at the same time exhausted and tired.  The year has been busy but fulfilling and am excited about the new prospects it will bring. All I wanted to do now was sleep. I did not feel like cooking or blogging or doing anything else. So I have not cooked anything new but I wanted to post something as I realized that I have not posted anything in December. I pulled out this recipe from my drafts. This was a rich gravy based vegetable with paneer and baby corn. I love the delicate flavor of baby corn but have not really used it as much as I would like to. I like it in stir fry or noodles/pasta, but not so much with Indian food. However it tasted really good with the paneer. I did not over cook it so that it retains the crunch.

Ingredients
Cashew, walnuts, almonds soaked (1/2 cup)
2-3 red chilli soaked
1/2 tsp shahi jeera
2 black cardamom
1 large onion ground
1 tsp ginger  grated
1/2 tsp turmeric,
1tbsp kasuri methi (dry fenugreek leaves)
1tsp sugar
Baby corn and paneer sautéed and kept aside (about 1/2 cup each)
1/2 an apple chopped
1 tsp black pepper
salt to taste
Cilantro
Oil for cooking

Method

Grind the soaked cashews, almonds and walnuts along with the soaked red chillies. Heat 1 tbsp oil and add the shahi jeera and black cardamom. Once the jeera (cumin) splutters add the grated ginger and ground onion. Cook for 2-3 minutes then add the ground nut paste and turmeric powder. Mix well and cook for 5-7 minutes till it changes color to a light golden brown and the onions do not smell raw. Now crush the kasuri methi and add to the onion along with black pepper, sugar and salt.

In a separate saute pan take a little oil and saute the paneer till it is light golden. Keep it aside and saute the baby corn and apples . Saute on high heat for a few minutes to get a nice golden color and smokey flavor. Season with salt and pepper. Now add the paneer, baby corn and apples to the gravy and mix. Garnish with cilantro.

Colorful ribbon salad

This salad came as a surprise to me. I was not planning for a blog post nor was I thinking about making any salad. It just happened and I am so delighted with the results.  It is a busy time of the year for me. Due dates are lurching over my head but I still could not stop myself from making this. During one of my routine visits to the grocery I found these beautiful rainbow carrots. I had to buy those. I had no idea what I was going to do with them.

 

 

Then later that evening we were at a friend's place who had pooja in their house and she sent me home with this coconut as prasad. That sparked the idea and I decided to use them together. I kept adding ingredients I had and it become one delicious salad.





Ingredients
4-5 different colored carrots or regular ones
1 zucchini
fresh coconut thinly sliced
1 clementine or orange
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
handful of toasted and glazed pecan or walnuts
2 tbsp maple syrup
1 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
pinch of salt
1 lemon

Method

Wash the carrots and zucchini. Pat dry. Use a vegetable peeler to make long ribbons with the carrots and zucchini. Peel a few slices from the coconut and keep aside. Mix all the vegetables and pomegranate in a bowl. Peel the clementine and add the slices, maple syrup, lemon juice and salt. Toss to mix well. Season with black pepper and paprika. Finally top with glazed pecans.

 
 

Red lentils and pumpkin soup

I know I have been making a lot of soups lately. There are two reasons for it. One is that it is getting cold and I love having a hot bowl of soup after a hard days work and the other reason is that  I find it easy to put it together as compared to making a full fledged Indian meal. I was very happy with the way this soup turned out but I was more excited about the creamy coconut milk and sour cream dip that I made to go along with it.

Here is the recipe.
Ingredients
1 cup masoor dal (red lentils) washed and soaked in water for half and hour
1 can of pumpkin puree
1 heaped tbsp. grated ginger
1 can coconut milk
3-4 ground cloves (laung)
2 shallots
3-4 large cloves or garlic (finely chopped)
1 stick cinnamon
2 tsp curry powder
1tsp. turmeric
2 tsp roasted cumin powder
1 tsp chilli powder
salt to taste
olive oil for cooking

Method

Heat olive oil in a pot and add the chopped shallot, garlic and ginger. Stir for a few minutes then add the cinnamon and ground cloves. Cook for about 5 minutes then add the turmeric and ground cloves. Drain all the water and add the lentil in the pot. Mix well till the lentils are well coated with onions and spice. Add the curry powder, chilli powder, roasted cumin powder, salt and mix everything well. Pour about 2 cups of water, cover the pot and bring it to a boil. Cook the lentils till they are completely cooked. Now add the pumpkin puree and after removing the cinnamon stick blend the soup using a hand blender. Finally add the coconut milk in it and adjust the seasoning.

I topped this soup with curry flavored sour cream. To make it I mixed 1/2 a cup of sour cream with 1/4 cup coconut milk, 1tsp chipotle seasoning, a dash of salt, curry powder and 1 tbsp haberno and pineapple dip (optional). I added the haberno dip as I had it at home but I would have added sweet mango pickle or any sweet chutney instead.

For serving pour the soup in a bowl and top with the sour cream.

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Green tomato chutney

 


One of my all time favorite movies is fried green tomatoes. No and I don't think it is because the title sounds so delicious or because food/restaurant as a theme runs throughout the film. I love the story, the characters and the the setting and the message of endurance the film portrays (to me at least) I think it also had to to with the time in my life when I watched this film and I am sure we all are influenced or inspired by films or music or a novel sometimes if it relates to touches your life at that time.

It is true though that I tried to make fried green tomatoes for the first time only after seeing this film. I bought the store bought batter mix first and I think it was the whistle stop brand? Not sure now but whistle stop was the name of a station in the film. I loved eating fried green tomatoes! I started making my own mix as it was really simple and it came out very well.

Maybe I should make it and post a recipe. But this is another recipe using green tomatoes and it is delicious. I love having this with paratha or puri. It goes very well with crackers or chips.

Ingredients

2 large green tomatoes chopped

1tsp fennel seeds

1tsp mustard seeds

½ tsp. fenugreek seeds

2-4 cloves

1tsp onion seeds (kalonji)

½ tsp. cumin seeds

2-3 dry whole red chilies

1tsp turmeric powder

1tsp black salt

1tsp red chilli powder

4 tbsp. brown sugar or powdered jaggery

Pinch of asafoetida

2 tbsp. oil for cooking

Salt to taste

Method

Heat oil in a pan. Add all the seeds and once they crackle, add the whole red chillies and asafoetida, red chilli powder and turmeric powder. Quickly add the chopped green tomatoes and stir well. Now add the salt and sugar, little water and cover the pan. Let it look for about 5-7 minutes until tomatoes become soft yet not mushy. Taste for seasoning and adjust salt or sugar.

Vada Pav

Vada pav is a quintessential Bombay snack. A spicy mix of potatoes dipped in batter and deep fried then served tucked in bread with spicy chutney. I was thinking of making something special as I realized that I have successfully managed to blog for one whole year. Celebrations usually call for sweets/ desserts but I do not have much of a sweet tooth, although I cannot say I do not like sweet things. When I have a craving, it is usually for something, hot and spicy…even deepfried!  Vada pav may not sound like a grand celebratory food item but it satisfied my craving. I am sure people who love chaats and samosas and pakoras would agree with me that something like this could be special too

Here is the recipe

For the vada

3 large potatoes boiled and mashed

2 tbsp. ginger garlic green chili and curry leaves paste (grind all the ingredient together)

1 tsp. mustard seeds

½ tsp. asafoetida

1 tsp. turmeric powder

Salt to taste

Chopped cilantro about ¼ cup

 

For the batter

2 cups of gram flour/besan

About ¾ cup of water, (Add more if needed to make a thick batter)

Salt, red chili powder, carom seed powder (ajwain powder), pinch of asafoetida/hing and turmeric (add all the spices according to your liking or taste).

Crush a little kasoori methi (dry fenugreek leaves) and add to the batter.

Mix everything very well to make a smooth paste.

 

For the garlic and peanut chutney

 ½ cup roasted peanuts

½ cup roasted sesame seeds

¼ cup roasted coconut

½-cup garlic cloves

5-6 dry red chili

1-2 tbsp. red chili powder

Salt according to taste

Dry roast the garlic and red chilies. Grind everything listed above to make a coarse paste

Method

Heat oil in a pan and add the mustard seeds and asafoetida.  Once the seeds splutter, add the ground paste and stir well. Add the turmeric and the potatoes. Season with salt and mix well. Add the chopped cilantro mix it in. Now make small balls with the potato mixture and keep it aside.

 

For making the vadas

 

Dip the potato balls in the prepared batter and deep dry until they turn golden and crispy.  

To assemble take the hamburger bun and slit it. Apply some green chutney if desired (made with cilantro and green chilies) and the garlic chutney. Now place one or two potato vadas in the bun. Serve with a cup of masala chai.

Almonds and roasted apple soup

I would have never thought of making a soup with apples. However, it happened after I saw a friend who makes the most delicious cookies and cakes and so we often end up visiting to say hello and it helps that they live in the neighborhood. They have also shared a lot of gardening tips with me and gifted several plants that all Indian families love to have like curry patta, betel leaf plant, bamboo, jasmine etc. They often go out to pick their own vegetables and fruits from local farms. It was after one such trip that they shared about how they picked buckets of apples from a local farm and I was curious to know how they were going to use all those apples. They told me that they made a vegetable korma using apples! Maybe it is a common thing but I had never heard of it and it amused me and made me think of apples in a different way. 

As it happened, we too had visited the same farm and had our own little bucket of apples. I was thinking of eating one during lunch every day and then maybe make an apple cake or pie? I was thinking more about the traditional recipes with apples.

However, when I heard about that apple korma I began to think about using my bucket of apples for something a little different and that is when I decided to make a soup with it. I added blanched almonds for making it thick and creamy and some maple syrup for added sweetness. 

Ingredients

Two large apples

1-cup almonds

Two sticks of cinnamon

1 star anise

½ tsp. chopped ginger

2-3 bay leaf

4-5 cloves

1 tsp. black pepper

2 tsp. smoked paprika

Some freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup pure maple syrup

2 tsp. sea salt (according to taste)

2 cups apple cider

Water as needed to thin the soup

Any soft cheese ¼ cup (flavored ginger mango stilton would be delicious but I did not have it at this time)

Peel and slice the apples. Apply olive oil and salt and roast them in the oven for 15 minutes or until the apples become soft and nicely browned from outside. The apples should not burn but look caramelized.  Soak the almonds for a few hours to blanch them. Peel the skin and keep the almonds aside.

Heat a tablespoon of butter with a little olive oil and add all the spices (cinnamon, cloves, ginger, star anise, and bay leaf). Add the apples, almonds, and mix everything well. Now pour the apple cider, salt and maple syrup. Adjust seasoning according to taste. Cover and let simmer for a few minutes. Now remove the whole spices with a slotted spoon. Blend the soup very well until it becomes smooth and creamy. Now add the cheese and mix. To serve, pour the soup in a bowl and top with a drizzle of maple syrup, marshmallows and a dash of paprika if desired. The soup is rich and filling therefore the serving size should be smaller I enjoyed it with a grilled cheese sandwich for dinner.