Gobi Moomphali - Cauliflower with peanuts

There are few things that work better for a quick weeknight dish than a classic simple dry vegetable dish infused with the basic goodness of a few staple spices. The peanuts in the recipe are an inspiration to get my daughter to eat.

So here you have it, Gobi Moomphali

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/8 tsp asafetida

2-3 dried red chillies

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 cauliflower cut into floretts

1 tsp salt

1/2 cut peanuts roasted

Method of preparation

1. Heat the oil, and add the mustard and cumin seeds, when they crackle add in the asafetida, chillies turmeric and cauliflower.

2. Cook on medium heat turning frequently till the cauliflower begins to brown lightly.

3. Add the salt and peanuts and cover for 10 minutes and cook on low.

4. Check seasonings and serve.

Potatoes and Garlic - How can you go wrong?

Several years back, I tried potato pancakes and confessed to a jewish co-worker that I liked them and they had potential for improvement. Her candid statement to me was, potatoes and garlic, how can you go wrong? what not to like?

Several variations of latkes, I agree, what's not to like?

So here is a variation that I tried a couple of days back. The key to good latkes in my opinion is to use a good hand grater, the food processor squishes texture a bit much....

Potato Pumkin Latkes

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 cup grated red pumkin

1 cup grated idaho potatoes

2 green chillies minced

3 cloves of garlic minced

2 shallots finely chopped

3 tsp flour

2 tbsp cilantro finely chopped

Salt to taste

Oil for frying

Method of preparation

1. Place the pumkin and potatoes in a colander to drain, the excess water out for half an hour.

2. Squeeze the excess water out and mix with the chillies garlic, flour, cilantro and salt.

3. Heat the oil.

4. Drop by tablespoons and fry till crisp

5. Serve with sour cream on the side.

This goes out to Anna at Morsels and Musings, a good recipe thinking of the feel good spirit of Hannukah. Not necessary jewish, but, the good thing about having kids in the house is that one can celebate anything without boundaries, and good food tastes wonderful irrespective of the origin.

A classic with leftovers

Yes, like a lot of others who have leftover turkey, I have been trying to find creative ways to use it up. Today, I had some more company, who wanted to try my leftovers. I did need to add some creative touches to make sure that the food was presentable.

My turkey this year turned out to be very good. I had brined it and cooked it with stuffed apples. So I was trying to figure out how to use the leftovers without too much fuss. Well, one stopgap in Indian food is the makhani or tikka masala base. Its comforting creamy flavors make it a surefire success with anything you can think of, so why not left over turkey. Here is how I made the sauce,

Makhani Sauce for Leftover Turkey

Serves 10

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp carom seeds (ajowan)
1 onion finely chopped
1 tsp finely grated ginger
2 green chillies, minced
3 pods garlic, minced
1 cup crushed tomatoes
3/4 cup sour cream
salt to taste
1 tbsp tandoori masala
1 tsp kasoori methi (dried fenugreek leaves)
1/2 cup light cream
1 tsp garam masala

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the cumin and ajowan.
2. Add the onion, ginger, chillies and garlic and saute briefly.
3. Add in the crushed tomatoes and cook till the oil begins to separate.
4. Add it the sour cream, salt and tandoori masala and cook for five more minutes.
5. Add the methi and cool slightly.
6. Blend into a smooth sauce with the cream.
7. Add in the garam masala.

The unique taste in this particular version is created by the dried fenugreek leaves that are abundantly available in the Indian grocery stores. I love them while making parathas or other things where I substitute them for fresh leaves.

I am sending this in for WHB, an event I have not had time to enter in a long while. This weeks WHB is being hosted by truffle, a visit to whose blog reminded me that peaches are still in season several parts of the world..

Roaseted Pepper and Seared Shrimp Salad

A rather fussy and elaborate salad, good for a light meal, involves several steps, but overall works out pretty well. The key ingredient here is the roasted green peppers. It is amazing how much the flavor of pepper improves with the roasting.

Roasted Bell Pepper and Seared Shrimp Salad

Serves 3

Ingredients

For the Dressing

1 cup cider
3/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 stick cinnamon
1 dried red chilli

For the salad

2 green bell peppers
2 cups of baby spinach leaves
2 oz crumbled goat cheese
2 tbsp pine nuts

For the shrimp

1/2 lb shrimp
juice of one lime
1 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp kosher salt
2 tbsp olive oil.

Method of Preparation

1. Mix the cider and vinegar with the chilli and cinnamon. Bring to a boil and cook till 1/3 in volume and cool
2. Place the green peppers under the broiler and cook on low broil for 5 minutes on each side.
3. Cool, peel and cut into thin slices.
4. Mix with the spinach and goat cheese.
5. Marinate the shrimp with the lime juice, salt and pepper for 15 minutes.
6. Heat a grill pan, add the oil.
7. Cook the for a few minutes on each side.
8. Place on the salad, top with pine nuts and serve.






F

Aloo-Rasledar

Sometimes when the normal balance of one's life gets shaken, it takes a little bit of time to get things back into sync.

This is how I have been feeling the past few weeks, the intensity of things at work have thrown the normal balance of things in my life off kilter.

Yes, I have been cooking just not had much time to blog, have not been able to take my usual evening walks which has also been making things a little out of sync for me.

I am trying to get back into things with this weekend. To do that once in a which we start with the basics, I almost feel potatoes fall into that very basic and practical category.



Here is what I did to dress up this humble tuber.



Aloo -Rasledar



Serves 6



Ingredients



1 lb new baby pototoes

1 tbsp tandoori masala

1 tsp freshly crushed pepper

1/2 cup yogurt

1.5 tsp salt

1/3 cup oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp curry powder

4 tomatoes chopped

1 tsp grated ginger

3 green chillies finely chopped

1/2 cup cottage cheese

3-4 tbsp chopped cilantro



Method of Preparation

1. Parboil the potatoes, cool and peel.

2. Marinate the potatoes with 2 tbsp yogurt, tandoori masala and pepper and 1 tsp salt.

3. After half an hour, heat 1/2 the oil in a hard anodized pan and on low heat cook the potatoes on low heat stirring constantly till well browned.

4. Heat the remaining oil and add the cumin seeds, ginger and tomatoes. Add in the curry powder.

5. Cook for 10 minutes till the tomatoes are browned. Add 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer.

6. When thickened, add the green chillies and pototoes with the cottage cheese.

7. Cook for 5-7 minutes. Serve garnished with the cilantro.

Ginger-Turmeric Sallops on a Mango-Corn Salsa

Saffron-Turmeric Scallops on a Mango-Corn Salsa.

Ingredients

For the Salsa

4 small ears fresh corn on the cob
1 mango
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
1/2 tsp black salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
1 lime

For the scallops

1 lb large scallops
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp grated ginger
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbsp oil
1 tsp cumin seeds



Method of Preparation

1. Cut the corn kernels of the cob into a bowl.
2. Peel and grate the mango onto the bowl.
3. Mix with the remaining ingredients and set aside to let the flavors blend.
4. Mix the scallops with the turmeric, ginger and sugar.
5. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds.
6. Sear the scallops till lightly browned on both sides (this takes about 5 minutes on each side).
7. To serve, place two tsp of the salsa on the plate, top with a few scallops and serve with any side of your choice.b

Not my mother's mac and cheese

Mac and cheese is a staple in the house. The little ones love it, I usually tend to make different variations of this dish, but from the scratch. No, I do not have a favorite that my mother used to make since my mother really did not make mac and cheese.

This Friday at lunch with a couple of colleagues, someone mentioned to me about how their mother used cottage cheese for Mac and Cheese. Now, what a novel idea, cottage cheese is low in fact and can actually contribute to a nice smooth texture.

So this is what I did,

Mac and Cheese with Shallots, Ham and Asparagus

Serves 6

Ingredients

2 cups cooked elbows
2 tbsp olive oil
3-4 shallots thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic grated
2 tbsp flour
1 quart half and half
1 cup coarsely cubed ham
1/2 cup finely chopped asparagus
2 tbsp chopped chives
1.5 cups cottage cheese with pineapple
3 tbsp butter
salt to taste
1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

Method of Preparation

Heat the oil and brown the shallots and garlic.
Add in the flour and mix into the oil.
Add in the half and half and simmer till thickened.
Add in the ham, asparagus and chives and cottage cheese.
Remove from heat.
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
Grease a casserole and add in the elbows and butter and salt.
Pour the cheese mixture and bake for 25 minutes.
Remove from the heat and stir in the swiss cheese and serve warm.

Apple Crisp with almond meal

Yes! Apple season is here. Today is a lovely fall day, in this neck of the woods. There is a nip in the air, beautiful sunshine and the orange is just begining to peek out from the leaves.
I do not often make dessert, simply because when I do, I ending being the person finishing it. Last week was my husband's birthday so I used this excuse for some indulgence.

I whipped up a fairly healthy apple crisp and of course served it warm with lots of vanilla ice-cream making sure the calories balanced out the healthy factor. Apples are of course a great fruit, this apple crist actually leaves the skin on, since we tend to give away a lot of the goodness with the skin.

The interesting ingredient here was almonds that are one of nature's most nutritious gifts. True they do have a decent amount of fat, but the kind loaded with omega-3 making them really good for children. Lately, I have been working with Almond meal from Trader Joe's trying to stretch the boundaries to see where I can sneak this in.

Apple Crisp with Almond Meal

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

6-8 apples cored and cut into small pieces (I used NY gala and Granny smith)
2 limes
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp ground cinamon
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
2 tbsp brown sugar
3 tbsp butter
1/3 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup almond meal
1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds

Method of Preparation

1. Squeeze the lime juice, over the apples and set aside.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees, grease a casserole and place the apples in this.
3. Mix in the honey, cinamon and nutmeg onto the apples.
4. Mix the sugar, butter, oats and almond meal in a separate bowl and pour over the apples.
5. Bake for 20 minutes - the kitchen should smell rather nice by now.
6. Top with the sliced almonds and cook for 10 more minutes.
7. Remove from the heat and let this sit for 10 minutes.
8. Serve hot with ice-cream or sorbet.

This entry goes out to Myriam of Once Upon a Tart, which is just the blog to visit if you you have a sweet tooth.

So,

Dal and Zucchini Koftas

This recipe is a variation of the lau or bottle gourd koftas that my mother-in-law makes. It is

a classic illustration of pure unudulterated simple Indian vegetarian cooking. She usually cooks without garlic and onion, over time I have learnt the subtle uses of asafetida which is often used in such recipes in lieu of the onion.

In this recipe, I use moong flour and grated zucchini for the koftas, the ginger tomato gravy is very true to the original recipe. A perfect dish for the somewhat cooler weather.

Dal and Zucchini Koftas

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

For the koftas

4 zuchinis grated

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp turmeric

1.5 cups moong flour

1 tsp chilli powder

1 tsp cumin-coriander powder

1 tsp salt

1/3 cup chopped cilantro leaves

2-3 green chillies minced

Oil for frying

For the gravy

2 tbsp oil

2 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp cumin-coriander powder

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/8 tsp asafetida

Salt to taste

6 tomatoes blanced and chopped finely

1/2 cup yogurt

1 tsp garam masala

1/2 cup finely chopped coriander leaves

Method of Preparation

1. Put the grated zucchini in a colander with the salt and turmeric and let this drain for half an hour. Do not squeeze the remaining water from this.

2. Mix with the moong dal flour and remaining indredients to form a thick batter like paste.

3. Heat the oil and drop tsps of the batter to make dumpling like koftas. Note: I usually get enough for two batches I separate and save half in the freezer for later use.

4. Heat the 2-3 tbsp oil and add the ginger and cook for 1 minutes.

5. Add the turmeric, chilli powder, cumin-coriander powder and asafetida and cook for a few seconds.

6. When aromatic, add the tomatoes and salt cook for 5-7 minutes till begining to turn brown.

7. Add the yogurt and 1/2 cup water and cook slowly till the liquid is absorbed and the oil begins to show (this takes a good 20 minutes.

8. Add half a cup of water, when the gravy begins to simmer add the koftas and cook for 3-4 minutes.

9. Garnish with the garam masala and cilantro and serve.

Basil and tomatoes - Fare thee well - Summer 07

There is a distinct nip in the air, heralding the arrival of fall, this weekend we have had crisp, cool sunny weather. Going to the store however I found these really beautiful baby roma tomatoes. I was thrilled to see them! Of course, nothing better to pair them with other than basil. Made a simple pasta, that was something that the kids loved and made everyone else happy. So here we are,

Farfalle with green peppers and roma tomatoes.

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1 cup dried farfalle
3 tbsp extra virgin olive
1 green bell pepper thinly sliced
1/2 cup homemade or prepared pasta sauce
1.5 lbs baby roma tomatoes, halved
1/3 coarsely torn basil leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the farfalle according to the directions on the package and drain.
2. Heat the oil and add the pepper and saute for 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the pasta sauce and the tomatoes and cook for 3-4 minutes.
4. Add the pasta and basil and toss.
5. Mix in the basil leaves and the salt and pepper and serve hot.

This week's WHB is being hosted by Katerina at "Daily Unadventures in Cooking!". Her blog features wonderful, practical everyday food and is hardly "unadventureous". This post is for her.

Shrikhand and Chicken for Jane

Photo Source - Wiki

Asking me to make Indian food, is nothing out of the way. It happens all the time, I am more than happy to indulge. Jane is my new boss's wife, who has never visited India but loves India in a deep, to the roots wonderful kind of way. She senses the deep simplicity of India, unfortunately, however there are so many layers and versions to India. I understand and feel the warmth she percieves from India, but, have to temper this my telling her the India that features on the business week covers every week, well close enough is different.

Well, we asked them to join us at our house a couple of weekends back and among other things, I made an interestingly simple coconut chicken recipe and mango Shrikhand. The Shrikhand, was made from fresh mangoes, something that you can get pretty good ones this time of the year at our local Indian store.

By the way, one of the good things about making curry on a weeknight dinner, is that this can actually be made ahead of time, and the flavors actually improve.

Chicken Curry with Coconut and Curry Leaves

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

1/3 cup oil
A few cloves, cardamom, cinnamon
1 tsp turmeric
2-3 green chillies
1 onion finely chopped
1 tbsp fresh ginger, finely grated
1 whole chicken, skinned and cut into small pieces
2 tsp salt
1 tbsp freshly ground pepper
1 tbsp cumin-coriander powder
1 can coconut milk
1 sprig of curry leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the whole spices, onion and ginger.

2. Saute this briefly and add the chicken, salt, pepper, cumin-coriander.

3. Cook on high heat, stirring frequently, until the chicken is well browned and the oil begins to surface.

4. Add the coconut milk, curry leaves and 1 cup water and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Garnish with cilantro and serve with rice.

Now, for an exceedingly simple, delicate dessert from Gujarat.

Shrikhand

Serves 6

Ingredients

1 carton whole milk yogurt

3-4 fresh mangoes

1/3 cup powdered almonds

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1 tsp crushed cardamoms

Method of Preparation

1. Hang the yougurt for 6-8 hours to drain the water, this should be a nice solid cheese-like mass.

2. In the meantime, peel and puree the mangoes.

3. Mix with all the ingredients and chill and serve.

Weekend Musings - Quick tossed Pasta

Last night we went out to catch up with some friends over dinner. The food was just so ooo good. There was this really wonderful papri chat that my friends mother had made from the scratch, was so good. I was drinking the red wine a fruity California Merlot, I don't know what caused it but boy! did I wake up with an horrid headache this morning. It just refused to go away. I took at least 3-4 tynenols, ironically enough last night we were dicussing about the pros and cons of pain killers last night. Well, then I completed the usual chores for the weekend and managed to get some sleep this afternoon, now, how rare is that.

Later, this evening, I fussed around the house. It is mind-boggling just how much junk these kids accumulate. Aug-Oct is birthday season in my kids daycare, this practically takes over our social calendar, and then I am left with all the junk from the goody bags. Well, I filled at least 2 garbage bags of junk and dropped this off in the dumpster on my way for my regular walk.

At night, I decided to put scrounge through my fridge to put together a pasta with whatever I had available. I have to confess I was pleasantly suprised with the results. The combination of ingredients laced with some green chilly and cilantro resulted in a well-balanced dish with just a hint of spice. I would recommend this with a good glass of wine, I have sworn off alcohol for the rest of the weekend after last night.

Red and Green Spicy Pasta

Serves 4

Ingredients

9 oz angel hair pasta
Water and salt for boiling
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
3 cloves garlic finely chopped
1 green chilly minced
1 red pepper cut finely
1/2 cup finely chopped prociutto
1 cup grape tomatoes halved
1/2 cup prepared marinanara sauce
Salt if needed
1/3 cup toasted slivered almonds
3 tbsp shaved aged parmasan
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Cook the pasta till just done (should be very al dente), drain and set aside.
2. Heat the oil and butter and add the garlic, followed a few minutes later with the chilly and red pepper and cook for 3-4 minutes.
3. Add the prociutto and grape tomatoes, and, the tomato sauce, with salt if using. Let this cook for a few minutes.
4. Add in the pasta and mix well for 3-4 minutes.
5. Stir in the remaining ingredients and mix well to let the flavors mix.

Enjoy!

The cilantro in this recipe makes for an interesting fusion of flavors. This goes to Zorra at Tomate, who is hosting this weeks WHB.

Soy-Orange Ginger Fish

Thinking Quick! Thinking Spicy! Thinking.... Well, you get the drift... As always, trying to whip up dinner, actually to watch with this movie called, "The Holiday." Someone asked me my taste in movies, the answer sounded odd even to me, but I love watching alternate film and good sappy romantic comedies. Yes, the holiday is the later kind, but you know, there is nothing wrong with happily every after.

Anyhow, once in a while we do dinner on a plater, wine in a glass and movie on the screen. So here is the "dinner on a plate."

Dinner on a Plate

Serves 4

Ingredients

1/2 cup soy sauce
1 inch piece ginger
3 green chillies
2 clementines juiced
1 small bunch cilantro
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp honey
1.5 lbs. salmon
2 tbsp oil

Method of Preparation

1. Add the soy sauce, ginger, chillies, orange juice, cilantro, garlic and honey and blend till smooth.
2. Add to the salmon and let this sit for 30 minutes or longer.
3. Add the oil on a baking dish and place the salmon in a single layer.
4. Turn on the broil and broil for 7 minutes on each side.
5. Serve hot with rice or salad.

Chive-Sun Dried Tomato Omelette

The other morning I had made myself an omelette on a whim, and, my daughter tried it. Well, now she is all into having an omelette usually for breakfast. Well, nothing to inspire your creative juices than your eager 4.5 year old. That (.5) half is especially important, she will make sure that you do not forget it when mentioning it too her. Well, this morning, this is what we had for brunch with a side salad.
It also got me to use a new herb, yes, just in time for WHB. This is being hosted by Kalyn at Kalyn's kitchen.

For Each Omlette

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp chopped chives
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil on skillet or frying pan.
2. Beat the egg with the onion, chives and salt and pour on the skillet.
3. Quickly top with the sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes and sprinkly with the pepper.
5. Fold and serve how.

My daughter added some ketchup on hers, I encourage you to have it any way you like it.

Tomatoes and Herbs - Desi Pizza

One of the bounties of summer is of course, amazing wonderful tomatoes! These are so plentiful, enticing you with their rich beautiful color. I have to confess, I love tomatoes all year round and my friend Bob, complains when I buy fresh tomatoes in winter, pointing out how bad that is for our plannet, since they are being transported at some ridiculous cost to the environment (since it takes energy to do this). Well, this is not an agruement that has an easy ending so, for now, I will continue to eat my fresh tomatoes as long as I can afford them of course.

Tomatoes pair beautifully with most herbs, especially in my opinion with basil and cilantro. Here is something interesting that I did with a store-bought un-cooked cheese pizza. I used the "Freschetta" store multi-grain crust.

While the oven pre-heated, I chopped two tomatoes into fairly thick slices. Sprinkle the pizza with cumin seeds (1/2 tsp), crush 1/2 dried red chilli pepper, generously add fresh black pepper. Top with the tomatoes and add 3 tbsp finely chopped cilantro.

When the pizza is cooked, spinkle with the juice of half a lime and if you wish 1/2 tsp chat masala.

This was a really simple way to add sparkle to something off the supermarket shelf. I will send this off to WHB, which is being hosted by the chocolate lady, who has some stunning chocolate cookies on her blog.

Punida-Lemon Rasam and a meme

Well without the camera I have lost a little blogging momentum. This week I did make something interesting. That and then I was tagged by Sharmi, for a meme. So I figured, let me just write without having to worry about the uploading, downloading getting the picture just right...

What I made earlier in the week was Rasam, and, on a whim I added some dried mint leaves to it. The results were pretty amazing. The delicately tart and spicy broth tingled on the tongue and was balanced perfectly by the gentle freshness of the mint leaves.

Now for my random throughts,

1. Living in the East Coast I love Fall. I thing I live 10 months of the year to experice the burst of colors and crisp clean air. I am probably one of the few people who feel happy when summer is leaving.

2. My children want to make me be a better person everyday. That among many other ways is how they have enriched my life. I want to eat better, do better deeds on a daily basis. So, I thank you Aadi and Deepta for helping me strive everyday.

3. Only when you have your own children do you really understand how much your parents did for you. Especially the early years, they mean so much, needs so much and they still continue to give every day of our lives.

4. My one regret is that I am so far away from my parents. I wish I could be closer and do more for them.

5. I love cooking, it helps me feel happy on both good days and bad. Especially on bad days, the calming experience of chopping, mixing and putting everything together makes a big difference in my spirits when I am done.

6. As a mother, it is very difficult to find time for oneself. However, simple things like even doing groceries peacefully (yes, this is what I do every Saturday morning, while my husband feeds the kids breakfast can make a difference).

7. I think overall, I have been lucky with my share in life.

Well, thanks Sharmi for making me thing. I must be so self-obsessed since all my random thoughts are about myself.

Tala Methi Macchi - Pan cooked salmon with cumin and Fenugreek

Fish is such a salvation for me on weeknights, it allows me to put something together from the scratch on a busy weeknight without much fuss and usually in less than 30 minutes if I am organized. This salmon is not really an exception, a few good ingredients, the interesting taste in this one is from the dried kasuri methi, a simple handy flavorful ingredient. This is the first time I added this to fish, I think this is a keeper.

Tala Methi Macchi

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

1 lb salmon fillets

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tsp salt

1 tsp red chilli powder

1 tsp ground cumin-coriander powder

1 lime

2 tsp dried methi

1 tbsp oil

1 tsp grated ginger

1 tsp cumin seeds

Method of Preparation

1. Rub the salmon with the turmeric, salt, chili powder, ground cumin-coriander.

2. Squeeze the juice of the lime and add the methi and set this aside for 10-15 minutes.

3. Heat the oil and add the cumin and ginger cook for a few seconds.

4. Add in the fish and cook on each side for 10 minutes, till it flakes easily and is lightly browned.

I guess I should add that for dishes like this, it is important to use a good non-stick pan, or you will need more oil to get the same results.

S is for Simla MIrch

OK, so this has been a crazy week and the time for this entry is a little past. Well, I had thought of the letter "S" when I initially developed this recipe.

I had some excess potatoes, and, was wondering how on earth could I boost/add some nutrition into into it. Then my eyes wandered onto these colorful bell peppers.

Well thus developed a dish that was rather flavorful, and, absolutely perfect with the luchis (white flour puffed bread) that I fried yesterday. What is amazing is that this recipe is so plain and does, not really photograph well but the aromas were amazing. In fact, this convinced me no matter how hard we try, some aspects of good food need to be savored though eating and absorbing the aromas, the camera does not quite do the needed justice.

Shimla Methi Alu

Serves 6-8

Ingredients

6 russet potatoes

4 tbsp oil

1/2 tsp turmeric

1 tbsp mustard seed

1 tbsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp asafetida

a few crushed red chillies

a few curry leaves

1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (Kasuri methi)

1 cup multicolored chopped peppers

salt to tast

cilantro to garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Peel and quarter the potatoes and set aside.

2. Heat the oil and add the turmeric and mustard seeds and cumin.

3. When they begin to crackle add the red chillies and curry leaves with the potatoes.

4. Cover and cook on low heat for 10 minutes till fairly soft.

5. Add all the remaining ingredients except the cilantro and cook for another 10 minutes.

6. Stir in the cilantro and check seasoning and serve hot.

7. Best enjoyed with something like puris.

Andhra Shrimp Curry

I think we all like noovelty in our life, so my North Indian husband who loves spices (since this is what he has grown up with) expresses his independence by insisting how much he loves South Indian and (yes after marriage) - bengali food. I cook general South Indian food reasonably well, but have never tried my hand with fish and seafood recipes.

Well I figured the RCI event which features diverse Indian cuisines, this month featuring Andhra recipes, hosted by Latha.

Well, I adapted this recipe from something a friend of mine from Andhra makes. I think it is close, but since I am doing this recipe by instinct, it may not be perfect

Andhra Shrimp Curry

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

Grind to a paste

1 large onion

4 cloves garlic

1 piece ginger

4 green chillies

3 red chillies

3 tbsp coconut powder

Grind to a powder

2 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp coriander seeds

2 sticks cinnamon

2 cardamoms

2-3 cloves

1 tsp turmeric

1 lb shrimp

1 tsp salt

1 lime

3 tbsp oil

1 small onion chopped

For garnish

A few curry leaves

1 tsp chopped cilantro

Method of preparation

1. Coat the shrimp with the lime and vinegar and set aside

2. Heat the oil and add the chopped onion and saute well.

3. Add in the ground paste and powdered spices and cook stirring frequently for 15-20 minutes until it is well browned and the oil separates.

4. Add in the shrimp with 1 cup of water, bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes.

5. Check the salt and serve hot with rice.

Moong Dal with Dill

A simple variation of an everyday staple - Moong Dal or Mooger Dal.

I do not know how much dill everyone else uses, but I like to get it to add to salads and then I have a lot leftover. While it is gentler than Cilantro, it is an acquired taste in Indian Cuisine. Here I coupled it with garlic for pretty good results.

Moong Dal with Dill and Garlic

Ingredients

3/4 cup moong dal

1 tsp salt

3 cups water

1/2 tsp turmeric

4 tbsp oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

2 cloves garlic minced

2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1/3 cup dill, finely chopped

Method of Preparation

1. On a pan, dry roast the moong dal till lightly browned.

2. Place into a pot and cook with water, turmeric and salt for 25 minutes.

3. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds, when they sizzle add in th garlic and tomatoes and cook till they are soft and pulpy.

4. Add in the dill and gently stir into the cooked lentils.

5. Check seasonings and serve with rice or rotis.

This is my contribution for WHB which is being hosted right here at home.

Weekend Herb Blogging - Roundup # 83

This is the first time I am actually hosting an event. So I am both excited and nervous. Anyhow lets start the drumroll. Trying to do the entries in the order I recieved them. This has however been so much fun, I have learnt about new herbs, new ways to cook them and discovered some lovely blogs along the way.

Starting with Kalyn's entry, where we have a wonderful recipe for a green bean salad with heart of palm and feta seasoned with oregano. Despite rumors about the dried version being more flavorful, Kalyn's uses the fresh variety that she gets straight from her garden. Green and Anti-oxidant rich.

Eliza is a beginer to WHB. Welcome! She has recently bought a crepe book followed by a crepe pan. She presents yes, a crepe recipe. A beautiful recipe featuring chives, roasted garlic and tomatoes. Sounds delicious! Eliza likes the mild taste of chives and informs us that they are rich in vitamins and calcium.

Chris from Mele Cotte, brings us a lovely couple, here the star performer tomato shares the stage with asparagus. How appropriate for this time of the year. In this dish, Chirs moves away from the usual slicing and sauteing and actually oven roasts grape tomatoes before pairing them with asparagus.

Joanna brings us artichokes which are a sign of summer for her. Do visit her blog to see the beautiful pictures of the artichokes in her garden. She shares with us the perfect way of cooking these artichokes cut in half.

Sarah from Avenue Food shares with us her tip for ... pan roasting garlic that tastes just like the original oven-roasted version in much less time. She uses this in an elegant spaghetti recipe, where the garlic is added to the pasta with anchovies and capers. Sounds perfect for a weeknight supper.

Genie shares with us the story and process of making lavender plants dormant and resurrecting them back when the weather is warmer. Having a black thumb myself, I always marvel at people who can do so well with plants.

Astrid shares with us a recipe for grilled chicken taglietelle. She marinates the chicken overnight and cooks it with nectarine slices and also makes some wonderful stuffed mushrooms and garnished with the winning combination of cilantro and basil.

Ulrike who I keep bumping into through blog events, presents a wonderful lemony pasta, with lemony balm. I just cannot have enough lemon in my food so this sounds like something made just for me.

Emily was insprired to creativity with a 40-piece bag of chicken breasts in her freezer and dishes out Mojito Chicken, the recipe sounds lovely with wonderful doses of the rum, lime and mint trio that the drink has and in her words dish is a meeting of stir fry and Kentucky Derby.


Just when I was wondering what to do with some extra avocados in my house I recieved this colorful post from Valentina. The herb featured here is mint, paired beautifully with chickpeas and avocado. She also tells us about how avocado is eaten in Brazil.


Ahn introduces us to wild betel leaf or peper leaf with this recipe where she cooks minced beaf wrapped in wild betel leaves. She explains the major distinction between regular betel leaves and wild betel leaves is in the more pronounced peppery taste of the later.

Glenna reminds us how simple is sometimes the best. I agree! She presents a lovely medley of roasted vegetables seasoned with the herb duo of rosemary and thyme. She also cooks fish with the same herbs and serves them together.


Elizabeth tries her hand at this wonderful, spicy, Harissa, a spicy North African relish, that is generously seasoned with coriander seeds (has recently stopped buying the whole seeds due to some insects that they were attracting) and garlic. She provides us some excellent information on garlic both about the plant and its nutritional benefits.

The Liberal Foodie tries her hand at cooking mussels, and after going through several other recipies, whips up her own with the versatile cilantro. She cooks the mussels with a cilantro chutney and cream sauce and presents the delicious results.

Amy decided to make a Chicken Provencal recipe while looking for thyme plant for her upcoming herb garden. She tells us about the different kinds of thyme plants. Good luck on the garden.

Patricia presents us another chickpea recipe from Brazil. Here the chickpeas are cooked with garlic and spices and served as a side to cumin fried fish. What a perfect blending of flavors.

Sandeepa presents a spicy chicken fry recipe that promises to spice and lift spirits without needing too much undivided attention. It is seasoned with the wonderfully fragrant and spice curry leaves. This herb is certainly worth keeping in the house.

Yich informs us that the banana is considered a herb! This, I did not know. Thanks for letting me know about the other "herb" that I buy every week. She shares a banana muffin and some fun and food facts about the banana.

Christa shares a recipe for tabbouleh a middle-eastern cracked wheat salad. Her version is infused with Chive Flowers. Her post gives us some wonderful information and recipe sources on other edible flowers.

Sher sends us a recipe for Red Curry Salmon, with cabbage salad over jasmine rice, laced with cilantro. She informs us that the dislike for cilantro may be a genetic factor so we should not be too harsh on our friends who do not like the herb.

The Trinigourmet finally shares with us her recipe for Ras-Al- Hanout, a morrocan spice blend that among other things includes a combination of cardamom and coriander.

Angie shares with us a post on chrysanthemum flowers and a recipe for chrysathemum tea and its medicinal qualities. I think with the varying ups and downs of the weather we can all use a sure-fire remedy for the cold.

Hallo shares with us Kale in a wonderful Caldo Verde a nourishing portuguese green soup. Her post has some good information on kale and something that gives me a good weeknight option to cook.

Ed Charles also introduces us to an unusual green called Samphire - an old British traditional food that is making its reappearance. Since this grows by the sea it contains a lot of salt and therefore needs minimal seasoning and flavoring. Works well for me.

Y also presents a post of cilantro or coriander leaves and says to think of coriander leaves more like a salad than just a garnish. She likes it over fresh white steamed fish that is a favorite for her when she goes out to eat.

Katie fills us in on the story of her emerging herb garden and also presents a delicious sounding recipe for tarragon mayonaise that she serves with fish. The mayo is also delicately seasoned with chives and garlic. Sounds perfect for simple white fish.

Zorra sends us a simple but versatile recipe for herb butter that she makes with chives, parsely and sage and serves with grilled garlic bread. I think I can eat this all day.

Susan sends us a nice and luxurious looking entry of Chive and Poppy Seed Crepes, served well stacked with a good dollop of fresh whipped cream. Sounds like a perfect brunch dish.

Well the last entry is yet another Samphire entry, what a coincidence. This one is paired with fish as well. I do not know where to get it but it certainly sounds like something worth trying.

I tried my hand with dill this time around. Paired it with moong dal or yellow lentils for a nice gentle well-seasoned dish.

Well, I think this is it. A lovely collection! I hope I missed no one.

P is for Palak Rajma

I love, love spinach. I can eat it pretty much in any form. It is a regular feature in my cooking. This recipe is a simple creation that works best warm not hot. Several recipes like this frequent my daily table, they are nutritious not terribly fussy and since I do not have to worry too much about the dish getting cold, it fits my life when I am running around with the little ones.

Palak Rajma

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1/2 cup red kidney beans cook till very soft

1 tsp salt

2 tbsp oil

1 tsp jeera

1 onion finely chopped

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp red chilli powder

1/2 tsp cumin coriander powder
2 small tomatoes diced

2 cups baby spinach leaves

3 green chillies minced

2 limes

1/2 tsp garam masala

2 tbsp cilantro

Method of preparation

1. Drain the bean and mash coarsely with salt.

2. Heat the oil and sizzle the cumin seeds.

3. Add the onion and ginger and cook for a 2-3 minutes.

4. When the onion is translucent add the cumin-coriander and chili powder with the tomatoes.

5. When they are soft add in the spinach leaves and cook till barely wilted.

6. Stir in the spinach mixture into the mashed beans.

7. Mix in the green chillies and squeeze in the lime juice.

8. Garnish with garam masala and cilantro.

This dish makes a great lunch meal by itself, it is also great on toasted crustly bread. This is a contribution for P to Nupur's alphabet event

O is for Okra - Bhindi Masala

Ever had to catch a train that left the station. I once had to do this during my commuting days to the city. It took me at least 3-4 tries to get caught up.
I have been getting that feeling as I have been following the A-Z of Indian Vegetables on Nupur's blog. Well, tonight might just be the night when I can make it. I made this Bhindi or Okra dish, in a very classic north Indian style. Just did not fry the bhindi though.
Bhindi Masala
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 lb young fresh okra
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt
1 lime
1/3 cup oil
1 tsp whole cumin seeds
1 onion finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic minced
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1.5 tsp cumin-coriander powder
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1 tsp dried kasuri methi
For the garnish
1/2 cup chopped grape tomatoes
2 scallions coarsely chopped
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
2 green chillies minced
Method of Preparation
1. Cut the tops of the Okra and cut lengthwise into 3-4 strips. Smear with turmeric and a little salt.
2. Broil the bhindi on low till crisp and lightly browned. Sprinkle with lime juice and set aside.
3. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds, followed by the onions and garlic and cook till the onions start turning golden.
4. Add the chopped tomatoes with the remaining spices and cook on low heat for about 15 minutes stirring well, till the mixture is well brown and the oil begins to show.
5. Gently, fold in the bindi and the garnish ingredients and cook for 2-3 minutes.
I will warn you, this dish cries out for parathas , which I did not make, so we made do with toasted multi-grain bread.
2. Drizzle with oil and

Springy Salad

Spring has crept up on me as it always does. Especially given the weird weather (at least in NY), it is even harder to discern. One day, I have this balmy weather, the next day snow, then 80F heat. Anyhow, I think we are really into the warmer weather . The flowers are out in my garden, nothing gives me greater joy than the cherry blossom, in full bloom as we speak. It is ironic, let me tell you why, I love flowers. Nothing unusual about that, the first couple of month when I was getting to know my husband he did get me flowers (cut ones), later this slowed down. He informed me being the nature lover that he was, he felt that it was shameful to remove so many flowers of the trees, we should learn to love them in their own environment, etc, etc... Well, when we got married, he did tell me I would not miss flowers but would really not get too many bunches from the shop. True, to his word, I have my favorite seasonal flowers in our garden, through most of the year, and yes, our cherry blossom is a testimony to that. Spring to me has arrived when the cherry blossom blooms. What does this translate to in my kitchen - somewhat lighter foods .

This salad above has a wonderful zesty dressing with some of the sparkle and crunch of spring.

Spicy Spinach Strawberry Salad

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

For the dressing

1/3 cup fresh balsamic vinegar

1/2 inch fresh ginger

2 green chillies

1/3 cup loose basil leaves

1 tsp black salt

2 tomatoes

For the salad

2 cups baby spinach leaves

8 strawberries thinly sliced

1/2 soft cheese (goat or gorgonzola)

1/3 cup walnuts

Method of preparation

1. Place all the ingredients for the salad in a blender and blend to a puree.

2. Toss all the salad ingredients.

3. Drench with the dressing and serve.

I am sending my springy dish to Meeta for her monthly me ingle event where she is featuring the theme of "Spring is in the air.". Look out, smell, find the cherry blossoms, I am sure you will agree.

Crisp Pan fried Halibut

It really is a challenge, on busy weeks to keep things in balance, the house, the two little one and put a good nutritious dinner on the table at the same time. Fish usually comes to my rescue on such days.
Fish cooked simply with some basic flavors usually can be done quickly and tastes just so wonderfully good. I made these halibut fillets coated with a crisp crust and served it with an interesting salad. I will write about the salad shortly.

The herb of the week is tested and true cilantro, aka coriander leaves aka chinese parsely. My kitchen home and cooking are just incomplete without this herb. Now for the fish... oh I forgot to mention the other device that I am lost without is a food processor, it truely is a very useful device for Indian cooking and beyond.

Crispy Pan-Fried Halibut.


Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 lb halibut steaks, cut into wedges
1 juicy lime or lemon
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp chaat masala
2 shallots or a small onion
1 small piece ginger
2-3 green chillies
1 tbsp curry powder
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
4 tbsp oil

For the coating

1/3 cup coarse cornmeal
1/3 cup peanuts
2 tsp salt
1 cup milk
3 tbsp flour

Method of Preparation

1. Squeeze the lime juice on the fish and rub with turmeric and chaat masala.
2. In a food processor finely all the remaining ingredients except the curry powder, oil and cilantro.
3. Add the paste to the fish, rub the curry powder and sprinkle with cilantro and set aside for half an hour, longer if possible.
4. In the meantime, powder the peanuts, and mix with the cornmeal and half the salt.
5. Make a batter with the milk, flour and remaining salt.
6. Dip the fish into this batter (try to keep the marinade on if possible), and coat with the cover mixture.
7. When all the fish is coated.
8. Heat the oil on a heavy non-stick skillet and place the coated fish on this.
9. On low heat cook each side for about 10 minutes till well browned and the fish is cooked. Cover and cook for five minutes if needed.

This post is for WHB, the event that encourages me to bring new herbs to my home or sometimes just do new things with old ones. This week the event is being hosted by A fridge full of food.

Carrot and Carrot Greens

Have been so busy lately. Will be having a party for the kids, that can be quite a chore. The invites, getting gifts for the other kids, of course the food etc. That and switching jobs can keep a girl more than gainfully occupied.

Anyhow, I got this bunch of carrots with these beautiful greens. I have used beet greens before but never actually tried carrot greens, so I gave it a shot. Threw it together with some whole wheat spagetti, sun-dried tomatoes in oils, edamame bean, corn and grated carrots.

Essentially, I heated a 1 tbsp olive oil, sizzled some garlic and cumin seeds and then cooked the vegetables for about 10 minutes on low with a cover and then added the pasta, sun-dried tomatoes and a little salt and pepper. Added the chopped greens right at the end, the result was a pretty quick and tasty weeknight supper, fairly healthy too for that matter.

I spent a little time looking up carrot greens and realized that it is no novelty to be eating these greens anyhow I was glad that I had discovered a use for these wonderful leaves and I think they will feature anytime I get them in our regular cooking. Will sent this off to Sher at What did you eat? who is hosting WHB.

A tymely touch of novelty

This dish is somewhere between Indian and middle-eastern. I cannot help wondering whether that actually makes it a moghlai dish. I know it is nothing like the food that we know as moghlai, but think about it. The mughals in India were of Persian (middle-eastern) decent and then they came to India and adopted some knowledge of the spices and this became known as Moghlai cuisine - no make that the amazingly popular defination of Indian food moghlai food.

Ok, so you say, not quite...

I will concede, this is a great dish anyway.

Citrus - Thyme Chicken

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

3 oranges

1 lime or lemon

1 tbsp curry powder

1 tsp sumac

1.5 tsp dried thyme

1/2 inch piece fresh ginger

2-3 cloves garlic

2 green chillies

1 tsp salt

10 chicken drumsticks, skinned

For the garnish

1 fresh orange

Extra thyme or cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Squeeze the orange and lime juice into a blender.

2. Add all the remaining ingredients except the chicken into the blender and grind to a puree.

3. Marinate the chicken in this mixture for 2-4 hours.

4. Pre-heat the oven to 400 F. Arrange the chicken on a baking dish and bake for 25 minutes.

5. In the meantime, slice the orange for the garnish.

6. Remove the chicken from the oven, turn, and place each slice on the oven and return to the oven.

7. Remove and garnish with the remaining fresh herbs (thyme and cilantro).

Serve with a salad and decide whether this just might qualify as moghlai.

And this entry goes, to up a the host of this week's weekend herb blogging. Yes, I am wrapping this up ahead of mother's day but might be cooking a special brunch entry for a mom I know (not my mom, I wish she was close enough) but just another person who has shared this journey

that we call motherhood.

Chocolate Cardamom Strawberries

Last weekend I went to visit my cousin in DC. Actually, I had to attend a conference and Anshul and the kids tagged along. While we did not do a lot, spring had certainly arrived in the capital, and, it was beautiful to get glimpses of the cherry blossoms and daffodils. Here in New York, the weather has improved, we are begining to see little things peeking out of the soil but they are not quite there yet.

On Friday evening, I wandered to Whole Foods Market to see what I could get by way of a gift. What caught my eye were these stunning stem strawberries. They were large and just the kind of stuff that make a still life artists day, they were pricey at $7.99 a pound, but, I had never seen such beautiful strawberries before. So, I got myself a pound. Then, I was left with figuring out what to do with them to make them even more special, so, I scrounged around my pantry. We had some white chocolate (that is what I like) and some good dark chocolate (everyone else likes that). And then I found a few pods of cardamom that I removed the seeds from and crushed very finely. I melted the white chocolate and added the cardamom into it. I dipped the strawberried into this, spread them on a sheet of parchment paper and kept them in the refrigerator for 20 minutes, in the meantime, I melted the dark chocolate. I then dipped the white chocolate strawberries into this again, simple, elegant and amazingly good results.

Strawberries are such a harbringer of spring, colorful and full of flavor. It certainly mixes with the pretty spring landscape. This is my entry for this weeks weekend herb blogging. It is hosted this week by Ahn at Food Lovers Journey.

Mixed beans in a creamy gujarati style gravy

Well, here I was browsing through Trupti's,
beautiful blog, when I came across her recipe for Makai Chevdo, sweet corn simmered in milk and spices. I usually have more corn than I know what to do with but not last weekend. So, I started looking for what I could substitute, I found green peas, baby lima bean, and white kidney beans. So I figured since I like them all why stop at one of these ingredients. I did add a tomato and some sugar since I figured none of the above had the sweetness that corn had. My kids loved the idea so I also have since made a tofu-corn variation. Try the recipe as is or my variation, this is simple nutritious comfort food at its best.

Mixed Beans in a creamy gujarati style gravy

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/8 tsp asafetida
1/2 cup mixed dry baby lima and white kidney beans ( I cook these in a crockpot till soft)
1 cup frozen peas
2 green chillies finely chopped
1 tsp salt
1.5 tsp brown sugar
1 cup milk
1 cup water
2 limes

To garnish

Cilantro leaves

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil, add the mustard and cumin seeds and cook till they crackle.
2. Add the asafedtida followed by the beans and peas and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Mix in the chillies, salt, and sugar with the milk and water and simmer for 15 minutes.
4. Squeeze the lime over the beans and garnish with cilantro and enjoy.

Cauliflower with Crab and Balsamic Vinegar

This one is from food and wine magazine. One of the few magazines that I subscribe to. (what a not-surprise, since I love both food and wine). The subscription actually was an add-on to a freebee trial subscription. I don't know about others but I am really bad about accepting those freebee trial offers and then not canceling them. Well, I have been ripped off, several times and been stuck with unwanted materials that I do not know what to do with. Other times (like the stupid almost free newpaper in my driveway it is more painful to really deal with the offer, since I never have time to read the newspaper and spend all the time reclycing it!) it is not worth it, but what I am trying to say is that I like this magazine.
The past issue had an interesting cauliflower and scallops recipe. Well, I loved the idea and since I always have cauliflower and balsamic vinegar in my house, that was hardly the problem, it was scallops. I love scallops but I use it less than shrimps. In this particular case I had some fake crab, available. I felt, this had the sweetness that the scallops would have and makes somewhat of a substitute in a pinch. In this recipe, which was inspired by the mentioned magazine but reinvented to the following in my kitchen, the substitution works I think.

Balsamic Cauliflower with Crab

Ingredients
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 pkgs fake crab (16 oz)
1/2 head cauliflower
1 inch piece ginger
2 green chilies (yes the last two ingredients are where I take over the recipe!)
1/3 cup balsamic vinegar.

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and sizzle the cumin and add the fake crab (if you were using scallops you were supposed to pan sear them.).
2. In the meantime, pulse the cauliflower, ginger, chilies, in a food processor to a coarse pulse.
3. Add this to the crab mixture and cook stirring well for 15 minutes till the cauliflower starts begining to have brown spots.
4. Add in the balsamic vinegar (I found this white balsamic vinegar in my local grocery that I am excited about since it has the flavor but not the dark color that may not be that great for recipes like this).
5. Cook for 10 minutes and eat hot.

Ok, what can I say about cauliflower, something that I actually love and don't care about its nutritious value. Well, if I read the linked article it helps prevents cancer and has a reasonble share of vitamins so it seems to be a good thing to like. Cauliflower is my contribution for this weeks WHB hosted by Becky of Key Lime and Coconut.

Date-Pine Nut Cake with Fennel

As always, I find Mahanandi
a beautiful blog to visit. I was recently struck by this recipe, for a Date-Walnut cake. Firstly, when I went to make it I realized that I did not have any walnuts, then I played around with the flavorings but overall the results were really good and frankly this was quite wholesome for a cake.

Date-PineNut Cake with Fennel

Makes one loaf

Ingredients

1 cup wholewheat flour

1 cup all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp baking soda

3/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp fennel seeds

1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice

1 cup pinenuts

1 cup chopped dates

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup dark brown sugar

1/4 cup soft butter

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

Method of Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a loaf pan and set aside.

2. Mix the flours, baking soda, baking powder, fennel seeds, pumpkin pie spice in a large bowl.

3. Stir in the pinenuts.

4. Mix the dates in the honey.

5. Beat the sugar, butter and egg till smooth.

6. Add in the dates with the honey.

7. Add to the dry ingredients in batches with the buttermilk. Blend till smooth.

8. Pour into a pan and cook for 45 minutes till well browned. Serve hot with tea.

Interestingly enough, I made this rather late at night and was not sure about having tea at that time. Someone had sent me a gift of something called white tea that I had never had before. This happens to be a rather mild tea that needs to be steeped in hot but not boiling water. It is also much lower in caffiene than regular black tea so it makes a good late evening drink when you are craving tea at night.

Ginger-Garlic Cubes

Something that I absolutely must have when cooking something is a ginger garlic paste. I also through in some other things as available, usually green chillies. There you have it 3-G's for the letter G being hosted by One Hot Stove.

This will be a fun event, since, I would love to see what people send for some letters like Y and Z. Anyhow, the other thing I have learnt, is that it really does not take extra time to make a batch of these cubes and freeze them in cubes which I can use later as needed.

So here is what I do. I take 2 large pieces of ginger that I peel, 2 whole bulbs of garlic, that are also peeled and 20 green chillies. I process them in a food processor and fit into an ice cube tray and of course use as needed.

Basil - Pat's Marinara Sauce

I work with Pat who originally
hails from Abruzzi in Italy.
Well, rather, that is where her parents are from. Making marinara sauce is a big deal for them. It is a summertime activity starting with the growing of the tomatoes. She has been extolling the wonders of this sauce for a very long time.
For someone like me, who is used to 20 ingredients in a basic dish, it was dificult to comprehend the beauty and richness of slow cooked tomatoes until I tried it. I have made some tweaks to the recipe since I do not always have tons of fresh tomatoes available, but, I think this marinara is still pretty good. This shall teach me to scoff at the simple beauty of tomatoes and garlic.

This is how I have adaped it. BTW, here is a nice post on making marinara in India

Marinara Sauce

Makes 4 cups

Ingredients

1/3 cup olive oil

1o cloves of garlic minced

1 onion finely chopped

1 large can tomato puree

1 can tomato paste
20 tomatoes blanched and quartered

1 bottle(750 ml) deep red wine (I use about 3/4)

1/2 cup coarsely chopped basil

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the garlic and onions and cook till turning golden.

2. All the tomatoes and bring to a simmer.

3. Cook on low heat for 2 hours stirring occasionally, using small amounts of the wine to thin the sauce.

4. During the last five minutes add the basil.

This sauce is great on simple pasta but can be a wonderful base for anything you can think of. I sometimes break 3-4 eggs over a small casserole of sauce and bake in the oven for 20 minutes and serve topped with black pepper.

The key ingredient here is basil. This is a herb that I love with tomatoes and in pesto. I make a lighter version of pesto, I shall post someday. I have recently learnt to appreciate its subtle sweet taste and use it in rice dishes and of couse Thai dishes.

WHB is being hosted by Anna at morsels and musings. From what I gather she is recently married. Congratulations!

Hot Chili Peppers

Hot chili peppers are one of those gifts of nature that you either love of cannot handle. They are fruits of the capsicum family and come in all shapes, sizes, and colors. Not all chili peppers are spicy and they are ranked on the Scoville scale for heat. They reaction on individuals is based on chemistry.

In general however eating chilies result in pain followed by an endorphin high. Well, I like hot green chilies and the red cherry peppers (the later for appearance as much as taste), and, in general I think of finger food when I think spicy.

I will talk about making pakoras, that are these simple but irresistable chickpea flour fritters. In my house making pakoras is like making homemade pizza, every has their preference, my brother likes cauliflower, my husband likes tomato, I like chicken, so you get the picture, anyhow, here are two variations.

The first one is with brocolli and make with large florettes tempura style.

Brocolli Pakoras

Makes 20 pieces

Ingredients

1 cup chick pea flour (besan)

1.5 tsp chat masala

1 tsp salt

3 tsp finely chopped green chilies

2 tsp finely chopped cilantro

3/4 cup water

Oil for frying

20 large brocolli florettes

Method of Preparation

1. Mix the besan, chat masala, salt, chillies, and cilantro in a bowl.

2. Add in the water to form a smooth batter.

3. Heat the oil and test with a drop of the batter, it should spread and rise to the top.

4. Lower the heat (this is important) and gently coat each piece of brocolli in the batter and fry in batches and drain on paper towels and serve with ketchup and ginger tea.

Shrimp and Tomato Pakoras

Makes about 20

Ingredients

1 cup small shrimp shelled and deviened

1 lime

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp red chili powder

1 tbsp grated ginger and garlic

1 cup besan

1 onion finely chopped 1 tsp whole cumin seeds

2 tsp chopped cilantro

4 chillies finely chopped

20 grape tomatoes halved

1 tsp black salt

2/3 cup water

Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1. Squeeze the lime over the shrimp and mix with the salt and chili powder and set aside for 20 minutes.

2. Mix all the remaining ingredients except the oil into a thick paste.

3. Drain the shrimp on paper towels and add to the batter.

4. Heat the oil and test as for the brocolli pakoras and reduce to medium high.

5. Add tablespoons of the mixture and cook for 5-7 minutes on each side. Serve hot.

This is being sent to the Chocolate Lady who is hosting this week's weekend herb blogging. That is quite an iteresting blog that she maintains.

Got a postcard

I had been fussing since I had to help my 3.75 yr old daughter write out 18 valentines for her Pre-K class, until this adorable valentine arrived from Barb2B
for me. It is one of those adorable handmade cards, now How cute is that, now my husband really has to come up with something interesting.
Thanks Meeta!
for organizing this fun event.

Gajar Halwa - Simple but takes so .......Long!

Relationships like everything else in life are full of surprises. My husband takes this day pretty seriously, well I do not necessarily get 101 roses, but I do feel appreciated and special and he does do something nice ( last year he gave me a collection of movies by my favorite director, which took some time to find, things like that). The reason I find this surprising is not because he is generally not appreciative, but he generally is not especially a fan of what we call Hallmark pressure.

Anyhow, I am the dessert person in this house and unfortunately it shows. My husband does have a couple of favorites - good gulab jamuns and gajar halwa. He likes the former the way my MIL makes it but the later my way. I do this with a few basic ingredients and other than the time, it is fairly simple.

Gajar Halwa - Carrot Fudge

Makes 35 servings

Ingredients

4 lbs carrots
3/4 gallon whole milk
4 green cardamoms
3/4 cup sugar
3 tbsp ghee
1/2 cup raisins
1/3 cup chopped nuts

Method of Preparation

1. Peel the carrots and process them in a food processor or grate them.
2. In a heavy bottom pot, bring the milk to a boil and add the carrots cardamoms.
3. Turn the heat to very low and keep cooking stirring occasionally till fairly dry, this process takes 3-4 hours.
4. Add in the sugar and let the mixture turn fairly dry and shiny orange.
5. This takes about 40 minutes and it needs to be stirred frequently at this point.
6. Add in the ghee and raisins and nuts and cook stirring well for 10 minutes.
7. Cool slightly and serve warm. I like this with ice-cream.

Meeta is keeping us dishing out suggary treats with the sweet love theme.

Postcard Event

OK, so now, obviously I am not too good with the directions, but it is a fun event.
We get to sent and recieve and send postcards from some blog buddies. Now, I clearly skipped this part of the process, so I do not have a picture of my card. I will be updating this with the pictures since the recipient has actually recieved my card. Sorry Meeta.

Lime or Nimbu - On everything

Brocolli and Black Beans with Lime

Given that most of my posts are pretty much everyday fare, what I have started doing with the WHB, event is featuring some of the staples of my kitchen.

Lime (not lemon) is one of these. I know we use them interchageably, but there is a slight difference in the flavor. I find a lemon more fragrant, but the lime tarter. These are both Vitamin C rich fruits. I squeeze limejuice practically on everything.

The other thing that I do not like is cold salads in winter, instead I like to do this warm variation, like the following brocolli-black bean stir-dry.

Brocolli-Black bean with lime

Serves 3-4

Ingredients

1 tsp oil

1/2 cup sliced onions

1 cup brocolli floretts

1/2 cup broth or water

1/2 cup cooked black beans

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chat masala

2 tsp chopped cilantro or mint

1/2 cup halved grape tomatoes

1 large lime

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the onions and brocolli and cook for 3 minutes.

2. Add the broth or water with the brocolli and black beans and cook covered for 5 minutes.

3. Add in the remaining ingredients except the lime and cook till dry and well mixed.

4. Remove from the heat. Cool slightly and sever with the lime juice squeezed on it, healthy, nutrititious and tasty.

The WHB is being hosted by Ulrike at http://ostwestwind.twoday.net/, I have been bumping into this blog twice this week.