Curried Brown Chickpeas - Chana Upkari | Happy Ugadi

Every Friday when I was in school, I would wake up to the sound of fresh pepper being ground in the traditional Indian style spice grinder. No modern pepper mills for my mother.. even now its the same. The pepper would then be added to a seasoning for cooked brown/black chickpeas - kaala chana - along with a handful of coconut gratings to make Konkani style chona upkari. 

Every Friday it was a ritual to include chickpeas in the menu. No idea why this was but most Konkani homes followed this tradition on Fridays and also festival days as well.This continues even today and come Thursday night, I will soak chickpeas (black /white) or rajma or other dried beans (being little experimental).

Ugadi or New Year for Konkani, Kannada and Telugu communities falls today and is being celebrated with traditional rituals and food. A New Year for me means Khotte/Ittu along with my mom's special coriander chutney, lemon pickle (nonche), chana ghhasshi and upkari.  Every Konkani festival this was my breakfast. Though ofcourse marriage changed all this. Its good to have a spread when your mom is cooking, but when you have to do it, then its a bit tough...ahem !! 

Anyways today being Friday and also Ugadi, I thought I would share the simple chana upkari with you all. Khotte/ Ittu being a distant dream due to lack of jack fruit leaves and inability of yours truly to turn the leaves magically into a basket.. Oh.. the Goodness of mothers..

Ingredients:

Brown Chickpeas : cooked 1 cup  (any chickpeas will do)

OR 

Soak 1/2 cup chickpeas overnight and cook it in a pressure cooker next day  or 1 hour on stovetop adding little salt.

Seasoning:

Mustard: 1/2 tsp

Cumin seeds/Jeera : a very small pinch 

Curry Leaves: 5-8 

Dried Red Chillies: 1-2 

Fresh grated Pepper : 1/2 tsp +/- (adjust the chillies and pepper )

Salt: as per taste

Fresh coconut gratings: handful /as per your taste

Preparation:

Wash and pressure cook the soaked chickpeas adding little salt. Once done drain the cooking water. You can keep this water for later use like to make rasam or whatever you want as its good healthy lentil water. You can even use canned chickpeas after draining off the water.

Heat oil in a deep pan. Add mustard. When it sizzles add cumin ,red chillies, curry leaves and fresh grated pepper. Let these sizzle till you get a nice aroma from the pepper. Add in the cooked chickpeas and saute well to mix everything well.

Mix in the coconut gratings and let it cook for 1-2 minutes on low flame so that water if any is remaining will be absorbed by the coconut and we get a dry curry. Adjust salt and garnish with more coconut if needed before serving.

Serve as side to whatever you like - idli, khotte/ittu, dosa, puri ,roti/breads or even rice.. Goes well even as a teatime snack... be creative and be traditional.

Wishing all a healthy & prosperous Ugadi and wonderful year ahead..

Tomato Crumble | Crumbly Caprese Salad

Whats in a name? - said the Bard.

The name doesn't matter as long as the taste is good. Atleast that was the intention whenever I try out something different.

Normally whenever the items tomatoes, mozzarella and basil are there in my pantry the first thing that comes in my mind is a pizza or Caprese Salad. This time I went for the savory crumble with these  though.I had kept the recipe closer to a normal Caprese salad and we can call it a baked crumbly salad.

I had seen this savory crumble in several spaces and was wondering how it will turn out.I love fruit crumbles and have tried several whenever I see the  fruits sitting listlessly in the fridge. This time as well I was not disappointed. The crumble was quick to put together and was tasty. I had followed no specific recipe but went with items that I had in hand and feel free to add your own variations to make the crumble more interesting.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes: 3-4 medium-big, sliced into rounds
Fresh Basil: chopped 2 tbsp+ more for garnish
Salt & Pepper : as per taste

Topping:
BreadCrumbs: 1/2 cup (I used Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)
Mozzarella: 1/2 cup grated
Soft Butter: 1 tbsp (I left it out)

Preparation:

In a big bowl, mix together tomato slices, chopped basil and salt and pepper. Spread as a single layer in an appropriate baking dish. I used a 9.5 ' pie pan.

Mix together topping ingredients and spread over the tomato layer.

Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for about 15-20 minutes until the top starts browning and liquid bubbles on the sides.

Garnish with more basil and serve as an side dish.

The dish was super tasty -I told you I love tomatoes, didn't I? Only confusion was with which main to pair this dish with. In the end, I loved it wrapped within rotis and also as such.

I had slightly deviated from the classic or traditional crumble recipe. I had not mixed up any thickeners like cornstarch or even flour with the tomatoes. These are usually added to absorb excess liquid and prevent boiling over. This went okay for me as I had used breadcrumbs as topping which obviously absorbed whatever excess liquid was there.

Also I completely left out butter and went for just breadcrumbs and mozzarella. I didn't want to increase the fat content. Ofcourse 1 tbsp of butter might not make a big difference and feel free to go for it.You can top the tomatoes with butter crumbled/chopped and then go for the topping.Also fee free to try different flours -oat/wheat/all purpose instead of breadcrumbs.

Peperonata | Goodness of Peppers Italian Way

Recently the convenience shop n our complex was giving free veggies to their customers as they had surplus produce which cannot be stored for a long time.Prominent were red and yellow peppers and purple/red cabbage which otherwise cost a bomb in the same shop. 

And to think I had visited the same shop previous evening and got the red and yellow peppers at a high price.Anyway the next day I too got a bagful of these and was wondering how many dishes I could transform these into before they go bad. And the first dish that came to my mind was the Italian peperonata.  

In my family everybody loves the peppers and more colourful the more better. 

Peperonata is a simple vegetarian side with coloured peppers, onion and tomatoes along with spices and flavourings. Though there are several versions to this I have chosen a simple and hearty version from SimplyRecipes. 

Ingredients:

Olive Oil: 2-3 tbsp

Red, Yellow, Green,Orange Peppers :1 or 2 each. deseeded and sliced into thin long strips 

Onion: 1 large sliced thin long.

Garlic: 2-4 cloves sliced thin

Tomatoes: 2-3 large, chopped

Oregano: 2-3 tsp as per taste

Sugar: 2-3 tsp

Salt& pepper : as per taste

Fresh Basil: few torn coarsely

Lemon Juice: as per taste

Preparation:

Heat oil in a deep wide pan and while it becomes smoking hot add in onions.Add in a little salt and saute for 2-3 minutes until the onions change colour and start to brown.

Add the peppers and saute for another 5-6 minutes till they become al-dente - cooked yet crunchy.Add garlic, saute till it softens. Add the sugar and oregano and adjust the salt. 

Add the chopped tomatoes and cook for another one minute. Remove from heat and add in the basil and black pepper. 

Serve by drizzling lemon juice as a side along with bread or as itself.

I went for bite size peices of the pepper rather than long strips as they are easier to chew. Also green pepper is optional and not there in the source.A simple and quick preparation.Its like gourmet becomes easy. You can top bread with it and serve as canapes, or stuff tortillas or rotis with it along with some cheese.  

Terong Balado - Indonesian Style Eggplant in Chili Sauce

When I made my sambal oelek, I was actually wondering how it could be of more use to me. It appears now that I was wrong. I have started using it on a regular basis and keep on accidentally finding such recipes as well. One such was when I came across Terong Belado in a magazine. A little googling as always and there I  made it. The name is quiet interesting actually. Terong is for eggplants and Balado is the spicy chili sauce. The dish is quiet simple. Sauteed/pan fried eggplants served/stirfried  with balado sauce. The dish can be served as a dry side unless you really want a liquidy sauce. 

The balado sauce or sambal balado is another variety of sambal from Indonesia.It is also a ground/chunky thick paste of fresh red chilies along with tomatoes,shallots, garlic,sugar and salt.Now how does sambal oelek comes into play here? Instead of grinding chilies fresh use the sambal oelek and major part of the work is done. Read through the recipe..

Ingredients:

Eggplants: 2 -3 purple eggplants

Garlic: 2-3 small cloves finely minced

Shallot/small onions: 2-3 finely chopped

Tomato: 1 medium -big chopped 

Sambal oelek : 1-2 tbsp as per taste

Brown Sugar: 1-2 tsp as per taste

Salt: as per taste

Lime Juice: 1-2 tsp 

Preparation:

Chop the eggplants into small pieces and salt them and keep aside for atleast 15 minutes. This will remove bitterness from them if any. Saute them in little oil in a wok till they cook. Keep aisde. Instead of sauteeing you can grill/pan fry/fry/bake them.

In the same wok, sautee garlic and shallots till aromatic and then add in the sambal oelek and chopped tomatoes.Let it cook until the tomatoes start to become mushy. Add little water if  needed and simmer until it reduces down to a thick sauce.  Add and adjust salt,sugar and lemon juice to this. This is our balado sauce.

To the sauce add it the sauteed eggplants. Mix well and stirfry for another 12 minutes and its ready to be dished out with Nasi Uduk  aka coconut rice or even plain white rice.

An umami dish perfect with rice or breads. Make it to savour it. I am off to make another batch of sambal oelek.  If you do not have homemade or store bought sambal oelek, use fresh red chillies while making the sauce and grind the whole thing together into a paste before sauteeing with eggplants.

Yatimcheh

There was a time when I hated baingans. I was not in love with the purple big eggplants/brinjal/baingans as I could not roast properly. I know its sounding ridiculous, but its true.I knew how to chop up and cook,but roasting over gas was something I started enjoying after marriage. I love the warmth provided by smoking and enjoy bhaingan and the bharta . Now I am trying out different eggplant dishes in other cuisines and find that there is surely some sort of connection between each cuisines. There are several ingredients common to each cuisine and each region/cuisine used it along with the region specific spices to evolve a dish. Look at the case of Yatimcheh which I found in the blog FigandQuince. Yatim is Urdu for orphans. How and why the dish got the name I have no idea. But its a simple  side of sauteed eggplant with a vinaigrette.And it was similar to Italian caponata. See I talked about connection, right?!. But enough talk. lets see the tasty dish.

Ingredients:
Chinese eggplants : 5-6(long,thinnish,purple skin eggplant)

Onion: 1 medium finely chopped + 1 small for the dressing
Garlic: 1 small clove
Turmeric: 1 tsp
Ginger: 1 tsp (optional)

Olive Oil: 1 tbsp

Red wine Vinegar: 1/2 cup +/-
Dried Mint: as per taste

Salt&Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:
Skin the eggplants, prick it with fork and then sprinkle with salt and let it sit for an hour or so to remove the bitterness.Then rinse it, dry in paper towels and then cube them.

Heat oil in a deep pan and saute onion for a few minutes till transparent, then added minced/grated garlic,ginger, turmeric powder and salt and continue sauteing for a few more minutes.

Add in the cubed eggplant, mix well and let it cook on low heat for another 15-20 minutes or more covered until the cubes are cooked and tender.Add and adjust salt and pepper to taste.

Serve topped with a mix of 2-3 tbsp of vinegar,minced/chopped onion and dried mint.

A simple ,refreshing and tangy side salad for your breads/rotis. Please adjust the quantity of vinegar as per your taste.Its a dry side salad unless you use a lot of vinegar which some might not like. Red wine vinegar and eggplant are a sure shot combination and this dish proves that fact as well.

The dish is also called Yatimcheh-e-Bademjan and is authentically/traditionally meatless.

Green Beans with Cherry Tomatoes and Basil

This is a simple side that is well liked in my home and is easy to prepare. Everytime I prepare this, I forget to take pics and postpone it to next time. Well, somehow this time I made sure I clicked and hence I am posting this. Its very straight forward recipe which I sourced from Allrecipes.

Ingredients:
Green Beans: about 1-1.5 cup or so halved or chopped into bite sized pieces
Water: just enough for blanching the beans

Butter: 1.5 tbsp
Fresh Basil Leaves: few
Garlic Salt: 1/4 tsp or 1-2 cloves crushed/minced garlic
Salt,Pepper :as per taste
Sugar: 1 tsp
Cherry Tomatoes: halved : 1/2 cup +

Preparation:

String and chop the green beans into slightly larger pieces. In a large vessel, boil water adding salt and blanch the beans. It would take just a few minutes, especially if the beans are young/tender. Drain and keep aside.

In a deep pan, melt butter and stir in the sugar, both the salts and pepper and basil. Stir well and then add in the cherry tomato halves.Allow to cook for 1-2 minutes till the tomatoes start to soften. Add this to  the blanched beans and mix well.

Serve warm as a side salad optionally garnished with cheese.

A simple dish which is buttery and herby -I love basil- and bring out the best in beans.Make sure you do not over cook the beans. Healthy and simple side or you call it as a salad.You can also add toasted pinenuts for more crunchier dish.

Spicy Corn Succotash

A succotash is a Southern American dish consisting of sweet corn and beans.Other ingredients like okra,tomatoes, peppers can also be added and even cooked beans/lentils can be substituted with peas or other correct substitutes. An optional ingredient is bacon or any meat which for a vegan version can be easily replaced. The name got its meaning from boiled/cooked corn kernels and the dish was very popular during depression and even now its a part of the Southern American Thanksgiving menu. I have spiced up the succotash recipe from Food and Wine and it turned out much better than expected.

Ingredients:
Red Kidney Beans: 1/4 cup pre soaked and cooked

Butter: 1 tbsp  as needed
Oil: 1-2 tsp

Shallots/Red onion: 1/4 cup chopped finely

Sweet Corn Kernels : at least 1/2 cup
Fresh/Frozen Peas: handful
Tender Okra: about 10 medium ones chopped into rounds.
Tomato: 1 medium size chopped

Green Chilli Sauce: as per taste OR Green Chilli: 1-2 slit along with little sugar if needed
Salt,Pepper: as taste

Preparation:

Pre soak and cook the beans and keep aside.Do not throw away the cooking liquid. Chop shallots finely. Wash and dry okra and then chop them into rounds. 

Heat butter and little oil in a pan and add in the shallots. Let them sweat till they are transparent. Add in the okra and continue cooking till the okra is cooked for about few minutes. Add in tomatoes,corn and peas and little cooking liquid of the beans and continue cooking till the tomatoes are almost done. Add in the slit green chilli or chilli sauce, salt and pepper and the cooked beans and continue cooking till the dish is dry. Adjust the salt and seasoning and serve as a side salad or on top of breads etc. 

A simple side with a colourful combination. Easy to make and flexible enough to add and reduce the ingredients.You can turn into a healthy meal by adding couscous or soy granules or even bulgur and turn ito into a one pot dish.This is at present vegan friendly as I have used butter.You can make it completely vegan as well.

Salata Adas- Lebanese Lentil Salad with Cumin & Mint

I am not a great fan of lentils in salads but occasionally I use them to make chaats and other type of salads.Normally its the soup or sides  that comes to my mind whenever I think of lentils.But this is a simple Lebanese style salad which I adapted from Kalyn. The original is supposed to be from Saveur and it turned out wonderful or much tastier than expected. I have prepared this with brown lentils or whole black masoor or Egyptian lentils as they are also known. Green Lentils or French lentils also work fine with this recipe.

Ingredients:
Whole Black Masoor/Brown/black/Egyptian lentils: atleast 1/2 cup

Lemon Juice: 2 tbsp +
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 2 tbsp +
Garlic Clove: 2-3 cloves finely minced

Cumin Powder: 1/2 tsp +
Allspice Powder: 1/4 tsp +

Fresh Flat Leaf Parsley: 1 -2 tbsp chopped
Fresh Mint : 1-2 tbsp chopped

Salt & Pepper: as per taste

Preparation: 

Cook the lentils in water till tender. Make sure they are not mushy. Stove top cooking for 15+ minutes is better here than pressure cooker which may make it mushy. I soaked the lentils for around 15-30 minutes in hotwater before cooking and it was cooked under 20 minutes. Drain and keep aside.

In a small pan,heat around 1 tbsp of EVOO and add minced garlic to it. Saute the garlic till it starts perfuming the oil and is just about to change the colour.Turn off the heat.

Whisk together the rest of the EVOO,lemon juice, cumin powder and crushed allspice berry till it emulsifies to a smooth silky dressing. Add this to the warm garlic-oil and turn on the heat for another minute. Pour this garlicky spicy hot dressing on the lentils and mix well. Toss in chopped herbs and salt and pepper. Adjust the seasonings and serve warm as a side salad.

You can also have this as a mini meal or snack or  light lunch and can even use this as a stuffing for tortillas /ricepaper rolls /pita breads.You can serve it with couscous of pasta mixed in for a hearty comforting meal.I had as a side salad and found it filling and comforting. The freshness of herbs with the comfort of the lentils is heartily appreciated.

Right now, the salad is on way to visit NCR:Lentils at Tinned Tomatoes.

Rosemary Roasted Baby Potatoes

I had a small bag of new potatoes or baby potatoes with me and also a pack of inviting fresh looking rosemary. So I tried this simple recipe from foodnetwork by Rachel Ray. It was definitely done within 30 minutes,and over within 10 minutes. For a long time I had been wanting to make these and they turned out hearty. 

Ingredients:
Baby Potatoes: 1/2 lb or 250 gms

Extra Virgin Olive Oil: 1-2 tbsp

Fresh Rosemary : 2 tbsp atleast  finely chopped
Garlic: 2small cloves peeled coarsely crushed
Salt& Pepper: as per taste

Preparation:
Wash and scrub the potatoes thoroughly in several changes of water till it runs clean.

The skin of new potatoes are buttery and it is not advisable to remove the skin. I have even heard about aloo bhujia - new potato stirfry - with these babies where you saute the potato with little/no spices till browned and cooked.Unless it looks revolting do not remove the skin of baby potatoes.

Halve the bigger looking ones and leave the small one whole. If wanted you can prick the whole small potatoes with a fork. Mix together crushed garlic cloves,potatoes and oil. The oil must be enough to coat the potatoes. Sprinkle salt,pepper and rosemary and give it a nice mix.

Place the coated potatoes in a baking sheet and roast in a preheated oven at 230 C/ 450 F for about 20 minutes until they turn tender and the skin looks a bit wrinkled. You can feel the wonderful aroma of roasemary while they are being roasted.

Take out and serve warm as  a comforting side or snack (at least for me).

Hearty side/snack. You can also mix the herbs and garlic with the oil and then drizzle it over the potatoes. The rosemary flavour should be there in the potatoes. So make sure you use rosemary accordingly.Rosemary is a strong herb and a little does go a long way but I definitely needed more than 2 tbsp. You can also use other herbs and spices instead of rosemary.

Shanghai Bok Choy Stir Fry

Bok Choy or pak choi as it is also known is a Chinese vegetable belonging to the cabbage family. Along with napa cabbage, bokchoy -literally known as small white vegetable with it white stems and green leaf reminiscent of celery rather than the traditional cabbage- is grouped as Chinese cabbage.There is another variety of bokchoy known as baby bokchoy or Shanghai bokchoy which are smaller than the normal bokchoy,but given time may grow into normal bokchoy. You can also check out the differences between varieties of bokchoy here.

I got a bunch of baby bokchoy from my nearby store and immediately tried a stirfry with it. I have adapted this from Jude of Applepiepatispate where she had made a spicy stirfry with chillies.

Ingredients:
Baby Bok Choy: a bunch
Fresh Red Chillies:1 or 2 as per taste
Garlic Cloves: 2-3 medium
Peanut Oil: 1-2 tbsp
Salt: as per taste

Preparation:
Clean the bokchoy by trimming the bottom and separating into stalks. While separating you may end up with a small baby in the middle of the stem. This is known as bokchoy heart.Keep it as such and do not separate it into two.Clean the stalks thoroughly in several changes of water as they may contain sand/grit. Once clean pat dry with paper towels. Keep aside.

Chop the red chilly and the garlic cloves into chunks.

In a wok.add in oil.When it shimmers,add in the chilly and garlic.Stirfry for a few seconds so that the  garlic turns aromatic but never burns.Add in bokchoy leaves and stirfry for 1-2 minutes till they start wilting. Add in salt and check the taste.Serve immediately.

Mine was correctly coooked,but by the time, I clicked pics,it looked mushy,so bear with me.The dish is quick and whole and taste and spicy.
You can also reference Jaden of SteamyKitchen for another simple stirfry.

Tibetan Tsampa with Nepalese Style Stir Fried Greens

Tsampa is a Tibetan staple food made from roasted barley or wheat flour and served with butter tea.It can be heralded as the national food of Tibetan and can be made easily. I actually came across a simple recipe for Tsampa or campa as it is also known in Zu's spicy Kitchen.I had whole wheat berries sitting in my pantry for a long time and thought I could try this recipe.I also tried the Nepalese stir fried greens which Zu had made and served this along with.

Tsampa :
Roasted Whole Wheat Flour
Ghee/Oil/Butter
Salt

Black Tea made by boiling water and adding black tea .

Roasted Flour:
Whole Wheat Berries.

Preparation:
Whole Wheat Flour:

In a deep pan,dry roast the wheat berries till they darken slightly shaking/stirring occasionally.A wonderful aroma permeats during this time.Remove from heat and cool.Grind to a powder of your desired consistency.This can be eaten raw and also sprinkled on top of salads and veggies for that extra crunch or used just as regular Wheat flour.I went for courser flour.

Campa/Tsampa:
In a bowl,mix together roasted flour,ghee and salt.Add black tea little by little and form/bind to form a firm dough.Pinch pieces of the dough and roll into balls.

Serve as such or with choice of savoury as well as sweet sides.I served it with Nepali Stir Fried Greens.

Nepali Stir Fried Greens:
Ingredients:
Greens Chopped: 1 cup (I used spinach,okra and methi leaves)
Mustard oil
Ginger:1 inch chopped fresh
Chilli Flakes
Lovage/Ajwain/Omam:
Jeera/Cumin
Turmeric
Salt

Preparation:

Clean and chop the veggies roughly.Heat oil in a pan and add the lovage,chilli flakes,cumin and ginger.Add the greens and salt and turmeric.Let them cook till done. Serve as a side to rice or with tsampa.

The greens were just fine and easily made and had the spices I was familiar with.But I deliberated making the tsampa as I had never used tea to make dough.But then I decided to make it as the recipe was very easy.The tsampa turned good and next time I am planning to make this with cardamom tea and add sweetner to get a sweeter version.

The combo went very well together and can be treated as a snack or even as a light meal.Since the wheat berries were lazing in my pantry for a long time I think the tsampa should go to BB4:Whats Lurking in the Kitchen by Nupur.

Arakas me Anitho - Dilled Peas with Pepper

This is an easiest side dish that I have ever made.On hearing the name if you feel its Greek then sure its Greek but very simple and tasty.The dish belongs to the general category of 'Laderos' which means cooked with olive oil or plainly vegetables in olive oil. I adapted the dish from here and improvised with available ingredients.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil: 2 tsp +

Peas: Fresh/Frozen: 1 cup
Onion: 1 small chopped finely
Red Bell Pepper: 1 small chopped or 1/4-1/2 cup

Dill Leaves: Fresh chopped or dried dill weed: as per taste.
Salt :as per taste

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a pan and saute chopped onions till transparent.Add chopper pepper and peas and dill leaves and salt and mix well.Add little water as needed to cook the vegetables and bring it to boil.Reduce the heat,cover the dish and cook for 15 minutes or more till done.Adjust the salt. and serve warm with your choice of main dish.Garnish with mint/parsley/dill as per choice.

I served this warm with bulgur.The dish is excellent with just the dill being the herb and not even pepper being added.Though I reduced the amount of oil than specified in the recipe,the tanginess of the oil still was there and the combo of peas with dill is perfect.I do not relish dill that much as I find it sharp to my taste,but it is excellent here in combo with peas.

If you do not like dill at all then you can replace it with chopped parsley or a combo of dill and mint as well.Other excellent versions of 'Arakas Laderos' or 'Peas in Olive oil ' are

Arakas Laderos at Kopiaste
Arakas Latheros at Kalofagas

Obviously this a third entry to AWED:Greek,an event by DK and hosted by Yours Truly.Am Expecting your yummy Greek creations by 31st March. Hope you will join my Greek Table.

Simply Cauliflower

'Climbing the mango trees' is a excellent nostalgic memoir by Madhur Jaffrey.The memoir takes us to the Delhi in partition days.Jaffrey was born into an affluent family -imagine Edward Luyens asking them to choose their own place while designing Delhi?.The days of the Raj, the traditional havelis,the exquisite meals, and what not.The books makes us think that we are missing something golden though we are technologically advanced.Well, the book bursting with dishes and with several pages of recipes is like an explosion on your mind,thoughts and especially palate.There are several several new dishes and recipes and the first thing I made is the simple every day cauliflower.Cauliflower is a staple in my pantry and I use is in several dry and gravy dishes.This dish was new to me as the method was slightly different than what I am used to.

Ingredients:
Olive Oil:1-2 tbsp
Cauliflower: 1 chopped into florets with a little stem

Turmeric Powder
Cayenne Pepper /Chilli Powder
Amchoor /Dried Mango Powder
Coriander Powder

Hing/Asafoetida
Cumin Seeds: 1-2 tsp
Fresh Ginger: chopped/shredded
Green Chillies: 1+ as per taste
Coriander Leaves: Chopped

Salt

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a thick bottomed pan.Add in the cauliflower florets and stirfry till they start to brown.Remove with a slotted spoon onto the paper towels.When still warm but less oily,put these in a bowl and mix in chilli powder/cayenne pepper,coriander powder,turmeric powder, amchoor and salt.

Remove all but little oil from the pan and return to heat.Add in hing and before it burns within a second,add in cumin seeds.When they sizzle,add in shredded ginger and saute till raw smell goes.Add in florets and stir well so that everything is mixed in. Add in little water as needed to cook the florets,cover and reduce the heat to low.Cook till the florets are done and garnish with slit green chillies and chopped cilantro.Adjust the salt and serve hot/warm as a side to rice.

A simple yet delectable side dish.Originally,I had planned another dish from the book -daulat ki chaat ,a Delhi streetfood made of milk froth.But the recipe is very elusive and almost impossible.Well,you can expect one or two more recipes from the book here soon.What do other bookclub members have cooked up from the book?

Simran made delicious Phirni

Sheba made Cheesewali Gobhi

Janaki made Palak Gosht

Roasted Brussel Sprouts-Chinese Style

Brussel sprouts or miniature cabbages are leafy green buds of wild cabbage family.I first saw them while in US and there I used these mostly in roasted form and rarely in gravies.I roast them based on this recipe adding spices of my choice and serve them as a side or salad whatever way you take it.I never expected these to be available in Bangalore and was pleasantly surprised to see them .As usual I roasted them,but this time in Chinese style and these were finished within minutes,TG,I took some pics beforehand itself.

Ingredients:
Brussels Sprouts: 1 cup cleaned and halved

Dressing/Marinade:
Soy sauce
Green chilli sauce:a dash
Red Chilli paste/Redchilly Flakes + vinegar: as per taste
Garlic: 1-2 cloves minced/paste
White pepper powder /Fresh black pepper
Salt
Vegetable/Sesame oil: 1-2 tsp +/-

Preparation:

Clean and halve the brussel sprouts and toss them together with the marinade/dressing ingredients.Spread them in a single layer in a lightly greased /lined baking sheet and optionally sprinkle more pepper and oil on top of this.

Roast in a preheated oven at 450F for 15-20 minutes till they turn brown.Serve as per choice.

This is a simple and easy dish and you can play with the spices as per availability.I sometimes go for garam masala or Italian seasoning .This time I used the Chinese style spices er Indo Chinese to be precise and not the authentic Chinese five spice powder.I hope Vaishali accepts them at IAVW:Chinese .

Tofu Bhurji

Paneer bhurji is an Indian dish made of scrambled Paneer and spices with other optional veggies.It is a dry dish and can be used as a topping for bread or sandwich filling or with rotis or for me consumed as itself.There are several versions of this dish and I know I need not say much more about it.

I decided to make a vegan version by using tofu instead of paneer.Several of the Indian dishes are vegan or can be veganized.I have already made Tofu Akuri where instead of eggs I used tofu and now I wanted to use tofu in a similar scrambled way with other spices replacing Indian cottage cheese Paneer.I am a fan of paneer and have also been using tofu.I have also simply replaced paneer in an earlier dish Peas and Tofu Masala and I could not feel any taste difference with this replacement.For the scrambled dish ,I have used wonderful DK of ChefInYou's hearty Tofu Burji recipe without any changes.

Ingredients:
Tofu:2 packet drained for atleast 1 hour on paper towels or 3 cups firm tofu grated
Peas: 1/2 cup
Capsicum/Bell Pepper: 1 big cubed
Red Onion: 1 chopped long & thin
Tomato : 1 cubed
Green chillies:2-3 slit


(Spices can be adjusted as per taste)
Garam Masala:1/2 tsp +
Turmeric Powder:1/4 tsp +
Jeera/Cumin seeds :1/4 tsp+
Coriander-Cumin Powder:1/2 tsp +

Ginger -Garlic Paste:1 tsp
Cilantro/Coriander: few sprigs chopped
Salt
Olive/Vegetable oil:1/2 tbsp

Preparation:

If your tofu comes in water-locked packets like mine,then make sure you drain it in several sheets of paper towels for atleast an hour changing the sheets as and when necessary.

Grate tofu in a big bowl.Add to it, garam masala,turmeric powder,coriander-cumin powder along with oil,clit green chillies and ginger -garlic paste.Mix well using hands till well blended and keep it aside covered for 15-20 minutes so that tofu absorbs the flavours.

In a deep dish pan/kadai/skillet,add chopped onions along with little salt.The salt brings out the water in onion which prevents them from sticking to the bottom of the skillet and also cooks/browns them faster thus avoiding the use of oil.You can add oil at this stage or any other stage though.

Once the onions are browned,add cumin seeds and saute for 1 minute, then add bell pepper and tomato and cook till soft.Then add tomato puree and continu cooking until the raw smell of puree disappears. Then add the spiced tofu mix and saute till everything is blended.Then add peas and stirfry till the peas gets .Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with rotis,on top of breads or anyway you wish.

The dish was very hearty and I enjoyed it as itself.I couldnot feel any difference by using tofu in this dish also instead of Paneer.Hearty tofu bhurji is on way to IAVW:Indian,an event by Vaishali of HolyCow, and currently hosted by Graziana of ErbeinCucina .Hearty Thanks DK for the excellent recipe and also the lovely step by step pictures

Updated on 18th September 09: The yummy and spicy dish is also travelling all the way to MLLA:15 ,a legumy event by Susan,The wellseasoned Cook and hosted this time by Sia of MonsoonSpice .

Vegan Colcannon

Colcannon is simple Irish style mashed potatoes with cabbage.In Irish 'colcannon' is the term for 'white headed cabbage' or simply 'white cabbage' .Traditionally ,this side dish has mashed potatoes,kale or cabbage,pork/meat (optional) along with butter,salt and pepper.Other additions are chives,milk,herbs etc as per taste.

There are quite a few vegan version available on the net.My version/adaptation is from VeganYumYum's Colcannon recipe.She had made her dish with kale rather than cabbage and had replaced pork/meat with seitan and had sprinkled nutritional yeast in it.Now these items being unavailable here ,I used white cabbage itself and spiced up the dish with red chilli flakes and used TVP (Textured Vegetable Protein) or soy chunks or soy meat as you can call it and used vanaspati instead of vegan butter.

Ingredients:
Potatoes: 3 medium sized or almost 1 cup

Vanaspathi/Vegan Butter/Butter/Margarine: 2 tbsp
Cabbage: 1 small cup chopped
Soy chunks: 1/2 cup prepared as per instructions and roughly chopped
Garlic: 2-3 small cloves minced/crushed

Soy milk: 1/4 cup warmed (can also use milk if dairy is ok)

Red chilli flakes
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:
Chop the potatoes into small cubes and boil them till fork tender.Alternately you can boil,peel whole potatoes and then chop them into big pieces.I did the latter.Also chop the cabbage finely and mince the garlic cloves.Soak the soy chunks in warm water for about 15-20 minutes.Then squeeze them out of water and repeat the process again to obtain soft chunks.I simply soak the chunks in hot water for about 30 minutes and then squeeze them out and use them in dishes.Do as per package instructions.

Heat vanaspati in a pan/kadai,add minced garlic and cabbage and saute.Once it starts releasing water,add in prepared and roughly chopped soy chunks,little salt,pepper and chilli flakes and mix well.Cover and cook till the water evaporates and the spices blend in and the cabbage is soft.Take off heat.

Add in potatoes and warmed soymilk to this warm mixture and mash thoroughly with a potato masher/ladle so that everything is mixed and mashed thoroughly.Adjust salt and pepper and spices if any needed and garnish with fresh herbs and serve warm as a side to any preferred main course.

You can increase the soymilk for a more creamier texture,but not too much.Also if you do not have soy chunks,then feel free to leave it aside.I used these just because I had them and wanted to see how they taste in a mashed potato.It was a hearty potato dish and obviously if you like spicy food then its better to add your choice of spices be it red chilli flakes or more pepper ,oregano,thyme etc.

The colcannon is on way to Vaishali's IAVW:British where a yummy vegan Brit dishes can be seen .Its also going to AWED:Britain ,started by DK and currently hosted by Simran .

Potato Lyonnaise

This is a very simple potato dish from Lyons,France.It is said that people in Lyons are potato lovers and consume it in different ways and anytime of the day.Well,this is just a proof as it is nothing but sliced fried/baked potatoes with caramelized onions.It takes some time to make,but is really simple.I used the classic lyonnaise recipe from here and made it with very little changes.

Ingredients:
Baking Potatoes: 2 very big
Onion: 1 big,chopped thinly

Butter : 1tbsp+
Salt
Pepper
Other Spices
Parsley for garnish (optional)

Preparation:
Chop onion into long,thin pieces.Peel and slice potatoes into 1/2 inch thick slices.Actually you can use a mandoline for that.I simply sliced them.Boil water ,adding salt and add the potato slices.Boil for 2 minutes only.Remove and keep aside.

Heat olive oil and add the chopped onion.Add salt,pepper (I did not add any at the beginning of this,but at last) and let the onions caramelize slowly.This will take about 20 minutes atleast with stirring in between.Its better you have wide pan for this for even cooking.You can also add garlic minced at the last stage,though I avoided that.Traditionally no spices are added to this.Once done,keep aside.

Melt butter in the same pan or microwave and pour into the baking dish.Spread the butter all over the dish.You can use as much butter as you like and give the dish a thick butter layer.Then layer the dish with one third of potatoes.Top the potatoes with required spices and salt-I used salt and pepper and little oregano on the top layer.Top these with half of onions.It looks like..

Top the onions with another layer of potatoes and continue this layering till the ingredients are used up or the dish is completely filled.The final layer should preferably be potatoes.Final look..

Add more spices and seasonings if needed and bake in a pre heated oven for 10-12 minutes at 400F or until the top starts browning.I used very big potatoes and I had three layers and I pulled these out of the oven,just as the top layer started to brown.

Serve hot as a snack/side dish with rice/breads.Simply spoon from the dish into the plate and garnish with fresh herbs like coriander,chives,thyme or parsley.

The dish has no spices,apart from salt and pepper and is buttery tasting.So make sure you salt it correctly.You can add garlic and also other spices like parsley or oregano or your choice.Garnishing can also be as per choice.I used parsley which leaves a refreshing taste.

This baked version is very good when one has to serve a crowd or even feeling lazy as I did.If you are using only little quantity,like a small potato,then you can simply pan fry the slices after par cooking-boiling in salted water-sprinkling the spices and finally adding the caramelized onions and heating everything through for a few minutes.But the disadvantage here is you should be alert to avoid burning these and concentration and patience is required especially after spending 20 minutes caramelizing the onion. :)

Munching on buttery Potato Lyonnaise on Recipe Marathon Day #25,Lets peep into fellow runners kitchen:

1)DK 2) Srivalli 3) Ranji 4)PJ 5)Medha 6)Priya 7)Bhawna 8)Raaji 9)Ruchii 10)Anu 11)Kamala 12)Roopa 13)Divya Kudua 14)Rekha 15)Divya M 16)Lakshmi 17)Raaga 18)LakshmiVenkatesh 19) Sripriya 20)Viji 21)Kamalika 22)Pavani 23)Karuna 24)Roochi

Simple Bihari Thali

Bihar always reminded me of floods,famine and corruption.But when I came across a Bihari Thali in Sia's Monsoonspice,I was like,"Thali and Bihar?!".But as I read through it and tried it myself I was like a cat who purrrrred after a nice meal of milk(No fish for my cat).It was simple but tasty.THANKS A LOT Sia for introducing me to this cuisine and also your photography is fantastic.I hope I have captured a teeny weeny bit of that .

A simple Bihari thali consists of Phulka,Aloo Chokha,Subzi Pancharanga Kurma and Kheera.These dishes are easy to prepare and here they are.

Phulka:
Phulkas are similar to chappathi,but lighter in texture and are served hot.

Ingredients:

Wheat flour/aatta: 1 cup
Oil/Ghee: 1 tsp
Salt: 1/2 tsp
Warm water:as needed to form the dough

Preparation:

Mix together flour and salt in a bowl.Add oil and mix well to obtain a coarser structure.Add enough water to form a dough.Knead the dough a few times to make soft and elastic.Rest it for 30 minutes.

Make small balls out of it and roll out into a thin circle on a floured surface.

Heat a tawa/skillet.Place a phulka and fry till bubbles appear on the surface and flip over.Cook the other side similarly.

Take the phulka off the tawa and place it directly over the flame.The phulka will puff up to a balloon.Take it off and serve immediately.


Aloo Chokha:
Chonkna means tadka or seasoning.I have used panchphoron mix as specified by Sia.It is equal measure of onion seeds/kalonji,jeera/cumin,mustard,fenugreek and fennel/aniseeds.

Ingredients:

Potatoes: 2 big
Onion: 1 small
Garlic: 2 cloves
Green chillies: 2
Lime juice/amchur powder:1 tsp

Seasoning:
Panchphoron mix: 1-2 tsp
Red chillies: 1

Garnish:
Coriander leaves: few sprigs chopped

Preparation:

Peel and cube the potatoes.Chop onions nicely.Slit the green chillies and mince the garlic.You can adjust the red chillies and green chillies as per your taste.

Heat oil in a tawa,add broken red chillies and panchphoran mix.As they start spluttering,add chopped onions and saute.Add slit green chillies and minced garlic and saute till the onion turns brown.Add in the cubed potatoes and saute till they turn brown.(I was in a hurry so I did not wait till they were brown).Add in enough water and cook the potatoes till done,mixing periodically so they do not stick to the bottom of the pan.

Mix in amchur powder/lime juice and coriander leaves and saute for a few minutes more.Serve with hot phulka/rotis/rice as a dry curry.

Subzi Pancharanga Kurma:

This is a very tasty but simple kurma.I am hoooooooooooked to it.

Ingredients:

Mixed Vegetables(potato,peas,cauliflower,carrot,beans):2-3 cups
Tomato chopped/paste/puree : 2 tbsp/1 large
Ginger garlic paste: 1 tsp
Red chilly powder:1 tsp
Turmeric powder:1/2 tsp

Grind:
Fresh/Frozen Coconut gratings: 2 tbsp
Poppy Seeds: 1/2 tbsp
Cashew Nuts: 10
Almonds: 5
Sugar:1tsp
Green Chillies: 2
Coriander Leaves: 3/4 cup

Preparation:

Cube the vegetables and cook them in enough water and little salt and keep aside.Grind the specified ingredients to a fine paste.

In a pan heat oil,add ginger-garlic paste and saute till raw smell goes.Add the ground paste and saute till raw smell disappears.Mix in tomato chopped/paste/puree and powders and saute for a few minutes till oil separates.

Mix in vegetables along with the water in which they were cooked and mix well.Adjust salt and boil on a medium heat till the flavours are blended and you get a thick gravy.Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve with rice/rotis.

Kheera/Cucumber raita
This is a simple cucumber raita.I did not have black salt and Kashmiri chilli powder. I simply used what I had with me.

Ingredients:

Cucumber :1 medium
Yoghurt:1 cup
Garam masala:1/2 tsp
Chaat masala:1/2 tsp
Chilli powder:1/4 tsp
Cumin-Coriander powder:1/4 tsp
Salt: as per taste

Preparation:

Wash,peel and grate cucumber.Squeeze out excess water and keep in a mixing bowl.Add all other ingredients and mix well.Chill for minimum 15 minutes before serving and garnish with chopped coriander leaves.

To tell you the truth,I did not go for garnishing.The aroma from the dishes and hot phulkas did not allow me.Somehow I took the required photos and enjoyed my dinner.Hope you enjoy too.

This simple Bihari Thali goes to Zlamushka's Spicy Kitchen where she is celebrating the monsoon of spices with Tried&Tasted:Monsoonspice.