A Virtual Vegetarian

Popeye was right……….Spinach is good for you

2011-05-16T03:12:00.000-07:00

Popeye the comic strip character - got instant boost of power/energy from eating cans and cans of spinach when he needed to duke it out with Brutus or other sailormen, or just to deal with grandma or his “girlfriend” Olive oyl.

The truth is that spinach has loads of iron thus making it an energized food {more hemoglobin content in your blood means more oxygen delivered to your vital organs}. So in other words I need to help myself to some serious amounts of greens to help me better cope with my life….………read on!

Just in case any of you are interested, {I know writing this blog is like I am starring in my own movie that NO one is watching} I’d like to blame two things for my lack of blogging {though there are more than enough excuses to pass the blame onto - I’ll stick to just a few to make this post short}.

1. Lack of sufficient/efficient household help, yup its true. As the beloved said, R you’ve had it good for a while now so don’t complain………….alas the cook and full time help are long gone and poor ole me has to do most of the domestic chores! Unfortunately cooking food, photographing the dish and then blogging about it does not make it on my “top 50” list of things to do for the day.

2. My new found love for Dish network {satellite TV} – the package we{I} bought {includes everything but the kitchen sink} and they feature channels in “popular” regional Indian languages like Marathi, Gujarati and Odiya {formerly Oriya} and all these channels have daily soaps, news, and yes EVEN musical reality shows – a MUST watch for me! So as you can see there is very little time left in the day to do the other 48 or so things on my daily chores list!

So enough of the lame excuses and back to Spinach - which can be boring……..but this version of Palak Paneer: Cottage cheese cubes in spiced spinach puree, courtesy my sis R is always a hit. Just a bit of FYI, the afore mentioned sis does not like to cook and rarely does, so acquiring this/a recipe from her makes it even more interesting!

Palak Paneer
Ingredients
2 bags or bunches of spinach leaves, washed and chopped
8-10 oz of paneer, queso fresco, panela, or halloumi, cubed and {shallow fried - optional}
1 medium onion or a handful of shallots finely chopped
2-3 cloves of garlic
½ inch knob of ginger, peeled
1 large ripe tomato, chopped
2 green chillies
1 cup milk or 2-4 tbsp cream
1 tbsp ghee/butter or oil
Salt to taste

Spice Blend: Lightly roast and powder

2 tbsp coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 inch piece of cinnamon
4-6 cloves
1 tsp black pepper
2-4 pods cardamom

Method
Cook leaves with 2-4 tbsp of water and allow it to cool. Liquidize the cooked spinach, fresh garlic, ginger, chopped tomato, and green chillies. Heat ghee/butter/oil in a large pan and add the chopped onions and allow it to brown. Add the spinach puree, salt and cook on low heat for 10 mins. Add the paneer/cheese cubes, milk/cream, and the spice blend. Allow it to cook for another 5 mins. Serve warm with chappati/bread or cooked rice.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event, Veggie/Fruit a month created by Priya M of Mharo Rajathan and hosted by Reshmi of Rasoi.

Going for the Gold

2011-01-24T00:17:00.000-08:00

It’s been a while since I entered the kitchen – thanks to my excellent cook Baby Mami {tamil language word for Aunt} who whips up finger licking amazing traditional south indian fare, but this past weekend there was cooking competition at the Mylapore Club, of which we are brand spanking new members. The club is very quaint, has an old world charm to it and located on sprawling grounds like an oasis in the middle of hectic suburbia.

The theme of the competition was wheat and my son egged me on to participate. He suggested I make Pasta with olives { his two most favourite ingredients} and I accepted. I’ve never taken part in a cooking competition, but figured it was worth a try and that it would at the very least make the Sunday dinner a little more exciting as Baby Mami has Sundays off!

Based on the son’s request and the clubs guidelines I decided to make my vegetarian version of Pasta Puttanesca and load it with tons of olives and fresh vegetables like broccoli and zucchini. While at it I figured I’d make some interesting garnish to “dress” up the humble pasta and made palm trees with bell pepper and carrots - quirky, but adorable!

The competition had at the very least 18-2O competitors and was broken down into two categories - Sweet and Savoury. Some interesting dishes were “old fashioned” wheat halwa, ragi and wheat laddus, wheat flour polis and kottu parrotah – a very native Chennai quick eats dish made of chopped up roti’s and tossed with sautéed onions, garlic, ginger and assorted spices.

The judge of the competition was a nutritionist from a local hospital and had some wonderful comments about the theme in regards to its nutritional value and how we could incorporate more wheat in our mainly rice based south indian diets.

After announcing the 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners in the sweet category..........drum roll please, they announced Moi as the 1st place winner in the Savoury category! I’ve never really won too many things, excepting for the time I was Ms January in a yearly calender {I'll save that story for some other time} so this was a pleasant surprise and even more so as my son had declared me the winner even before I started to cook! However the son has such a persuasive nature that it is possible that he could have coerced the judge into declaring me the winner………..wink…wink! But the judges comments made me really proud as she said my pasta was the most *attractive dish* and it tasted even better than its looks! A few other things she mentioned was that since I choose to parboil the vegetables and cooked the sauce in olive oil, it added to the nutritional value, thus making it a winner…………..woohoo!

Without further ado, here is the recipe…………

Pasta Puttanesca

Ingredients
500 gms uncooked pasta of your choice {I used rigatini}, cooked until al dente
250 gms broccoli cut into small florets\
150 gms zucchini/squash, chopped into small fingers
6-8 peeled and finely chopped garlic cloves
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 {100 ml each} cartons of tomato puree
3 tbsp sliced black olives
2-3 tbsp pasta/Italian seasoning
2 tbsp red pepper/chilli flakes
1-2 tbsp chopped parsley
1 tbsp sugar
2-3 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Method
Parboil broccoli and zucchini. Heat oil in pan and add the garlic and onions, sauté until the garlic and onions give out a fragrance. Add the seasoning, 1 tbsp chilli flakes, salt & pepper, stir for a minute and the tomato puree. Cook until the sauce reduces to 2/3 of its original volume. Add the parsley, vegetables and cooked pasta and toss for a few minutes until the pasta is coated well with the sauce. Garnish with olives and pepper flakes, serve warm with your favourite bread.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event, Create and Carve, created by Nayna and hosted by Nina of Givemesomespice.

Recipe has also been submitted for the event Presto Pasta Nights, created by Ruth of Once upon a feast and hosted by Jen of Taste of Home.

This Bean has gained Broader Appeal

2010-11-30T21:13:00.000-08:00

The truth is that I did not grow up a lover of hyacinth beans, aka: avarakkai; vaal; bulay (Tagalog); or đậu ván (vietnamese), actually I detested them after we grew a variety one summer that had the most awful stench to the growing bean pods. As “chief picker” it was my responsibility to assist my grandma pick the pods off the vines and no matter what I soap I used I was unable to wash the awful smelling natural oils coating the pods from my hands after picking, which made me despise these beans all through my childhood. However decades later while living in Singapore I rediscovered these beans cooked Nepali style and I instantly fell in love with the vegetable. Thankfully the beans no longer have any off-smelling oils to them nowadays!

The beauty of this dish lies in its simplicity; finely chopped beans, finely diced potatoes, tons of grated garlic and voila……….a dish that sure to please the most difficult of palates. I enjoy Nepali vegetarian cuisine as I feel they tend to focus on the flavor of vegetables without drowning a dish with a variety of herbs and spices. Another addition that makes this dish a winner is the use of Potatoes, now who can resist that in any form? I’ve enclosed some nutritive facts about the beans and hope that you will give this vegetable a chance at your dining table.

Lablab, are a variety of beans native to South East Asia. These beans, like its cousins are very easy to grow and are tremendously nutritious, Broad beans are good sources of protein, fibre, vitamins A and C, potassium and iron. They also contain levodopa (L-dopa), a chemical the body uses to produce dopamine (the neurotransmitter associated with the brain's reward and motivation system). A study has found that regions of the world that consume considerable amounts of broad beans in their diet also have lower cases of epilepsy.

Aloo Sem Nepali Style
Ingredients
1 lb lablab/broad beans, rinsed and chopped finely
½ lb potatoes, rinsed and chopped into small cubes with skin on
½ a pod of garlic, peeled and grated (approx 2-3 tbsp)
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp turmeric powder
1 tsp red chilli powder
2-3 tsp oil
Juice of 1 lime or half a lemon
Salt to taste
A sprig of curry leaves (optional)

Method
Heat oil in a pan, add cumin seeds and allow them to sputter, add curry leaves, grated garlic, turmeric, red chilli powder, salt and chopped potatoes. Cover and cook on low heat for about 5-10 minutes. When the potates are almost cooked add the chopped beans and sprinkle some water, cover and cook on low heat for another 10 minutes. Add lime juice when done. Serve with cooked white rice or serve on a toasted multigrain bread slice.

Creativity comes in many colors - mine is called Manarola

2010-08-09T03:37:00.000-07:00

My connections with Italy began early in my childhood, it could have started with my first bite of pizza, or while caressing the fabulous ox blood red coral beads my grandmother showed me from her treasure box. Needless to say the love affair had started and continued to build up, Baroque music, art and architecture that flourished under the de Medici family or lately my fondness for Gucci shoes, Dolce and Gabbana sunglasses, Versace dinnerware or Statuario marble flooring.

It is my desire to spend a few years in Italy once in this lifetime, so I secretly take time to practice Italian and dream of Cinque Terra. I often dream of strolling down the Via dell’ Amore (aka blue path) to arrive at Manarola. A picture says a thousand words and here is where I want to be.

While I can’t be there right now, enjoying the wonderful mediterranean climate and cuisine of fresh produce and herbs I made this tomato soup in honor of Manarola, quite literally, don’t you think?

Zuppa di pomodoro alla Manarola con crostini

Ingredients
2lbs/1kg fresh ripe tomatoes
2 med sized onions finely chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, crushed
2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + 2 tbsp butter
1 tsp sugar
½ cup milk or cream
3 fresh thyme sprigs (optional)
1 tsp black pepper, freshly ground
¼ cup basil leaves, chopped
Generous pinch of cayenne pepper
Salt to taste

Method
Blanch tomatoes to remove the skin and set aside. Heat olive oil and butter and sauté garlic and onions until they turn translucent. Blend cooked onion and garlic along with tomatoes, milk/cream, spices thyme and basil leaves. Heat the blended mix on a low flame and serve warm with crostini.

Crostini
Slice favourite bread into slices and generously apply butter and grill until golden, top with parmesan cheese.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event, Healing foods, created by Siri of Siri's Corner and hosted by Padmajha of Seduce Your Tastebuds.

Season to keep old memories alive

2010-06-30T03:20:00.000-07:00

Time: 5:30am. I woke up. It was cool outside and the breeze came through with a whoosh as I flung open the windows. It was raining.

Standing by the window and looking at the rain made me think of my childhood - spent in Bombay………the rains came down in sheets. Everything around me took on this wonderful silver hue at daybreak. The fragrance of fresh rain and earth made for a heady perfume.

I like the rains.

Overwhelmed, I ran out the door. Standing in the rain, drenched to my bones in utter silence…….what an incredible feeling it was.

I wanted, no needed a bowl of hari moong ki dal. During the monsoons, my mother often made a Mung bean dal that really warmed our cold bones and souls too…..thanks, mom!

Now that I’m back in India and experiencing a monsoon after two decades I just had to make this moong dal from my childhood memories, of course it does not taste half as nice as the one my mom makes, but maybe she will come visit me next monsoon…..wink wink, mom are you listening?

Whole green mung beans are fairly easy to find at most grocers and let’s face it, beans mean lean, so you can have a big bowlful and not feel guilty. I’ve found this dal tastes better when eaten with a hearty bread that sops up the liquid gravy and still holds its texture.

Monsoon Moong Dal

Ingredients
100 gms/ ¼ lb Whole green mung beans, washed and soaked for an hour (if you have the time)
1 large red onion, finely chopped
2 tomatoes, finely chopped (Roma, if available)
3-4 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
½ inch piece of ginger, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
4-8 curry leaves (optional)
2 tsp coriander leaves, chopped
½ tsp cumin seeds
¼ tsp turmeric powder
¼ tsp red chili powder
½ tsp cumin seed powder
½ tsp coriander powder
2-3 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
Boil the soaked Mung beans and cook until al-dente. Heat oil in a heavy bottom pan and add the cumin seeds, allow it to sputter, then add the garlic, green chilli, ginger and cook on a medium flame until the onions turn pink. Add to chopped tomatoes and spice powders. Cook until the tomatoes are pulpy. Add the cooked mung beans and cook on a low flame for 10-15 minutes, or until the beans have softened but still retain their shape. Sprinkle chopped coriander leaves before serving.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event, My Legume Love Affair (MLLA-24), created by Susan of the The Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted by Diana of A little bit of Spain in Iowa

A slippery situation

2010-06-08T00:08:00.000-07:00

Mention Okra and you will find many people who love to hate it - the reason that this crisp vegetable gets a bad rap is because: (a) Ooze - if the vegetable is damp from rinsing it will ooze while cooking; (b) if it is overcooked it will turn gelatinous.

Be good to yourself and indulge in this vegetable, or more like: Indulge as much as you can.
The reason is simple. Okra or ladies fingers (british english name), you're doing yourself a favor. Okra has lots of vitamin C and plenty of B vitamins and minerals, especially magnesium, potassium and calcium. It also is high in fiber.

Once treasured as a delicacy in Moorish Spain, this vegetable had its origin in Ethiopia. From that ancient land, it traveled north to the Mediterranean shores and east to India.

As children our grandmother encouraged us to eat our okra as it said to increase brain power! Research now shows that okra contains a fair amount of folic acid which helps prevent neural tube defects in developing fetuses….not an old wife’s tale after all.

I make okra quite regularly as my husband enjoys it and here is one version of the vegetable side dish I make. I am often asked what is the magic to making this delicious dish? It is quite straightforward and that is the honest truth! I hope you can enjoy the simplicity of this dish.

Kale Aloo Bhindi

Ingredients

1 lbs okra / ladiesfinger, rinsed and completely dry (not a spot of moisture) and cut into 1 inch pieces
½ lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
1 tsp turmeric powder
2 tsp whole coriander seeds
1 + ½ tsp whole cumin seeds
1 tsp red chili powder (optional)
2 tsp Amchur powder (dry mango powder) or 2 tsp lime juice
2 - 4 tsp oil
Salt to taste

Method
Heat a pan and broil the coriander seeds and 1 tsp of the cumin seeds. Cool and powder. Heat oil in a pan and add ½ tsp cumin seeds and allow to sputter. Add the turmeric powder and chopped potatoes. Cook on a low flame until the potatoes are ¾ cooked. Add the okra, cumin/coriander powder, chili powder (optional), lime juice and salt. Cover and cook until the okra is tender but still firm. Serve warm on ciabatta bread with garlic aioli or with roti’s and dal.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event Green Gourmet, created and hosted by Preeti of Write Food

Jack be nimble………put to the test

2010-06-03T21:18:00.000-07:00

Let me give you a little background.

Vasantha mami, a person whom I TOTALLY adore lives with her daughter in the neighborhood. In their huge urban backyard amongst many delightful plants is a jackfruit tree that has several fruits ripening on it. On a recent visit with them, I was the recipient of ¼ of a fruit (each fruit can weigh up to 30-60kgs when fully ripe) since this was a “smaller” one, the piece weighed maybe 2-3 kgs. After the fruit was cut open we realized that it was not completely ripe!

Here is my 10 year old son holding on to a fruit on the tree

Once cut we had to either consume it or throw it away……(not an option for me) so in this semi ripe stage I decided to make a dish with it and decided to blog about it anyway (I’m not sure how many people in the virtual world have access to this strictly tropical fruit found only in parts of south east Asia) it was an experiment with a happy ending. The dish tasted delightful and had an interesting texture to - not crisp or soft, but pleasingly mealy, so here goes.

Jackfruit Subzi
Ingredients
1 kg peeled jackfruit (about 12-15 individual segments)
3 medium sized potato, peeled and cubed into 2 inch pieces
2 – 3 medium sized onions, finely chopped
3 – 4 medium tomatoes, chopped
3 – 4 cloves of garlic, chopped
Small knob of ginger, chopped
2 green chilies, slit down the center
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp coriander powder
½ tsp red chili powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
Handful of coriander leaves, chopped
Juice of one lime
2-4 tsp oil
1 – 2 cups water
Salt to taste

Method
Peel the jackfruit and separate the individual sections. Remove the small seed in the center of the fruit, wash, chop into cubes and set aside. Heat oil, add the garlic, onion, ginger, salt and cook until the onion turns deep pink/red. Add tomatoes and all the dry powders and cook until pulpy. Add the jackfruit, potato water, cover and cook on a low flame until both the jackfruit and potatoes are softened. Add lime juice and coriander leaves, serve warm.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event Green Gourmet, created and hosted by Preeti of Write Food

Feel my Pulse

2010-05-29T01:11:00.000-07:00

As much as I love to have variety in my food, my heart yearns for a large bowl of dal with plain white rice. Once a week I make a family favorite – Traditional Gujarati sweet and sour tur dal which I like to serve with plain white cooked rice, roasted papad and a salad of finely chopped cucumber, onion, tomato, cilantro and dressed with the juice of fresh lime & salt…….that’s all that’s needed, to feed my soul.

This dal can morph into another dish called Dal Dhokli instantly! The recipe is exactly the same, excepting that I add small bite sized pieces of cooked/uncooked chappati and boil it in the dal for a few minutes prior to serving, making it an excellent dish to be served on cool winter nights or on days when one feels low and needs an instant boost (i.e., when retail therapy is not condusive).

Gujarati sweet and sour tur dal

Ingredients
1 cup uncooked tur dal
3-4 tsp peanuts, skin removed
1 medium sized tomato, finely chopped
1-2 green chilies, slit
1 dried red chili (optional)
6-8 cloves
1-2 inch piece of cinnamon
1 tsp cumin seeds
¾ tsp mustard seeds
A pinch of asafetida
½ tsp turmeric
2- Kokum skins, or 1 tsp tamarind paste, or juice of 1 lime
2-4 tsp jaggery/brown sugar, depending on your taste
Few curry leaves
2tsp chopped coriander leaves
1 tsp oil
1 tsp ghee or unsalted butter
Salt to taste

Method

Wash tur dal well and add 4-5 cups water, turmeric and peanuts. Cook this in a pressure cooker for 15-18 minutes or in a dutch oven for 30-45 minutes or until the dal has completely disintegrated. Whisk the mixture and set aside.

In a another cooking pot add oil and ghee and bring to a smoke, add dried red chili, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, mustard seeds, curry leaves, green chilies (in the exact order) and allow the seeds to sputter. Add the chopped tomato and cook until pulpy (about 1-2 minutes). Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Add the dal mixture the kokum skins/tamarind juice if available. Allow this to simmer on a med-low flame for about 15 minutes, add the jaggery and cook for a few more minutes. Remove from fire, add lime juice and coriander leaves. Serve warm with rice or roti’s.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event – Delicious Dal’s from India, hosted by Suma of Veggie Platter

Bean me up, Scotty

2010-05-23T06:54:00.001-07:00

Utter silence on Virtual Vegetarian doesn't mean that my life has drifted into oblivion – it’s quite the contrary! The beginning of the year saw a change of residence…we moved from the US of A to India and I’ve been neck deep in trying to rehabilitate into the “Indian psyche” and let me tell you….it is more difficult than what I imagined it to be, considering I had lived here for the first decade and half of my life! Apparently things have changed so much that I seem to have been stuck in the late eighties, when things were very different from modern day liberalized India.

Amongst the various changes in my life, one has been that I now have a cook (yeah!!!!!) and so I am not cooking as much, excepting for the occasional soup/pasta/Indian Chinese. However Sunday is the weekly day off for the cook and so I do cherish cooking some of my favorite dishes. This week I made my favorite Kala Masala Channa, AKA Chole.

The dish is quite simple and can be made with either pre-soaked Kabuli chana (Garbanzo bean) or the canned variety, it has a very light gravy, softened beans, tongue tickling flavor and a wholesome brunch item. I particularly favor this recipe as it involves very little prep work and does not use onions/garlic/heavy masala which is what one associates with like an Amritsari Chole, Pindi channa or Peshawari Chole. I usually serve it with either a good sour dough bread or white rice/Pulao.

An addition unique to my Chole is the use of ENO fruit salt (non flavored) instead of regular baking powder/soda which help facilitate the breakdown of the tough outer skin of the Kabuli Chana / Garbanzo bean, which is often the culprit for the gassy feeling or the dreaded flatulence one gets after consuming legumes/beans. ENO can be used for cooking any type of beans and does not alter the taste of a dish, plus it reduces the cooking time of beans considerably.

ENO, for those of you who do not know what a fruit salt is, it is a mix of Sodium Bicarbonate (46.4%), Citric Acid (43.6%), Sodium Carbonate (10%). It is not as sensitive to food formations as straight Sodium Bicarbonate plus it does not have that "aftertaste" that Sodium Bicarbonate has. ENO can be puchased at an Indian grocer or online at Amazon.

Kala Masala Channa – Chole

Ingredients
150 gms dry Kabuli Chana, soaked overnight or 2 cans of garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 tbsp cumin seeds
3 tbsp coriander seeds
3 tbsp chaat masala (Everest or Roopak brands)
2-3 tsp oil (groundnut/olive)
2 green chilies, slit
2 tsp ENO fruit salt if available
Salt to taste

Method

Toast cumin and coriander seeds in a skillet until the spices are blackened (will look burnt), cool and grind to a fine powder. Heat oil in a pressure cooker or a heavy bottom pan, add the ground spice blend and allow it to sizzle for 20-30 seconds. Add the soaked legumes and about 4-6 cups of water, salt, green chilies and ENO fruit salt (since it is an effervescent it will sizzle). Cover and cook for 15-22 minutes in a pressure cooker or if you are using a dutch oven (highly recommended) cover and cook on a low flame for an hour or until the beans have softened (you should be able to squeeze a bean without effort between two fingers). Mash a few of the beans with the back of the ladle against the pan and bring to slow simmer or until the gravy has thickened. Sprinkle Chaat masala and coriander leaves (optional) before serving.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event, Cooking with Seeds - Cumin Seeds an event created by Priya of Priya's Easy and Tasty Recipes, and hosted by Saraswathi of Sara's Corner.

In addition this recipe has also been submitted to the event, My Legume Love Affair (MLLA-23), hosted by Susan of the The Well-Seasoned Cook.

A Gourd of Good

2010-01-01T01:57:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!!!!

I've been missing from the blog scene for a while now due to drastic changes in my life (all good changes, I assure you) and as you have probably guessed - part of my NY resolution is to regularly update my blog and so without further ado....(drumroll please) here is something to wish you much peace and joy in the coming year!

Poritha Kootu, is a traditional coconut based gravy dish served in most south Indian households. The gravy stays constant, however the main vegetable can be substituted with any locally available gourd like zucchini or french beans, or potato, or mixed vegetables of your choice.

Poritha Kootu

Ingredients

1 lb Snake gourd, chopped
½ cup tuar dal – cooked
½ tsp turmeric powder
2 tbsp grated coconut meat
2 + 1 dried red chillies
1 tbsp + 1 tsp Urad dal
1 tsp whole black pepper
1//2 tsp whole black mustard seeds
4-6 green curry leaves (optional)
Pinch of asafoetida
Cooked seeds of ripe jackfruit (totally optional, but I used them as I had some on hand)
Oil
Water
Salt to taste

Method

Cut snake gourd into half and then into quarters lengthwise, remove seeds and dice into ¼ inch pieces, cook in the microwave with ¾ cup water and turmeric powder and salt for 5-8 minutes, or until slightly tender. Heat 2 tsp of oil in a pan on medium heat add 2 whole red chilies, pepper, 1 tbsp urad dal and cook until the dal turns golden, add the grated coconut and cook for another minute. Grind this mixture into a fine paste with 1-2 tbsp water. Add this paste to the cooked gourd and cooked tuar dal (and add the cooked jackfruit seeds). Add a pinch of asafetida and bring to a boil. In another small pan heat 2 tsp of oil and when it smokes add a whole red chilli, whole mustard seeds, 1 tsp urad dal and curry leaves and allow the seeds to sputter, pour this over the gourd/paste mixture and serve warm with steamed white rice, roti/chappati or a good sourdough bread.

Dairy I Do, Dare I don't

2009-03-15T09:46:00.001-07:00

This post has been so long overdue….. and here is my explanation for those of you who don’t know - at my day job I have to work for a very demanding and difficult boss – ME!

OK….so on with the post.

A few weeks, actually more like a month ago I offered to help my dear cousin D an amazing baker (she really needed NO help, but was just being polite and not refusing) with a chocolate cake that she was going to bake and I was going to ice/decorate.

A bit of background, I DO NOT BAKE DESERTS.

I have never baked a cake/meringue/pie that has not fallen, cracked, undercooked, overcooked or burnt – yes, the bottom floor of the oven and the cake too…(pineapple upside down in a spring form pan…I know, I know the tray was not placed under the pan) Even if it did make it after all the possible disasters, it just tasted insipid!

Like Rachel Ray, I cannot bake to save my soul!

After all this I still landed at D’s kitchen with eggs and butter in hand. D had all the other ingredients prepared and ready to be mixed. Moi, I kept chattering incessantly while D and the Kitchenaid were trying to do their things...…(mistake 1).

After all the many mixings and beatings the dough was ready to be poured into the pans and I offered to even the dough out, I shook and patted and swirled the pan to remove air bubbles/pockets (mistake 2) and we were ready to bake.

I presume you have by now figured out where we I am going with this………

When the cakes came out they looked good and the aroma was heavenly, infusing the whole house. Cousin D set it to cool and goes about getting the icing ingredients going, while I continue to chat incessantly (mistake 3).

D planned to fix a Caprese salad for the now hungry folks watching this drama unfold - me and my big mouth, suggested I make a pasta to go along with the salad (???). So D politely let’s me take over (read raid) her kitchen and helped me search for all the things I need like kosher salt, a variety of olive oils and we found a wonder fresh wedge of Parmesano Reggiano cheese.

I get the pasta water going and make the pasta sauce – Asparagus and baby spinach in a garlic cream sauce.

Meanwhile the icing was made and the cake brought back…..with big ole holes in the center of the cakes (looked liked large donuts)…yup, the inevitable happened….the curse of the doomed desert! Since I had to decorate the cake, I was advised to fill the centers with some icing -as chance would have it D made a generous double batch…maybe it was intended that way by some supreme power that knew the outcome before us! The cake was iced and decorated with an off center Fleur-de-lys. By the time it got to the table, it was devoured before we had a chance to take pictures of it with cousin S’s new hotshot Canon DSLR, but we did capture some nice shots of folks with cake plates in hand…….the cake tasted delish, really really delish!

I think D has learnt never to invite me “help” her bake a cake….maybe just to decorate, her husband, S does a bang up job at decorating her cakes, I might be let go off......permanently!

But here is something nice for you – giving it an Italian name makes it taste even better.

Penne alla Spinaci, Asparago con Parmesano

Ingredients
1 bunch asparagus (about 15-20 stalks)
2 – 3 cups baby spinach
2-3 tomatoes, finely chopped
8-10 cloves of garlic, peeled and grated
1 cup cream or half & half
4-6 tbsp milk
3 tbsp butter
3 tbsp olive oil
¾ freshly grated Parmesan cheese
Red pepper flakes, optional
¼ tsp freshly grated black pepper
salt to taste
Penne/Penne Rigatoni/Farfalle….pasta of your choice (recipe yields enough sauce for a bout a ½-¾ package of pasta)

Method
Cut the asparagus into bite size pieces (discard about bottom 1/3). Meanwhile, cook the pasta to al dente. Drain & set aside. In a low to medium skillet, combine olive oil & butter and add in the grated garlic allowing it cook for a few minutes taking care not to let the garlic burn as it will taste bitter. Add asparagus, baby spinach and tomatoes. Cook until the spinach has wilted and add milk, cream, ground black pepper, red pepper flakes and bring to a low boil. Reduce heat, add pasta and cook on low just until the sauce coats the pasta. Adjust to add more milk/cream if sauce seems too dry. Finally liberally sprinkle the Parmesan cheese, spoon into bowls and decorate with a few shavings of the cheese and serve warm.

In love for Som Tam now

2008-12-28T17:36:00.000-08:00

In Northern Thailand near the Laos border, a dish named Som Tum is served in most homes on a regular basis. Loosely translated it means; SOM - orange/sour, TAM/TUM – pounded, and is relished all over Thailand. There are many versions…but the dish is basically a raw green Papaya salad that has a spicy, sweet and sour flavor to it.

Traditionally this dish is consists of ingredients like tomatoes, yard long beans, fermented fish paste, fish sauce, dried shrimp, palm sugar, garlic, red thai chillies, lime juice (tamarind juice), crushed peanuts and basil leaves. I’ve eaten the Vegetarian version and absolutely love the cornucopia of flavors that exist in this salad – a cool crisp crunch from the raw papaya enveloped in a sweet and sour and spicy dressing, finished with the saltiness from the roasted peanuts.

Having a fondness for raw papaya, this particular recipe is a favorite that is always on the menu at our home when we are in the mood for something Thai.

Recently an Uncle and Aunt were visiting, and I thought of making something different from the “usual” fare of Indian cuisine…the well traveled uncle (in jest?) questioned if anything Thai could taste good? So of course I had to make a mean Som Tam salad, vege spring rolls, Tom Yum soup, Green curry all served with white rice. Verdict........not bad at all!

Here is my vegetarian version of the Thai classic.

Som Tum Papaya Salad

Ingredients
1 lb raw green papaya, peeled and cut into very fine strips
5-8 yard long beans/green beans, stringed and cut into 2 inch pieces
2-3 peeled garlic cloves
2-4 Thai birds eye red chilies
2-6 leaves of thai red basil, chopped into a chiffonade
3-6 tsp lime juice
1-2 tbsp palm sugar/brown sugar/unrefined sugar
3-4 tbsp dry roasted peanuts, coarsely pounded
salt to taste

Method
Coarsely pound the red chilies and garlic and keep aside. Using a large mortar and pestle lightly bruise the papaya and green beans. If you do not own a big enough mortar/pestle then pound the ingredients slipped into a large ziptop bag. Mix the ingredients and let the dish rest in the refrigerator. Serve cold or at room temperature.

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This recipe has been submitted for the event A.W.E.D -Thai an event created and hosted by DK of Culinary Bazaar.

Ful for Madame?

2008-10-21T14:28:00.000-07:00

Meze or mezze in Eastern Mediterrean is a selection of appetizers or small dishes often served with beverages, similar to the tapas of Spain…or here in the US, Finger foods!

Beans are featured in many dishes and one of the legumes I particularly like are the Ful Medames. These small brown beans are members of the Fava family, of a specific type native to Egypt and the Levant. They are served with egg on top for breakfast, mashed into a puree with oil and lemon juice for mezze, or prepared as in this recipe, for a mezze, for a main course with meats, or for a side dish. There are restaurants in the Middle East- Egypt especially- that specialise in ful dishes!

Brown Beans with Herbs
Ingredients

1 15oz can of Ful medames beans

15-20 cherry tomatoes, halved
3-4 tsp extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
3-4 garlic cloves crushed
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tbsp finely chopped cilantro or dill leaves (I prefer dill/suva)
salt and pepper to taste

Method

Drain and rinse the canned beans. In a bowl add the crushed garlic, lemon juice, olive oil, cumin powder, salt and pepper and stir in the beans and chopped fresh herb (cilantro/dill). Cool in the fridge for 2-4 hours and serve with more olive oil and lemon wedges and pita bread.

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This recipe is submitted for the event My Legume Love Affair, created by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook and hosted by Sra of When My Soup Came Alive.

For the event FIC-Brown, an event created and hosted by Sunshinemom of Toungue Ticklers.

And for Herb Mania-Dill, an event created by Dee of Ammalu's Kitchen and hosted by Latha & Lakshmi of The Yum Blog.

Holy Moly it's a Pozole

2008-10-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

If pozole is unknown to you, hominy might be as well. It is a very large-kernel white corn that has been slaked in a solution of lime. It looks a little like chickpeas but has a strong corn flavor and makes this classic dish a hearty treat from Nuevo Mexican cuisine.

This soup is traditionally made with pork shoulders and hominy, and is said to have originated in Jalisco, but many claim it was actually Guerroro! The soup comes in three main versions, one just pork and hominy in a broth, second is as green version flavored with tomatillos & anaheim or poblano peppers and finally the third one is made with dried red chillies (ancho). If you do not find Ancho’s in your neck of the woods, you can substitute it with deghi mirch or paprika powder to give the intense red color and smoky flavor. Fresh roasted corn can be used as a substitute if Hominy is not available!

My version has it all in one bowl: a base of grains – hominy; vegetables – small chunks for flavor and finally garnished with chopped red onions, corn tortillas chips and lime wedges…who needs anything more?

Pozole Rojo de Jalisco
Ingredients
1- 16 oz can hominy
4-6 Roma tomatoes
1 medium sized zucchini, cubed
1 bell pepper (any color) cubed
1 large onion, peeled and diced
2 corn tortillas
2 dried ancho chilies2-3 tbsp olive oil
4-6 cloves garlic
½ cup cilantro/fresh coriander leaves, chopped
1 cup vegetable stock or 1 cube vegetable bouillon soaked in 1 cup warm water
3-4 cups water
¼ tsp white pepper
1 tsp cumin powder
1 tsp oregano flower
½ tsp red chili powder or paprika
salt to taste
Garnish: Red onions, red radish, cabbage, sour cream, tortilla chips and lime

Method
Roast on the stovetop, a grill, or in the oven the tomatoes, whole tortillas until spotted with brown and ancho chilies –for a few minutes after which they’ll start to burn and taste very bitter! Break the tortillas into pieces. Blend all toasted ingredients until smooth.

Heat olive oil in a stock pot. Add the garlic cloves and onion and saute over medium-low heat for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the zucchini and bell pepper. Cook for 5 minutes. Drain the can of hominy and add to the pot along with the stock and water. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer 25-30 minutes.
Serve warm garnished with chopped onions, tortilla chips, shredded cabbage, cubed red radish and sour cream.

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This soup is my entry for the event No Croutons Required, inspired by Tinned Tomatoes and hosted by Lisa of Food and Spice.

Breakfast in Macchu Picchu

2008-09-30T11:59:00.001-07:00

Termed the Mother Grain – Quinoa was a sacred food to the ancient Incans. Cultivated for over 6000 years this seed is gluten free and low on the Glycemic Index making it an excellent food for breakfast. I have fond memories of eating Sabudana Khichdi for breakfast and substituting Quinoa for the tapioca balls makes this conventional recipe healthier.

Quinoa has a light and fluffy texture when cooked, and its mild slightly nutty flavor makes it an alternative to rice or couscous. To cook Quinoa the first step in preparing it is to remove the saponins/outer skin, a process that requires soaking the grain in water for a few hours, if possible. A common cooking method is to treat quinoa much like rice, bringing two cups of water to a boil with one cup of grain, covering at a low simmer and cooking for 14–18 minutes or until the germ separates from the seed. The cooked germ looks like a tiny curl and should have a slight bite to it, like al dente pasta.

KEENWAH KHICHADI
Ingredients
1 cup Quinoa
½ cup peanuts, crushed (optional)
1 boiled and peeled potato, cubed
1-2 green chilies, chopped
1 tsp whole cumin
1 tsp cumin powder
½ tsp heeng powder
1 tbsp sugar
5-6 curry leaves
2 tbsp coriander leaves, chopped
juice of 1 lime
2tsp oil + 1 tsp ghee (optional)
salt to taste

Method
Cook Quinoa in 2 cups of salted water until water has been absorbed and the texture is fluffy. Heat oil ghee combination and add the cumin seeds, heeng, green chilies, curry leaves and the cubed potato. Add the cumin powder and cook for couple of minutes. Mix in the Quinoa, coriander leaves, crushed peanuts, limejuice and sugar. Adjust for seasoning, serve warm.

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Recipe submitted to WBB - Grains in my Breakfast an event created by Nandita of Saffron Trail and hosted by Aparna of My Diverse Kitchen and for JFI-Grains an event created by Indira of Mahanandi and hosted by Suganya of Tasty Palettes.

In Knead of a Crust

2008-09-29T13:35:00.000-07:00

My son K, loves Olives…actually so does his mom! K is the only kid I know that takes them to school as a snack and so I tend to buy a variety as each one has its own special flavor and use. Cured olives can broadly be classified by their color either black (purplish) or green. I’ve listed a few that I personally like…….

Kalamata – Smallish salty, flavorful, black and a bit bitter, you can find these popular Greek black olives in most large supermarkets. (my favorite kind)

Nicoise - A key ingredient in Salade Niçoise, these small purplish-black olives have a distinctive sour flavor.

Gaeta – These are small black Italian olives and are either dry-cured or brine-cured and a great substitute to the Kalamata.

Manzanilla – These green olives are often pitted and stuffed with pimento, garlic or cheese. These are the olives that garnish a martini cocktail.

Sevillano - This is a large, green, brine-cured olive, but not as large as the manzanilla and never stuffed.

Picholine - Green torpedo-shaped olives that are brine-cured and the ones made in France are marinated with coriander seeds and herbes de Provence while the American made version are soaked in citric acid, these make great martini olives as well.

Finally, the humble Mission - Common black sliced kind available at most supermarkets and the kind we see on a pizza or at the salad bar, this olive lacks flavor when compared to any of the European olives.

I’m passionate about bread…and the ones made with Olives are enjoyed by all at home, so I baked a simple Olive bread this weekend.

Simple Olive Bread

Ingredients
1 package active dry yeast

1½ cups warm water

3 –3 ½ cups bread flour, plus more for dusting1

½ tsp sea salt or kosher salt

3 tsp first cold press olive oil

¾ cup olives of your choice, chopped

Suji/cornmeal for dusting

Method
Prepare yeast as per direction on the envelope. Sift flour with salt and add the olive oil. It is essential to use extra virgin first cold pressed oil as this flavors the bread. Mix it well. Add the frothy yeast liquid and warm water and mix until the dough is sticky. Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead it for 8-10 minutes. Place in an oiled mixing bowl, cover with shrink wrap and allow it rest for 20-30 minutes. Remove from the bowl and knead the dough again, this time sprinkling some chopped olives as you go for about 6-8 minutes and shape into a smooth ball. Place the dough an oiled (2-3 quart) pyrex bowl, sprinkled with suji/cornmeal. Cover with dampened tea towel and allow this to rise once more, about 45-80 minutes. Put the lid on the bowl (this yields a nice chewy crust) and bake in a 375 degree oven for 35 minutes. Remove lid and bake for another 5-10 minutes until when knocked on the side it sounds hollow. Remove and allow to cool. Serve warm with butter.

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I would like to submit this for the JugalBandits event, Click-Crusts

Bitter is Better

2008-09-28T14:07:00.001-07:00

Traditional Indian cuisine is based on the principles of the ancient scriptures of the Ayurveda. One of the commonly consumed spices in India is the Fenugreek, both the leaves and the seeds. Seeds of fenugreek contain the most potent medicinal effects of this plant and the use of Fenugreek seeds is quite common in “tadkas” in a variety of everyday menus like dal and vegetable dishes called subzi. The seed is also said to aid in the better absorption of sugar hence it is highly recommended for diabetics.

A traditional dish from the Western Indian states of Gujarat and Rajasthan is Methi dana aur Papad ki subzi, a dish usually made during the Fall/Autumn. The reason being that fenugreek seeds are said to be a natural expectorant and aids in loosening phlegm and mucus.

Raw fenugreek seeds are very bitter hence the title, however a lot of the bitterness can be extracted by soaking the seeds in warm water overnight and the boiling it until the seeds (aka dana) almost triple in size, develop a gel like outer covering and can easily be squeezed between two fingers. I like this dish as it is fairly easy to make and tastes like you labored all the day in the kitchen!

METHI DANA AUR PAPAD KI SUBZI
Ingredients
2 tbsp fenugreek seeds (presoaked or cooked in the microwave)
3 raw papads, broken into bite size pieces
2 tbsp yogurt
1 ½ - 2 cups water
2 tsp oil + 1 tsp ghee
½ tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp mustard seeds
4-5 curry leaves
1 tbsp coriander powder
1 tsp cumin powder
¼ tsp turmeric powder
½ tsp chilli powder
2 tbsp jaggery or sugar
2-3 tbsp finely chopped coriander leaves
salt to taste

Method
Soak fenugreek seeds in water overnight or zap in the microwave in 2 minute intervals, discarding cooked water each time for a total of 8-10 minutes, I often do this! Discard the water and keep aside. Break Papad into bite size pieces. Beat water and yogurt well making sure that there are no lumps.

Heat oil and ghee in a pan, add the cumin and mustard seeds and when they sputter add the curry leaves and turmeric powder. Now add the yogurt water, soaked fenugreek seeds, coriander powder, cumin powder and chilli powder and salt. Allow the gravy to come to a rolling boil (on a medium flame). Add the broken pieces of papad and cook for a few minutes until the papad pieces soften. Add grated jaggery and the chopped coriander leaves. Serve immediately with warm white rice.

Not in a Pickle

2008-09-26T15:29:00.000-07:00

Though summer is officially over and Fall has begun, I chanced upon some raw mangoes at the local Indian grocery store. My better half C enjoys eating pickles, especially homemade ones with his meals……so I decided to make a pickle I had not tasted in awhile.

As a child I clearly remember eating fresh Avakai urga made by my maternal grandma, Kamalamma. When I stumbled upon my early teens I was considered “old enough” to be in charge of chores and every year, like clockwork I was taken by Grandma on a trip to scour the markets for the rawest, sourest mangoes. it was my responsibility to sit with the vendor while they cut the mangoes as per grandma’s instruction and to make sure that: (1) hand selected mangoes were not substituted with lower quality ones and, (2) they did not short us on the quantity. For all my efforts, I would be rewarded with a meal at a local restaurant before having to lug the baskets home!

Kamalamma’s recipe calls for a fair amount of garlic and chickpeas in the pickle - unusual, as we did not consume much garlic in our home! However, I like this version of Avakai the best as it’s not summer until one eats cool Thayir sadam with urga....when one bites into a crunchy piece of garlic, or a salty chickpea and then sucks on a piece of the pickled mango - sour and spicy…..so enticing is the pickle that it only makes you want to eat more! I can still savour the flavor of Kamalamma's pickle and decided that I had to make my own version of that classic…….the easy way of course!

My Avakai Urga

Raw green mangoes – 4 large, about ½ lbs each (make sure the fruit is fairly hard to the touch – this means that it is still raw)
1 Cup small cloves of peeled garlic (cut large cloves into smaller pieces)
1 Cup dry chick peas soaked in water overnight
2 tbsp whole fenugreek seeds
2 tbsp rai na kuria, hulled and split mustard seeds
2 tsp asafoetida (heeng) powder
2 Cups Pickle Masala (by Swad, Bansi or Deep which is what I used)
1-1/2 Cups Salt (depending on how sour the fruit is, + if very sour, - if less)
2 Cups gingelly/ sesame seed oil (may be substituted with a good quality peanut oil)

Method

Wash and completely dry the mangoes. Cut into 1 inch cubes (use a very SHARP large knife as cutting through the inner shell can be tough) discard the seeds. Transfer into a large mixing bowl.

Heat oil in a pan until smoking point, turn off the flame and allow it to cool. In the meanwhile drain the chickpeas and remove external moisture by allowing it to dry completely(on a paper towel). Clean the peeled garlic cloves as well and make sure that they are bone dry as well.

Add ¾ of the salt and ¾ of the pickle masala and stir it into the cut mangoes. Make sure that all pieces are evenly coated with the masala. Add the garlic, chickpeas, fenugreek seeds, rai na kuria, and the heeng powder. Mix well to ensure even distribution, now taste the masala mix ~ it should taste extra salty, spicy and pungent, if not add more quantities of both the salt and pickle masala(the salt and spices mellow with age). Take a clean container (zap it in the microwave for a minute or two, or clean the container with vinegar) and slowly ladle in the mango mixture. Top off with the cooled oil. Tap the sides of the container to remove any air pockets. Add more if oil if it does not cover the top of the pickle as this will help keep the pickle from spoiling. Too much oil? Don’t worry I will suggest ideas on what to do with left over pickle marinade/oil in another post (making sure you visit again).

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Finally, the last part is a challenge for most people – including me…....allowing the pickle to rest/mature in the sun for a couple of days! When you cannot wait anymore, transfer small (?) quantities of the pickle from the big container into several smaller ones for distribution to family and friends and one for personal use. Keep the large container in the coolest part of the refrigerator until you need to replenish your daily dose, Enjoy!

Berry Delicious

2008-09-04T12:33:00.000-07:00

B, a cousin of my better half C visited us for a weekend and it was decided that we had to enjoy the Bay area weather by spending the day’s outdoors. For one of the days we planned on a picnic ~ the venue selected was Ano Nuevo Park, on the scenic Hwy1 along the beautiful Pacific Coast (a favorite of my son KD - who enjoys watching the 2-3 ton Northern Elephant seals). Along the way we decide to pick berries in the Atascadero area.

Olallieberry is an unusual berry - it is a cross between the loganberry and youngberry which further is a cross between the Raspberry and Blackberry…..complicated I know! I had read about this strangely named berry (apparently it’s a native Chinook word for berry) over a decade ago in a newspaper while at school in New Haven, CT and wondered what it would taste like???

Flash forward, Year 2008 – Berry picking at a U Pick farmette called Phipps Country Store, which just happened to have some Olallie’s ripe for the picking. These berries are said to have one of the shortest optimal-picking time for any fruit ~ just six weeks of plucking potential.

So packed in the car, B, Uncle J and Aunty L (also fellow foodies), we headed out with a few yummy goodies of our own! We finally reach the farm after a very long and winding drive and descended upon the farm with all our gear ~ you know hats, plenty of sunscreen, bug spray, bottles of water…yeah right!!!!!! Armed with just a basket each, for the pickings and incredible curiosity I headed out as fast as I could into the fields. I was barely paying attention to the lady who was instructing us on how to pick the ripest, sweetest berries. I figured if I pop a berry or two in my mouth I’ll figure it out…..now outta my way! As we scrambled past the hen house…Cousin B was nauseated by the stench of the poultry droppings…me, I was just excited to finally see rows and rows of the berry vines.

As the first one from our group on the field I picked the plumpest juiciest dark purplish hued berries and against the advice of my better half C- to rinse the fruit before ingesting, I excitedly thrust it into my already open mouth and squeezed the fruit between my tongue and palette to release the sweet treacle that was mildly tingling with a slightly tart after taste that made you want to pucker. The taste was very similar to that of raspberries and blackberries when eaten together.

Berry picking was a thoroughly enjoyable activity. All I can say is that I tasted more than what was picked….as I had to ascertain at which level of firmness and ripeness the berries tasted best….an earnest experiment for you my readers!

So in conclusion after eating several pints of berries I can safely attest that the berries that had the sweetest flavor were the;
a. Berries that had the darkest hue- almost a dark blackish purple shade, and
b. Ripe berries picked from vines that are almost dried out.

With my left over pint packed in a bag along with some other goodies from the store (more on the lentils soup mix I purchased at the store, later) we headed out to see the awe-inspiring Elephant seals that were in the process of molting their fur on the silver sands of the Pacific coastline.

Now to a recipe using my berry loot…….Berry Syrup!

Ingredients
1 Cup of berries (any variety)
½ Cup of fine white sugar (if berries are tart use ¾ of a cup of sugar)

Method

Place berries in a non-reactive saucepan (stainless steel/pyrex/non stick) and pour room temperature water just until it covers the tops of the berries. Bring this to a boil and turn off the heat and allow mixture to cool. Blend this mixture and strain through a sieve for uniform smooth sauce and discard the leftover pulp. Place the strained mixture back in the saucepan and add sugar, stirring until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add extra water depending on how thick or thin you would like the syrup to be.

I like my syrup to be a bit on the thick side as I use it as a flavoring for salad dressings and berry flavored cocktails. When I use it as a cocktail syrup I like to add a teaspoon or two of brandy (Kirsch, Schnapps, Cassis) for every cup of fruit used to give it an added dimension in flavor.
The uses for this basic syrup are endless, and my favorites are:

Berry Vinaigrette
Ingredients
¾ cup berry syrup
½ cup olive oil
1/3 cup white vinegar
1 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp freshly cracked black pepper
salt to taste

Method
Combine all the ingredients and blend until smooth and silky in texture. Pour the dressing on your favorite greens and enjoy. I like it with a frisee or baby greens.

Researchers say that by adding alcohol to berries boosts the amount of antioxidants in the fruit that can be absorbed by our bodies…so here is a recipe for a “healthy” drink.

Healthy Vodka Drink
Ingredients
1 cup mixed berries
½ cup berry syrup
1 Cup ice cubes/crushed cubes
1 oz. Vodka
1 tsp chopped mint
Whole berries/mint sprig for decoration

Method I
Whip all the ingredients in a blender and pour into your favorite wine glass. Decorate with a sprig of mint.

Method II

Muddle the berries in a cocktail shaker and add crushed ice, syrup, vodka and chopped mint. Stir vigorously and strain into a chilled lowball glass filled with more crushed ice. Decorate with a sprig of mint or some berries skewered on your favorite cocktail pick.

"Corn"ering the local farm

2008-07-25T12:48:00.000-07:00

It’s almost the end of July and I have been scouring my favorite local haunts for the freshest of the freshest vegetables that I can lay may hands on.

At Ramirez Farms (a stones throw from my suburban home) the produce of the week is Corn. I picked up six ears of corn (3 for $1.00) and a bunch of sunflowers. Cheap and plentiful at this time of the year I headed home with my small but bulging cloth bag. While driving the mile and a half back home I wondered what to make? Maybe corn soup or some salsa as I had a few red and green bell peppers in the fridge!

Once home, I placed the corn on the kitchen island and took off to check my e-mail…come on I know you do that too!

Dinner time came along and I still wasn’t sure what to make until I tasted a few of the raw corn kernels.......wish I could describe how sweet and crunchy the corn was! Instinctively I knew I HAD to make Corn Curry. The recipe for this dish is loosely based on a traditional western Indian ~ Gujarati dish, Corn Kadhi that is mildly sweet and sour. The dish is served as a main course with Phulka’s, an unleavened flat bread or steamed rice......... Me, I like to pour some in a bowl and chow it down with a couple of slices of Foccacia bread.

Corn Curry

Ingredients
6 ears of fresh corn, shucked and rinsed
4 tsp ginger-green chili paste (GG paste)
1-cup yogurt
2 tsp gram flour - besan
1-cup milk
4 tsp oil
1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp musturd seeds
1 tsp cumin powder
2 tsp coriander powder
2 fresh green chilies, sliced
4-8 curry leaves (optional)
¼ cup fresh cilantro – finely chopped
4+1 cups water (more if needed)
2 tsp sugar
Juice of 1 lime
Salt to taste

Method

Cut four ears of corn into 2 inch thick slices. Cut the kernels off the remaining two ears of corn and keep aside. Pressure-cook sliced corn with four cups of water, salt and 2 tsp of GG paste for 6 minutes. Whisk in the gram flour with the yogurt, mixing well to avoid lumps.

In another pan heat the oil, when it starts to smoke add cumin seeds & musturd seeds and allow it to sputter, throw in sliced green chilies, curry leaves, remaining GG paste, cumin and coriander powders and the corn kernels. Allow this to sauté for 6-8 minutes on a medium flame just until the corn is cooked. Pour one cup water, yogurt mixture and cook on a very low flame stirring frequently to prevent the mixture from splitting and until raw smell of the yogurt mixture disappears and the gravy has thickened. Now add the pressure-cooked corn slices, sugar, salt to taste and chopped coriander and cook on a low flame for 5-8 minutes. If the curry seems too thick add 1 cup of milk and cook for a few more minutes and take it of the fire. Add the lime juice and serve warm with Rotis or steamed rice. Enjoy!

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As the title suggests this blog is about Vegetarian food - Recipes and Musings and as an homage to my mother, aunts, uncles, extended family & friends and International travels with my better half C, and to all those who have feed me with the most amazing and scrumptious foods and indulged in discussions that inspired me to enter the kitchen and have a blast! Finally it would be very unfair not to mention my dearest son KD, who occasionally lets me know……”Mom, you are the bestest cooker”!

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This recipe is my entry to the Weekend Breakfast Blog- Summer Feast an event created by Nandita of Saffron Trail and hosted by Sia of Monsoon Spice.