Pickled Cauliflower

Don’t you love the firm, glossy skin, and vivid looks of the flowery cruciferous vegetable called Cauliflower? What’s more, they actually add a healthy color to our life. Among other nutrients, these beauties are packed with vitamin K, manganese and vitamin C, both powerful antioxidants and an excellent source to keep cancer risks at bay. Just like broccoli.

 

 Cauliflowers get tender quickly during cooking so I suggest sautéing this vegetable delicately to retain that flowery look. Now this is another simple recipe here. Toss quickly this mildly spiced fresh salad, packed with nutrients, to go with your meals. This recipe adds a delicious crunch and a brilliant splash of color to your eat well goals. This, along with the heat from the pickled spices, makes it a totally irresistible stir-fry.

Result ... Spiced, Colorful, Tangy And Crunchy stir-fry with mild Indian spices. Fell free to replace cauliflower with other vegetables you like. Use firm, fresh vegetables and spices. Make sure to rinse well after cutting the florets. For a better crunch, use white cauliflower and if you are looking for a powerhouse of nutrients, broccoli can also be used in the same way. Both are actually rich sources of fiber also.

 

INGREDIENTS:

1 medium Cauliflower

1 medium onion

2 tbsp Oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp fenugreek seeds

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1 tsp roasted & crushed cumin seeds

1/4 tsp onion seeds

1/4 tsp asafoetida
1/2 tsp turmeric powder
Salt to taste
2 green chillies
1 tsp each ginger + garlic paste
3/4 cup yogurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp coriander powder
Coriander leaves for garnishing

HOW TO MAKE:
 

1)   Heat oil, add in mustard seeds, cumin seeds, fenugreek seeds, fennel seeds, crushed cumin seeds, onion seeds and asafetida.  and bring it back to flame. Sauté till the seeds splutter. 
 
2) Add onion and sauté till translucent. Add cauliflower florets, turmeric powder and salt.

3)  Chop green chilies and add. Sprinkle some water and toss to mix well.  Cover and cook on medium heat for a minute. 

4)  Add ginger paste, garlic paste and yogurt. Add red chili powder and coriander powder now. Mix well. Cover and cook till cauliflower is done. Cauliflower should be dry and covered well in the spices well.

5) Serve hot, garnished with coriander leaves which are finely chopped.

 

Dahi Kadhi

This weekend's been great, so much food, cooking, napping and reading- all my favourite stuff basically! I'm going to spend the rest of this week catching up and scheduling my blog to make way for an influx of new reviews and recipes that will be coming your way soon. I have got 15 more recipes waiting in my drafts which have been tried and tested since a while, waiting to get published. I intend putting them up at the earliest.

Can you say YUMMY? This is such a great QUICK and EASY recipe, yet the results taste like you’ve been in the kitchen for hours. This is an ample serving. You could easily just steam some rice and still have room in your calories for some meat or chicken on the side. It is perfect for the summer months and a pleasure to the digestive system. We call it the Dahi Ki Kadhi in India, made up mainly of sour yogurt. Each state has its own version of this recipe and all versions taste wonderful.

INGREDIENTS:

For the kadhi:

• 1 small to medium onion
• ¾ to 1 tbsp chopped garlic or crushed garlic
• 8-10 fenugreek seeds
• 2 green chillies chopped or slit lengthwise
• 2 red chillies broken
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• a generous pinch of asafoetida
• 8 to 10 curry leaves or 1 sprig
• 2 tbsp.oil
• a handful of finely chopped coriander leaves

For the curd mixture:

• 1 1/2 cup full fat sour curd
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 cup water or add as required
• ½ tsp red chilli powder
• 1 tsp turmeric powder
• Pinch garam masala powder
• generous pinch of asafoetida/hing
• Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

 

The curd mixture:

 

1) Mix all the ingredients listed under the curd mixture in a bowl and keep aside.

 

The Kadhi :

 

1) Heat oil in a low bottomed vessel. Add in the red chilies, garlic  and the asafetida.

 

2) Then add the mustard seeds, fenugreek seeds, curry leaves and the cumin seeds.

 

3) Once the mustard seeds crackle, add the green chilies and the sliced onion and fry them until onion is soft.

 

4) Pour in the curd mixture. Allow it to simmer on low flame for about 10 to 15 minutes.

 

5) Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and switch off the flame.

 

6) You can drop in some onion fritters or spinach fritters and can serve it with steamed rice.

 

 

 

 

Drumstick curry

I had a few drumsticks waiting for attention in my refrigerator and finding this recipe was a blessing for them. This is a cool side dish that can be accompanied with flatbreads or with rice. Touched with tomatoes and a few spices, this is extremely simple to make and so healthy too.This was my first go at drumsticks. Quite yummy with a bit of pure tomato puree drizzled on top and cooked till done.

INGREDIENTS:

Grind to a smooth paste:

• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 medium tomatoes, roughly chopped
• ½ inch ginger, chopped
• 2-3 garlic, chopped

Other ingredients:

• 4 to 5 medium drumsticks
• 1 tsp cumin seeds
• ¼ tsp turmeric powder
• ¼ tsp red chilli powder
• ¼ tsp garam masala
• a pinch of asafoetida
• 1 to 1.5 cups water
• 2 tbsp oil
• Salt as required
• Few coriander leaves for garnish

 

HOW TO MAKE:

1. Chop the drumsticks into 3 to 4 inches pieces long.
2. Make a smooth paste without adding any water from the onions, tomatoes, ginger and garlic.
3. Heat oil in a pan. crackle the cumin first. then add the ground paste.
4. Add the turmeric, red chili powder and asafetida. Sauté till oil starts leaving the sides of the pan.
5. Add the drumsticks and stir. Then add water and salt. Cook till drumsticks are done and soft.
6. Add the garam masala at this stage and mix well. Then garnish with finely chopped fresh coriander leaves and serve hot.

 

 

 

 

Stir fry beans

This is clearly the most easiest stir fry I have ever made. I made it for my simple Indian lunch in the weekend.  For this meal, I opted to create a salad kind of a bowl with and to sop up the flavours and mellow the vegetal cooked greens. But then I changed my mind and thought of these stir fried beans. They served as a quick side dish with steamed rice and some Punjabhi yogurt Kadai (recipe will be put up soon). Perfect for the stomach.

INGREDIENTS:

15-20 French Green Beans or String Beans (cut into half or leave them long)
 2-3 Garlic cloves sliced or finely chopped
1 tsp Chiili flakes (optional)
2 tbsp Oil
Salt to taste


HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the garlic until crisp and light brown.

2) Add the chilli flakes and salt and stir for a few seconds.

3)  Add the beans and stir to cover evenly with the oil.  Cover the skillet with a lid and leave to cook, stirring occasionally.

4) The beans should still have a bite to them but no longer taste raw.

5) Serve with rice or as a side dish.

 

Misal Pav (Street food)

Another  tried and tested recipe of the weekend. We had it for dinner with some cozy dinner rolls. It surely is a comfort food. Even though I am from India, I had never had it earlier nor heard of it. While reading an article recently, I happened to come across this and then after some research on it, I made it at home. It surely was a protein bombshell and I was pleased that my little one also loved it.

You might think this is just a street food dish, with a lot of noticeable protein source. Potatoes itself contain a reasonable amount of starch but the protein superstar here is the bean sprouts. Two handfuls of bean sprouts wilt down to maybe a cup or so after pressure cooking, but it packs a serious punch of protein along with an abundance of  vitamins and nutrients .All that in one serving!

The final Misal Pav

INGREDIENTS:

For the sprouts curry:

3 cups moth mean sprouts or bean sprouts or green gram sprouts 

2 small to medium potatoes, cubed

1 large or medium onion, finely chopped

1 or 2 green chilies, chopped

3 to 4 garlic/lahsun + 1 inch ginger/adrak - crushed in a mortar-pestle to a fine paste

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

10 to 12 curry leaves

1 to 1.5 tbsp goda masala

½ tsp turmeric powder

½ tsp red chili powder

1 tsp coriander powder

1 tsp cumin powder

1.5 tsp seedless tamarind soaked in 1/2 cup water

¾ to 1 cup water or as required

3 tbsp oil

A pinch of black salt

Salt as required

 

Dried Moth bean

For Serving:

8 to 10 dinner rolls or bread buns or bread slices

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 cup finely chopped tomatoes (optional)

1 cup thick snack mixture

1 lemon, quartered or diced

⅓ cup coriander leaves

 

HOW TO MAKE:

 

For the Bean sprouts curry:

1) Pressure cook the sprouts, cubed potatoes, ¼ tsp turmeric powder, salt for 2 to 3 whistles only.


Moth Bean sprouts


2) Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds. Then add the chopped onions and the curry leaves and sauté till onion is translucent.

3) Add the ginger-garlic paste and the green chillies. Saute for a minute.

4) Add the remaining ¼ tsp turmeric powder, coriander powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and goda masala. If you do not have goda masala, you can replace it with garam masala.

5) Add the tamarind water and sauté for 2-3 minutes.

6) Add the sprouts and the potatoes, salt and simmer for 8 to 10 minutes . Garnish with coriander leaves.
 

Serving the Misal Pav:

1)  Finely chop the onions and tomatoes.

2) Take the steaming usal in 4 to 5 bowls and in each bowl of usal, first add the chopped onions and tomatoes. Then top usal with chopped coriander leaves. Squeeze a few drops of lemon juice. Then top it with the snack mixture.

3) Serve the misal bowl in a plate with pav buns and slices of lemon, chopped onion and mixture.

 

Mexican Salsa

When we had been to Dubai a few months back, we had some lip-smacking Arabian food. I was surprised when I saw Arabian Rice paired with a tomato dip which is totally like a Mexican Salsa. I had not tasted a Mexican Salsa earlier to that. But I just knew how it is made and I could at least predict its taste.

When I ate it, I loved it. And then I started making it often at home with Biryani and Kebabs. It can be made in a jiffy and the only thing you need to balance in it is the spicy and the sour content. This easy winter dip goes well with burgers, hotdogs, chops and all your BBQ faves. So now you can kick-start every weekend  with backyard barbeques and picnics in the park.

Easy is an understatement with the availability of ingredients and how quick it is to prepare. Seven ingredients are all you need for these easy and no-fat main dishes. Cumin is a key ingredient for tasty salsa.

INGREDIENTS:

3 medium sized tomatoes seeded and chopped

Juice of 1/2 lime

2 tbsp of finely chopped red onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp chopped cilantro/coriander leaves

1 finely chopped jalepeno pepper or green chilly


HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Mix all ingredients and pulse them for 2-3 seconds in a blender until it gives a coarsely ground sauce kind of a look.

2) Refrigerate for at least an hour before serving to allow flavors settle or until ready to serve.  

 

Zeera Aaloo (Cumin Potatoes stir fry)

This is a great recipe for a quick dinner. There aren't many ingredients and doesn't take much time. It pairs great especially with stuffed breads or with rice as a side dish or when you are really not in a mood to cook but you are forced to do something with a jiffy.

He He . . . I am glad I had this recipe with me and it worked out wonderfully because it was loved by everyone when I dished it out. It is the quickest way to get a side dish at home and you will be called as the stir-fry Master when you dish it out. Surely when potatoes meet cumin, magic happens. Have a look at this recipe:

INGREDIENTS :

 

5-6 medium size potatoes, boiled

1 and half tsp cumin seeds/jeera

¼ cup chopped coriander leaves

1 green chili, chopped

½ tsp turmeric powder

¼ tsp red chili powder

3 to 4 tsp lemon juice

3 tbsp oil

Salt to taste

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Peel the boiled potatoes and cut into cubes.

 

2) Heat oil in a pan. Add the cumin seeds and let these sizzle in the oil.

 

3) Now add the green chilies and fry for a minute. Add the potato cubes and mix it well with the cumin seeds and chilies.

 

4) Sprinkle the turmeric powder, red chili powder and salt. Saute the potatoes for 2-3 minutes.

 

5)  Add the lemon juice and chopped coriander leaves. Mix the whole mixture well for a minute.

 

6) Serve hot.

 

 

 

Pepper Tomato Chutney

Whenever we visit our nearby South Indian restaurant for quick and light dinners, we are treated with a Chutney as a side dish made up mainly of Tomatoes. Generally, I am not a fan of Chutneys and if they are made of coconut or are spicy, they are the last things I taste.

 

In India, Chutneys are those side dishes which have all their ingredients ground to a smooth paste and are used as dips with fries or pancakes or with steamed rice cakes. On a recent visit to the supermarket, I happened to pick a few red bell peppers with the intention of using it in salads or noodles. However, I chanced upon a recipe for a recipe which uses bell peppers along with tomatoes to form this chutney which pairs beautifully with our Idlis and pancakes.

 

The good news is that, it doesn't require coconut and that's why I decided to try it. However, the outcome was something I did not expect. It tasted exactly like the Chutneys that are served in our nearby restaurant and which I always wondered as to how they make it so deliciously. So this recipe automatically gets bookmarked to be tried again and again .

This fresh chutney is ready for the table so quick, you won't believe it's homemade until you taste it. Not so spicy, vibrant, and super fresh. That's the best kind of Chutney, whether it's a topping on a taco or a quick summer dip in the sun.

 

INGREDIENTS:
 

Red Bell Pepper - 1, chopped into 1" pieces
Tomatoes - 2 large, sliced
Chana dal - 1 1/2 tbsps
Dry red chilies - 2
Green chilies - 1
Cumin - 1 tsp
Coriander leaves - 2 tbsps
Salt to taste
Cooking oil - 1 1/2 tbsps.

For Seasoning:

• OIl - 1 tsp
• Mustard seeds - 1/2 tsp
• Red chilies - 2
• Curry leaves - a sprig
• Asafoetida - pinch

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Heat 1 1/2 tsps of oil in a vessel. Once the oil is hot, reduce flame, add chana dal, cumin and red chilies and saute till the dal turns light brown. Add green chilies and coriander leaves and saute for 2 mts. Remove the contents from the vessel and keep aside to cool.

2) In the same vessel, add a tbsp of oil, add the red bell pepper pieces and saute for 6 mts. Add the tomatoes and saute for 9-10 mts on low to medium flame. Turn off heat and cool.

3) Blend the dal-red chilies mixture till coarse. Then add the cooled ingredients (tomatoes and red bell peppers) along with salt and grind to a fine paste. Remove into a serving bowl. 

4) Heat a tsp of oil in a small pan, add the mustard seeds and allow them to splutter. Add the curry leaves, red chilies and asafoetida and turn off heat.

5) Pour this tempering over the chutney and serve.

 

Methi Paneer (Cottage Cheese with Fenugreek)

INGREDIENTS:

1 bunch methi (fenugreek leaves), blanched (with 1 tsp of sugar) and pureed

2 Tbsp oil

3 dried red chilies

1/2 cup tomato puree

Salt to taste

1 tsp garam masala

2 tsp coriander powder

250 gms  cottage cheese, cubed

HOW TO MAKE:

 

1) Heat oil and add the whole red chillis.

2) Add the tomato puree and sauté for 2 minutes. Then add salt, garam masala and coriander powder, saute till the oil comes up.

3) Add fenugreek leaves and cook for 2-3 minutes. Then add the cottage cheese cubes and allow it to simmer for 3-4 minutes.

4) You can garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and julienned ginger pieces and serve hot with assorted breads.

 

Crispy Lady's finger gravy

Lady's Fingers/okras are not very popular among my house until and unless they are cooked very deliciously. In all honesty, I have to say that most of the time, the symphony of flavors do not come to life with this particular vegetable no matter what combination of spices I make use off. Thanks to its soggy and slimy nature.

 

Growing up in a large family, I have always watched and savored the dishes prepared by my family. I have learnt that adding a spike of tamarind to any dish prepared out of this vegetable brings in a refreshing zest to it. Even then I am unable to create a mouth watering okra dish and I fail to bring the smile on my family's face when I present it on the table until one day I chanced upon an effortless recipe which involves no tamarind and no chopping up of this slimy veggie. Yes, you have to fry it whole for a crispy finish and drop it into a relishing gravy.

 

This is how I ended up trying out an authentic dish from Uttar Pradesh (one of the North Indian States) which shows off its fiery delights in a very gentle way. If you eyeball the ingredients of this dish, this might look like a marathon recipe. But don't be put off by the number of ingredients here. It serves as an easy side dish with various breads and also rice dishes. Can also be categorized as an easy dinner dish. You can also crack the lid for the last hour of cooking to soften the crispy fingers in the gravy by giving the lady fingers the yogurt treatment for a crispy and spicy main dish. The slow cooking will keep your kitchen cool.

So now let’s hit the recipe:

 

INGREDIENTS:

3 Onions
1 tbsp. Oil
10 Lady's fingers(Okra)
3 tsp giner-garlic paste
1 cup yogurt
1 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp turmeric powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala powder
Salt to taste
1/2 cup water

HOW TO MAKE:

1)  Slice the onions into big pieces and boil in salted water. Upon boiling, onions get a slightly darker color. Strain the water to blend it into a fine paste by adding a little bit of water. Keep the glossy onion paste aside.

2) Heat the oil in a pan. (enough to fry the okras). Slice the okras across the center and fry them in the hot oil till crispy and remove them out. Keep aside.

3) In another pan, add some ginger-garlic paste. When the paste turns brown, add the boiled onion paste. While the paste is simmering on the stove, prepare a yogurt paste by adding the spice powders.

4) For the yogurt paste, add red chilli powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder and cumin powder.  Whisk the yogurt with all the spices and add it to the paste.

5)  After the paste is roasted, add one cup of water and salt to taste. Also add the garam masala powder at this stage.

6) Add the fried okras to the mixture. Cover the pan and leave it to simmer on low heat.

7) Serve hot with most rice dishes and assorted breads.

 

Egg with veggies

Where do the weekends go? I can't imagine how soon the weekends just pass off. By the time you get the real feeling that you are going through the weekend, Saturday afternoons arrive. Overall, weekends are a much welcome slowdown from the normal frenzy of activities.

 Last week, I took an off on the last working day of the week (Thursday). Wednesday evening looked so heavenly that I felt that Sunday morning needs an eternity to reach us. Thursday at home with the little one was blissful and when you are happy, you are energetic also. And that means the hob will take up an extra load of cooking.

For me blissfulness means, it has to be celebrated with color, tranquility and elegance. So scanning through my written recipes bunch, I found a simple, rustic and delicious side dish that pairs beautifully with  rice and pickle.

Eggs were my first choice. They are the best super foods anyone can consume. They are the most versatile of all ingredients in the kitchen and are my first choice to bind, thicken or lighten a dish, and served to suit your individual taste.

To keep it all light and effortless, I dropped a few eggs in boiling water to harden them. Once done, I peeled them, separated the egg whites from the yolks and cut the egg whites in cubes. Chopped a few vegetables of different colors to bring in the splashy look of hue to the dish. The vibrant color shines from every angle of the dish bringing into your kitchen an inspiring combination of indulgent spices. So slathered with homemade condiments with a powerful combination of proteins and vegetables, this dish is surely a crowd pleaser.

Overall ,this is a side dish with a sophisticated twist for eggs comined with vegetables.I have been savouring this dish from quite recently. A good one to be served with a light meal like dal & rice.

INGREDIENTS:

2 cup egg whites, boiled and cubed

1 cup veggies (carrot, beans and cabbage, yellow capsicum, ), chopped

I tomato chopped

1 teaspoon split black lentils (urad dal)

¼ cup onion, quartered and finely sliced

½ teaspoon ginger, shredded

2 small green chilies, sliced

10 curry leaves

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 ½ tablespoon oil

salt, to taste

 

 

 

HOW TO MAKE:

1) Boil eggs and cool them. Peel tham and separate the egg whites from the yolks.

2) Cube the egg whites and keep aside.

3) Heat oil in a pan. Add mustard seeds and cook until they crackle, add lentils and fry till golden..

4) Stir in onion, curry leaves, slit green chili and ginger and cook for 2 minutes till onions are soft.

5) Add in the veggies, tomatoes with salt and chili powder and cook on medium heat for 3-4 minutes until slightly tender.

6)  Add the egg and gently toss everything together for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and serve warm.