healthfood desivideshi

Celery, tomatoes, onion and paneer curried scramble...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Sun, 19 May 2013 11:51:00 +0000

Celery keeps me happy till it grows in the garden. I grow it from seeds and it takes ages to germinate but when it grows well, it grows really well. Mostly the stalks are thinner than those available in the market, but it is packed with flavor. I add it in egg scrambles, in lentil soups and in my smoothies but since this is not something I like as much as good old coriander greens, I probably wouldn't like a pesto or chutney made with it, if I want to consume this wonderful healthy herb in larger amounts.

I make tofu or paneer scramble with it, a scone with celery, paneer and crushed peppercorns is an old favorite and I keep repeating this combination for paneer scrambles and curries too. One day when the husband said if I have posted this recipe on the blog or not, as he had been taking this to his lunch box quite often these days and lining it, I had to check if I have. How simpler things get neglected for the more pretentious ones. No more I thought and here it is..

ingredients...
(serves 2, takes about 10 minutes to cook)
paneer 150 gm (home made is better)
finely chopped celery stalk and leaves (1 cup
diced onions 1/2 cup
chopped tomatoes 3/4 cup
crushed pepper corns 1 tbsp
paprika powder 1/2 tsp or to taste
ghee or butter 1 tbsp
salt to taste

procedure...

Heat the ghee in a a pan and tip in the chopped onions and celery together. Saute for 2 minutes and then add the tomatoes and salt and pepper.

Stir and cook till the tomatoes are mushy. Add paprika and crushed peppercorns and mix well.

Scramble the paneer by hands and add to the cooking mixture, stir and mix well and add a cup of water, simmer the curry for about 5 minutes.

This curried scramble tastes good hot or cold. It can be a one pot soup meal if made thinner with more added tomatoes but a curry for chapatis is also good this way. You might like to add some cooked pasta, boiled pearl barley or just some leftover cold rice to make it a wholesome meal.

You could use chicken mince if you like or mutton or lamb mince if you have some time to slow cook this curried scramble, you can't go wrong with such use of celery.

flour less cake with dark chocolate, fresh cherries, balsamic poached strawberries and loads of love...butter cream icing with hint of coffee | gluten free cake...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 16 May 2013 19:39:00 +0000

Flour less cakes are so easy to put together most new home bakers don't realise. Flour just provides body to the cake and the actual flavors are brought in by other ingredients. Yes the airy and porous character comes from white flour but if you have been away from white flour for as long as me you would love the nuttiness of the whole wheat flour and the rustic character provided by Ragi in the cakes. Nut meals are great substitute for cakes especially if you are baking a dark chocolate cake. I have been baking loaf style flour less cakes for the husband but I realised I haven't posted the recipe yet when some friends asked me for the recipe. I had baked this cake and iced it minimally with coffee flavored butter cream for a very dear friend of mine Varsha Tiwary who writes Wholsome Options.

The cake with dark chocolate and coffee was planned keeping in mind Varsha's favorite flavors but I was pleasantly surprised to see her kids Adi and Ana loving it, being excited for the cake while I 'iced' the cake in front of them on demand. They wanted to see it happening. We know how kids love cakes and beautiful looking cakes all the more. I had planned a beautiful cake with a chocolate lacy collar, but as the cake was taken to her place along with lace collar drawn on butter paper strips, it all melted in Delhi heat and couldn't stick to the sides. But who cares when there is so much excitement...

Talking about flour less cakes, they are easier when you aim for rich chocolate in the cake more than fluffiness. I make a lemon cake with almond meal as well and that turns out fairly fluffy. That recipe will be shared later sometime. I just wanted to communicate that flour less cakes are no scary monsters to handle.

Actually I was taken aback when a lady Chef of a five star establishment recently was asking a group of us bloggers and home bakers whether we bake flour less cakes. As if it was some rocket science and we didn't have an idea of rocket fuel. I was miffed at this question and was amused secretly when the flour less cake arrived at dessert time. The cake was so offensively eggy that no one had it after a couple of spoonfuls. But that is another story.

Look at this cake, the picture taken by my cellphone camera as I forgot to carry my camera to Varsha's place. Two excited kids around a casually dressed up cake makes you believe in real food being much much better than the artificial colour of cartoon faced or theme cakes.

Coming to the recipe, I have been baking this Torta Caprese many times with small variations and love the result every time I do it. Here is how I did it this time...

ingredients...

dark chocolate 500 gm (any brand you like, darker the better)
almonds and walnuts mixed 150 gm
sugar 100 gm
vanilla bean 1
(you could use vanilla powder or real vanilla extract too, but you need good vanilla, not essence)
butter 100 gm
cocoa powder 1/3 cup
eggs 5 large

procedure...

Powder the sugar along with chopped or scissor cut vanilla bean.
Powder the nuts together in the same mixer. Keep aside.
Chop the dark chocolate in small bits, I had kept the dark chocolate slab at room temperature for a day and it cut like pumpkin, Delhi summers I tell you.
Line the baking tins with parchment paper, keeping a margin above the tin rim so you can pull out the cake easily. No need to grease it.

Melt the chocolate and butter together in double boiler. Whisk till smooth and shiny.

Break the eggs in a separate bowl, whisk lightly. Add the lightly whisked eggs one by one, add the powdered vanilla and sugar and whisk them all together. It will be a dark dark gooey mix.

Add the nut powder to the batter now. I normally sieve it into the bowl so any small bits are prevented form going into the batter. I personally don't like nut bits in a nut flour cake. Whisk together again, but not too much.

Pour into the lined baking tin, I baked a 7 inch diameter round cake and a small 5 inch thinner cake for the husband. You can use any convenient size of tin or bake several small cakes or cupcakes.

Bake at 170 degree C for 40 minutes on the middle rack, keep checking the cake after 30 minutes if your tin is large and height of the cake is lesser. The margins should look dried up and the center of the cake should rise and get firm. The skewer test doesn't work with this cake as the large amount of dark chocolate keeps it gooey even when the cake is cooked. You will see a few cracks on the surface too.

Take the cake out and let it cool. The center will come to level and you can try loosening the edges by lifting the parchment edge. Invert the cake in a plate when cool and peel off the parchment very carefully.

Let it cool completely before applying the butter cream icing.

Ingredients for butter cream icing..

butter at room temperature100 gm (salted or unsalted white, whatever available, white butter is preferred when the cakes is fruity)
powdered sugar 3-4 tbsp or more if you feel
instant coffee powder 1.5 tsp dissolved in 2 tsp hot water

procedure...

Whisk the butter with a wire whisk until completely creamed and fluffy. Add powdered sugar and whip again to imbibe. Add the coffee and incorporate again by more whipping.

Cover the cake from all sides using this butter cream.

To decorate I used dark cherries. I knew kids would love it and it will still be an adult cake. I melted 1/3 cup of dark chocolate in cup and coated the cherries in it before arranging them on the base margin. On the cake margin the cherries sit by themselves owing to the butter cream consistency. Though the butter cream started turning soft and melting owing to the higher room temperature...Delhi summers again.

I had poached some strawberries with balsamic vinegar to soak the cake with, butter cream icing was done after I realised the kids were expecting an iced cake :-)

So I just poured the poached balsamic strawberries around the center cherry. The kids swooned and I felt immense pleasure at seeing kids in today's environment swooning for something so simple, real and wholesome. Wholesome options for everyone I say.

I had also made a dark chocolate collar for the cake, but transportation and then the decoration in front of curious kids left the collar melting sticky. It couldn't transfer on the butter cream icing. You would see a small part or the cake's margin with smudged collar. No one cared.

The cake was cut lovingly...

Was enjoyed by all. Pictures were shared with more friends and then came the request to share the recipe. More than the recipe the togetherness, the pleasure and some great time spent giggling, yapping incessantly and then some shopping too....

The balsamic poached strawberries were a perfect foil to round off the dark chocolate flavors with mild sweetness. The icing was also very mild sweet, hint of coffee to just like a faint whiff.

The flavors rounded off well.

And this whole exercise was pure bliss, immense therapy for me. Trust me.

mixed millets pongal : a savory cereal breakfast recipe...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Mon, 06 May 2013 18:29:00 +0000

I have been on a roll with millets. There is so much good taste hidden in those small pearls and all these millets take on flavors so well. I have been experimenting with all kinds of millets available for a long time now, earlier it used to be only the recipes that were made at my parental home, but now I make cakes, quiches, pies and even dumplings with millet flours, sourdough breads, rolls and flat breads are common. I know how happy my grandmother would have been seeing me using all these millets and alternative grains. I miss her so much when I experiment with traditional foods. Always get reminded of how she used to enjoy cooking such things.

Talking of spreading love through cooking and sharing food, a reader who became a dear friend over the years I have been blogging started experimenting with millets seeing my various recipes here on this blog. And she would come back to me whenever she would try a new millet. It is a pleasure to see a family adopting the indigenous grains by reading this blog.

Some time ago she found a new organic brand that had a mixed millets pack and she thought of sending that to me. How generous of her, she even sent me a pack of sesame oil from Chennai. This pack had some 4-5 types of millets. Sama, kodo, ragi, amaranth I can recognize. This mix can be soaked and blended to make a fermented batter for dosa or idli, but after being in love with sama ke chawal, I was thinking more of a pongal.

I discussed pongal with her which somehow I like with the traditional mung and rice more but millet experiments were not as successful till now. I used to not like the dryness the millets brought to the pongal. See my first trial with yellow split mung and this mixed millet that feels dry, though the taste was as good. It had a lot of fried cashew but once the cashew is mixed into the pongal, it looses the crunch and nuttiness. I corrected that too later in my recipe.

She told me to make the pongal thinner so it is creamier and that's how my mixed millet pongal recipe became exactly the way we like. It never occurred to me that a thinner pongal would be great just like I love thinner khichdi. I did a few changes in the tempering from the traditional recipe as per my taste and requirements.

I cooked it in a pan so it took about 40 minutes total to cook, using pressure cooker will be good to save time but the pongal might become too mushy for your liking.

ingredients....

(for 4-6 breakfast servings or as many meal servings with side dishes)
split mung with skin 1 cup
ginger 1/2 inch piece or to taste
mixed millet or sama ke chawal 3/4 cup
broken cashew nuts 1/2 cup
ghee 2 tbsp
black pepper corns 2 tsp or to taste
curry leaves about 15 springs
broken dry red chilies 2-3 or to taste
salt to taste

procedure...

Boil the washed split mung with skin with 3 cups of water and salt to taste in a large deep pan. I cooked it in a traditional Indian deghchi. The lentil will boil and froth, keep stirring in between so it doesn't spill over.

Make a coarse paste of half of the curry leaves and ginger or just chop them finely and add to the boiling lentil mixture.

Add washed mixed millets (or sama if using) after 15 minutes and keep simmering the mixture for about 15 minutes more. Add water if required and cook till the grains get cooked the way you like. Turn off the heat and keep covered till you prepare for the tempering.

Heat ghee in a small deep pan and tip in the broken red chilies. Add the broken cashew in to it and fry till they turn pink. Add the remaining curry leaves and the black pepper corns to the same pan and fry for about 30 seconds or till it gets fragrant. Pour half of this tempering over the cooked pongal.

Mix well, serve in individual bowls and pour a spoonful of the tempering in each bowl and serve immediately.

We licked our bowls clean this time. Literally.

The leftovers tasted great too. Just reheated in microwave and had for a quick meal with cucumber raita. I loved this millet mix and felt blessed for such a lovely thoughtful gift from N.

Gratitude for all the love I anmblessed with. Gratitude for all the love this blog gets from you readers. Many of you consider me like family and that is a very humbling feeling trust me.

Incidentally, pongal is a temple food and prasad in many temples in south India.
What better way would I get to express my gratitude than sharing a healthy a temple food?

how to make sun dried tomatoes at home...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 02 May 2013 20:04:00 +0000

Sun dried cherry tomatoes are a delight to have in the pantry. Sun dried Roma, plum or heirloom tomatoes have a different taste and texture and all of them can effectively be sun dried easily if you keep a few things in mind. Pick the best quality of tomatoes available and dehydrate them as fast as possible, sun drying is best if you get enough sun and microwave is your best friend otherwise.

Sun dried tomatoes or simply dehydrated tomatoes are a condiment I use in many ways. It is versatile and very very useful to have in the pantry. Toss up some in your egg scramble with some herbs and mushrooms or just blend it with plain hummus, the zing is unmistakable and so very rich and nourishing. Yes, the wide range of carotenoids (alpha- and beta- carotene, leutene and lycopene) remains intact even if you sun dry them or cook them. Cooking the tomatoes with healthy fats makes the availability of these carotenoids better as they are fat soluble.

Tomato peels should not be discarded as they contribute to the carotenoid content of tomatoes and make it bio available to the human gut(according to a study from Marseille, France) ~ source

Tomato skin also holds most of the flavonols as well, so it is sensible to not discard the skin most of the times.

As always, I grow tomatoes every year and get a good crop, both heirloom variety and cherry tomatoes and sun dry the extra. Some is distributed to friends and some I keep using here and there.

I have been getting requests from friends and readers for posting the procedure to sun dry the tomatoes. There is nothing complicated in the procedure as I dehydrate them both in sun as well in my microwave oven. I updated the simple steps in my facebook page update last year but somehow a few friends burnt it in the microwave and someone who tried drying them in sun the tomatoes got fungus infested. Now that can be really discouraging if you are doing it for the first time.

So here is the procedure in detail ...

If you get good sun in summers like most parts of India, it is good to use is a sun dry the tomatoes. For the desi tomatoes (Indian heirloom tomatoes), just quarter them, squish them to remove the seeds and arrange them in a porous plate cut side up. I use a bamboo platter I bought from basket weaver at Trade fair.

Be careful to remove all the green whitish pith that is just beneath the stalk. This pith has alkaloids (Solanine) that are not suitable for human consumption. You must be aware why nightshades are not suited for some people who are sensitive to these alkaloids. Removing the white pith is good for everything you do with tomatoes. See in the picture (top right in the collage above) how the green stalks/crowns and pith are removed. (FYI. green tomatoes also are rich in the harmful alkaloid, so it's better not to consume green tomatoes and let them ripen before consumption)

After removing the seeds you end up with a large bowl of seeds and some juice. I strain the juice and use for making a spiced up juice or adding it to soups or daal or Bloody Mary for a Sunday brunch**.

Back to the quartered, emptied tomatoes for drying. Now just keep this plate out in the sun or a sunny windowsill and let them dry. It might take 2-3 or 4 days to completely dry and become leathery and curled. See this picture...

But, some people experienced a few problems, I am addressing them one by one...

Problem number one ~ the hot Indian summers have humid night mostly and sun drying takes about 3-4 days. You need to keep the drying tomatoes indoors and cover it, and that causes fungal growth within a single night sometimes. Keep the half dry tomatoes in the fridge overnight (uncovered) so it keeps dehydrating and stays at a cool temperature nit allowing any fungal growth.

Problem number two ~ Indian summers are dusty as well and a moist cut tomato lying in the open attracts a lot of dust and small insects too sometimes. It is better to cover the tomatoes with a netted contraption so no dust or small insects are attracted to you precious work. I hang this bamboo platter of mine on the clothesline with the help of a contraption like this picture.

Just 5 pieces of cotton rope tied up at both ends, the upper end clipped on the clothesline and the basket or platter propped inside the lower part. And covering this contraption is easier as I just hang a cotton dupatta (thin muslin stole) over it.

Problem number three ~ If you sun dry a large amount of tomatoes, pickling them in Olive oil is quite expensive and the choices of it's usage are fewer. I dehydrate a couple kilos every year and never soak them in olive oil and just store them dry in an airtight container and refrigerate. This gives you a choice to use them in any cuisine you wish and in whatever way possible.

There is no salt in these sun dried tomatoes as well so you have full control over what to do with them. I cut them using a scissor and add to a pasta dish like this or a pasta style pearl barley like this or this griddle focaccia.

Cherry tomatoes I have mostly used for savory muffins, eggs scrambles, some stir fries with fish or vegetables etc.

See this pink salmon scramble dish, this polenta with stir fried vegetables, this roasted eggplant mash, this guacamole with sun dried cherry tomatoes, this quick soda bread with sun dried cherry tomatoes, this double textured egg scramble with sun dried cherry tomatoes and this frittata with sun dried cherry tomatoes too.

Here is how to prepare the cherry tomatoes for sun drying. Halved, pith removed and arranged cut side up on the same plate...

The seeds need not be removed in this case as there will be very little left after you remove the seeds from cherry tomatoes. Also, the seeds and the pulp has more taste in case of cherry tomatoes.

Here is my last years' stock of sun dried cherry tomatoes, dry, unsalted and plain. Use just as you please. Make Indian alu tamatar or daal in pressure cooker or toss them up in a pasta or a bread. This last years stash was dried in the microwave.

I have been using them for so many of my recipes. See this pink salmon scramble dish, this polenta with stir fried vegetables, this roasted eggplant mash, this guacamole with sun dried cherry tomatoes, this quick soda bread with sun dried cherry tomatoes, this double textured egg scramble with sun dried cherry tomatoes and this frittata with sun dried cherry tomatoes too.

And see how I make a Bloody Mary using the tomato juice that I saved after cutting the heirloom tomatoes for drying.

Now a quick list of things to do when you are 'sun drying' (technically dehydrating) them in microwave oven.

Cut and prepare the tomatoes as above.

Arrange them all cut side up in a microwave safe plate.

Set the oven at lowest power setting or wattage and run it for 30 minutes at a time. Take care that at any point of time the tomatoes shouldn't get hot, they should just remain warm throughout. You can check them after 5 minutes and then after 10 minutes again if the setting chosen by you is not heating up the tomatoes.

If the lowest power setting in your microwave oven heats up the tomatoes, it's better to warm it up for 10 minutes or so and then repeat the process for 4-5 times or till the tomatoes are completely dry.

Take care that even after dehydrating the tomatoes by any of the process chosen, they might contain some moisture. So keep them uncovered in the fridge for sometime so they get dehydrated further, then pack them in an airtight container and refrigerate or give away to friends.

If you plan to pickle them in olive oil, you can allow a little moisture in the dried tomatoes. Keep them submerged in oil in that case. Seasoning is also optional, add salt and garlic or more herbs if required.

Please do let me know if this post is useful for you. Your feedback is very instrumental in motivating me to keep updating the blog with information and recipes.

Cheers...

health benefits of mangoes and a mango granola cereal breakfast : an Indian cereal breakfast...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 12:43:00 +0000

Mangoes are healthy fruits and one must not stop eating them for the fear of gaining weight. This is the most real and healthy dessert nature has gifted us. We grow numerous varieties of mangoes in India and markets are flooded with mangoes and more mangoes all through the summer. Most rural populations have better access to good quality tree ripened mangoes than us city dwellers, but we do get our fair share of the king of fruit from all over the country.

Mangoes are cleansing (detoxing) and anti inflammatory in nature, full of antioxidants, having a high ORAC score. The fruits have a wide range of carotenoids ( alpha-carotene, beta-carotene and beta-cyptoxanthin), good amount of Vit-A and C making it great for skin, mucus membranes and eyes. Vit B6 or pyridoxine is also found in good amounts that is required for GABA within the brain (It plays a role in regulating neuronal excitability throughout the nervous system. In humans, GABA is also directly responsible for the regulation of muscle tone ~ source wikipedia).

No wonder according to Ayurveda, mango is a tonic food.

Mangoes have good amounts of potassium, magnesium and copper (co-factor for many vital enzymes) too. Tartaric acid, malic acid and traces of citric acid make it a good alkalising food. Presence Polyphenols, pre and probiotic dietary fiber is also what makes mango a fruit fit for all.

I would recommend any amount of mangoes for everyone who leads an active life, but for sedentary people and someone who wants to loos fat quickly, one can contemplate restricting the mangoes only for breakfast as a full meal or in very small amounts for other meals. In India, we love to dig into a bucket of mangoes any time of the day, many people combine with cream and sugar to make generous amounts of desserts which are further had with fried pooris etc (Ammrakhand is a classic combination with poori) so it becomes more of a caution for all those who want to loose weight or control weight. Clever pairing of mangoes can set you free to eat mangoes and stay blessed this season.

I am suggesting one of those clever mango meals. A breakfast with mango which is itself a good pre and probiotic food, combined with another probiotic cereal called poha or pohe or flattened rice flakes.

The rice flakes are dry roasted in a thick base pan or roasted at low temperature in oven till they turn pinkish brown and then stored in airtight container. This roasted flattened rice is used for this breakfast cereal. Here is what all I used to make this yummy breakfast.

For 2 servings, I used 3/4 cup of roasted flattened rice flakes, 2 tbsp of black raisins, 2 chopped prunes, about a dozen chopped almonds and 1.5 cup of yogurt.

No added sugar is required even though the Alphonso mangoes were a little tart. The chewy raisins lend a nice sweetness that pairs well with the tartness of mangoes and yogurt both. I used mint just for garnish but it can be used in good amounts if you like mint.

Give everything a good mix and serve in cereal bowls or mugs or even in dessert glasses. Or even in coffee mugs. Eat immediately as the crunch of the roasted flattened rice flakes is not to be missed.

I have seen many people in the states of Bihar and Jharkhand eating soaked pohe in the same manner, I tried that too but liked the roasted pohe version better. Mangoes are eaten in the most diverse ways wherever it is grown in abundance. In UP, people eat it with fresh cream (aam malai) and like a thick juice (aamras) as am accompaniment to meals.

This cereal breakfast will be a weight watchers delight. Cooling in summers, and full of mango and yogurt health. Everything probiotic, remember I wrote about how poha is probiotic?

And here is another mango and poha combination in a savory version. Sweet, sour and savory in fact. I know you would love this version as well.

Granola is not an Indian term but we have been eating granolas traditionally in all corners of the country. Malted ragi, poha of different varieties, lapsi and daliya, popped amaranth and many more millets are eaten like this and we need to find out more ways to eat local ingredients rather than going for imported, refined and then fortified cereals.

Simpler foods are mostly whole and real, local foods are the ones you would know more about. Don't you think so?

Talking of simple foods and summer, read my green summer smoothies at Ruchira's blog Cookaroo.

PS : Please do let me know if you are liking my pictures now a days. Yes I have been using a DSLR for about a year now and have been improving slowly, but an online photography workshop by Neel lfp has changed the way I look at the food to photograph. Thanks to Deeba who introduced me to this workshop and to Neel who has been making me feel enthusiastic about photography lately.

how to use soybeans in Indian homes and kitchens : starting with whole soybean, fermenting it and including in some homely Indian recipes...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Many of my readers and clients have been asking why soybean is not a good choice for vegetarian source of protein. Soybeans have been a traditional food in many countries both in fermented and fresh forms. Raw and green soybeans are called Edamame and can be boiled or roasted to make a nice appetizer. Soy has many health benefits, it is a complete protein with essential amino acids that makes it a valuable protein resource for vegetarians.

One of the reasons or controversies around soy is the presence of isoflavones in soybeans that are actually phytoestrogens. Now you would get researches both in favor of phytoestrogens and against it. But it is a fact that in estrogen deficient days (PMS) soybeans would help you deal with symptoms. It would also help during menopausal phase of discomforts. However, taking soy isolates and phytoestrogen isolates can interfere with the way estrogen receptors estrogen responsive genes orchestrate the hormone function, if the dosage is not calibrated correctly.

Eating whole soy has not been reported to cause any disturbances in hormone profile. Read here to know more.

Presence of phytates and oxalates in soy can inhibit absorption of minerals by the system, but phytates and oxalates are present in all the grains and lentils and out body is accustomed to overcome it. If your major protein intake is through soybeans only, you might consider having supplements of Iron, Zinc and Calcium or choose foods that are rich in these.

Also, if you are suffering from hypothyroidism, you should take iodine rich foods and keep taking soybean as one of your protein source, especially if you are largely vegetarian. Japanese populations have been taking large amounts of soy products, both fermented and plain cooked soybeans and they also eat a lot of algae that are super rich in Iodine. If there is optimal iodine available to the system, soy products don't affect thyroid function. So if you are concerned whether you should eat soy products if you are a hypothyroid, include seaweeds in your diet once a week or simply a medium sized potato baked or cooked with it's skin. Having natural Himalayan salt or iodine fortified salt is also a good way but we eat too less salt many a times. Read more about Iodine sources.

Another compound is Lectins which is blamed for soy not being suitable for consumption, but all vegetarian sources of proteins (legumes) have it and our system does not get so high amount of lectins to cause any harm. Read more about why soybeans are not to be blamed.

Talking about soybeans, one more thing that is to be taken care of, is that we should never eat raw soybeans as the presence of trypsin and protease inhibitors in it inhibits the activity of protein digesting enzymes. These compounds get deactivated once the soy beans are cooked. Also, take care to soak the soybeans first for at least 14 hours and then discard the soaking water. Now process the soaked soybeans any which way you like. In the next part of this post, I am suggesting a few ways soybeans can be included in our daily diet, especially in Indian homes.

I prefer soaking the soybeans as mentioned above and then make a paste of it using some fresh water. This paste can be refrigerated for further use for a week or so. The paste also ferments well and very quickly in Indian summers. I have experimented very successfully for making idlis, dumplings and chapatis and breads using this soybeans paste in combination with whole wheat flour or rice flour etc.

Discarding the soaking water helps remove most of the Lectin phytoheamaglutinin so the protein is more digestible, and does not cause flatulence and bloating. I have written about it regarding kidney beans as well. It is worth mentioning here, that the soy flours available in the market have this lectin and is not suitable for consumption. So it's sensible to start from whole soybeans at home. Tofu and soy milk are safer as these are made after soaking the soybeans.

Now let's see how you can use soybeans for your daily foods.

Would you like a dumpling recipe that uses a fermented paste from the fridge, a few more ingredients, a quick whip and steaming for 15 minutes or microwaving for 3 minutes to give you a filling healthy meal? Yes that's how this dumpling recipe works.

As mentioned above, one cup of dry whole soybeans are soaked for at least 14 hours, the soaking water is discarded and the soybeans are blended to make a paste using fresh water. This paste looks like idli paste but quite milky in color and texture. Keep this paste at room temperature for about 2 hours so the fermentation process starts, then refrigerate for the whole week.

Note that one cup of dry soybeans soak up to become 2.5 cups and then make 3.5 cups of paste. To each cup of this paste add about half a cup of whole heat flour, half a cup of barley flour and 2 tbsp wheat or oats bran. Do not add water and knead a soft pliable dough to make your chapatis. The same dough can be fermented without using any fresh yeast as it makes a nice natural sourdough and can be baked into a free style loaf of bread.

The chapatis are softer than normal whole wheat chapatis and keep well even when you eat them after a couple of hours. These chapatis make a great option for lunch boxes as they are soft even after a few hours. However, you cannot make ultra thin chapatis from this dough.

For the dumplings, I add a little coarse barley flour or any millet flour and some grated vegetables, salt and pepper and steam it in separate bowls (I microwave it in greased and covered bowls).

You can see the dumplings are served with a chutney made of generous amounts curry patta, roasted bengal gram, coconut bits, dry red chilly and some ginger. Everything blended smooth in the blender with some water and salt to taste. These dumplings taste great with any spicy Indian daal made a little thinner.

And there is this soybeans idli that tastes great even when you replace urad dal with soybean paste. I just add a cup of the said soybeans paste to a cup of idli rawa (coarse rice semolina) and let it ferment. Then steam idli with it. the resultant idlies are softer, spongier but a little crumbly as soy paste is not as binding as black gram (urad dal). The taste is great.

The chutney served with this idli is a very flavorful creamy chutney that used cashewnuts along with a generous amount of curry patta and coconut.

Blend all these ingredients till smooth in a blender...
1/3 of a fresh coconut scraped or 1/2 cup frozen coconut bits
broken cashew nuts 1/4 cup
ginger roughly chopped 1 tbsp
curry patta 1 cup or about 20 mature springs
whole dry red chilies 3-4 or to taste
salt to taste
water as required

See how this idli is steamed in microwave using opal bowls. The boals are greased and covered during cooking time, each idli takes 2.5 minutes to cook and is sufficient for one breakfast serving along with a generous amount of the above chutney.

Buttermilk suits well with this breakfast. See how fluffy and spongy this soybeans idli is.

Do let me know if these recipes help you to incorporate soybeans in an economical way for daily home cooking. The way soybean paste is used, is the best way to process soybeans for frequent consumption.

I have posted home made soy milk and tofu and also soy yogurt if you want to experiment more with soybeans at home.

I would love to hear from you if this article is useful for you.

Sushi by Masahiko Saito at The One, Le Meridien...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 20:21:00 +0000

Sushi platters are a work of art, a tradition breathing through the best food ingredients and a delicate combination of flavors. Talking of ingredients, it is the freshest of fish imparting the best flavors, though I am yet to have an absolutely fresh slice of tuna or Salmon in my sushi. For Japanese, sushi was a way to use up the fish in plenty, fresh or otherwise. Yes, they even fermented the fish to be used in sushi and other dishes, Japanese have always been pescatarians (fish eaters) and like all meat and fish dependent populations, they have been preserving, pickling, curing and fermenting their produce for ever. Sushi was and still is to an extent, made with fermented fish and that I know is a great food tradition. Fermentation of a few foods is great help for meat and fish eaters. But what we are exposed to in our world, is actually fresh fish sushi, if frozen in considered fresh for places like Delhi.

Fresh fish should smell like sea they say, a fish shouldn't smell fishy. The freshest of sea fish go into Sushi and Sashimi and you can taste the sea in it. And not only the fish, I find the accompaniments of Sushi as refreshing and recharging as the subtle flavors and the burst of wasabi on the palate is something that wakes up the senses. The umami flavors lingers on.

I was at The One, Le Meridien yesterday for lunch. where Japanese master chef Masahiko Saito is currently displaying his Sushi art and skills. He works at The Westin Tokyo.

I joined Anasuya Basu, Director of Marketing and Communications, Le Meridien and Pushpesh Pant, the noted food critic and historian and another blogger Alok Wadhwa for this sushi demonstration. Our translator interpreter was Vedangi Ambekar who duly communicated our numerous queries to Chef Saito and brought the answers back.

Meeting Mr. Pushpesh Pant was a delight as I have admired his work and knowledge for long. He was disappointed when Sake was served chilled in wine glasses. Chef Saito was glad to see someone wanting warm Sake served in cups. He did get up and went to bring warm Sake in a slim carafe and served it warm, it was a whole different world from the chilled, temperature arrested aroma of Sake in wine glass.

Our beginning was perfect, by then we had already asked Chef Saito everything we wanted. Chef Saito is a very pleasing personality, smiling a lot, nodding a lot and even clicking a picture of us.

You can see how he transforms into a different avatar once he is with his craft. Focusing almost like a magician, as if he is about to cast a spell.

He prepared different types of Sushi for us, demonstrated how it is done in steps, I was mesmerized by the deft fingers. See how he takes a thin fillet of fish, cuts neat pieces for making Nigiri-zushi of salmon and tuna and then rolls up an oval ball of sticky rice (called Shari), dots the fish with wasabi and then places the ball of sticky rice over it. And then a few deft movements of fingers shape the Nigiri perfectly.

Not only the sushi with fish and shrimps, I loved the vegetarian sushi more I would say. This pickled aubergine and pickled mooli was a huge surprise. Pickled mooli was a very known flavor and I am going to try pickled aubergine really soon. I am smitten but he good thing is, those long green aubergines are growing in the garden right now.

The Shiitake mushroom nigiri-zushi was a delight as expected. Pickled or vinegar cured shiitake is a delight to have.

Those delicate petals of ginger slices pickled pink are such an addiction. And I loved Wakame, the seaweed which was rehydrated, I can imagine how it would taste fresh.

Lots of wakame and some silken tofu in the miso soup was perfection. You would know why Umami is such an addictive flavor. And you should know why it should come from natural whole foods rather than chemicals. What better than fish and seaweed?

A generous helping of wasabi in between will help you enjoy the other flavors well. By generous I mean a lentil sized dot if it is wasabi for me. Though I can have several helpings repeatedly, but very little at a time.

Warm sake was served again, I saw Chef Saito was heating sake in double boiler.

The Chirashizushi is the scattered sushi that is the easiest to make and serve at home.

Chef Saito gestured (he does not speak English) that Chirashizushi can be eaten with a spoon as well. I was already doing that, can't eat my rice with chopsticks. Fresh vegetables, pickled ginger, bits of pickled mooli, aubergine and shiitake, a very interesting trail of flavors, it needs a dash of soy sauce and a peck of wasabi too. Partners in sushi sin.

The fish chirashizushi had a sprinkling of salmon roe and that lends it a different burst of textures and flavors.

I just had one query I wish I had asked Chef Saito, it slipped off my mind when we started talking about our own regional foods with Pushpesh Pant. One of the chirashizushi had a garnish of a tiny basil leaf and it spoiled the sushi for me though I love my basil. I would have asked him if sweet basil goes well with umami.

Uramaki or the California roll, an inverted sushi where the nori sheet is inside and the rice on the outside was an absolute delight as well. Sesame is my love and it goes so well with leathery nori inside and that small piece of avocado in the center.

This was the best educative sushi meal ever. I asked a lot of questions about how soybeans are a pat of Japanese home cooking and chef answered everything patiently, even if it was not about sushi as I wanted to know about home cooking in Japan too.

We indulged in some salads from the buffet spread after the sushi. I liked the pineapple salad the most with herb dressing. Good fresh ingredients are a key to great taste and I experienced it at The one. Sushi is a part of the buffet at The one and can be ordered a la carte at Nero.

Assorted platter with 10 sushi costs from 1000 to 1200 INR at Nero and the other sushi are priced from 650 to 795 for a platter of six. The One sushi menu has the assorted sushi platter and it is also a part of the buffet menu along with the flavorful miso soup.

Don't miss the miso soup with a generous helping of wakame. The sushi festival is on till 21st of April, I hope Le Meridien includes these sushi in their regular menu as well. Such a centrally located hotel should have everything the people are looking for. And I feel people of Delhi are going Gung ho about sushi now more than ever.

popped amaranth seeds, fruit and nut parfait : a perfect recipe for fasting days...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 17:00:00 +0000

Amaranth seeds are called Ramdaana in Hindi, we used to have Ramdaana laddoo in our childhood so I was in an impression that it is an Indian grain (pseudo grain). It was later that I found out that the grain was a traditional food for the ancient Aztecs of Mexico and is still a traditional food crop in Africa. This grain has been considered kosher by Hindus as it is used for religious fasting and also as an offering to God (prashad).

Amaranth can be the future food crop owing to the rich nutrients it has and the ability to withstand arid conditions. Don't you think the farming lands will be more and more arid in the coming years? It is a gluten free grain that cooks quickly.

You would be glad to know that Amaranth seeds have more protein content than quinoa, the much touted healthy grain that is helping people make huge carbon footprints. While quinoa has 8.1 gm protein per cup, Amaranth seeds provide 9.3 gm protein per cup. The essential amino acid Lysine which is missing in other grains, is found in Amaranth in good amounts. Rich in Magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc etc, low on sodium so it makes a good grain substitute. I would rather say a good cereal substitute if you are dependent on cereals for your breakfast. The popped amaranth seeds are very interesting as it can be used in a versatile way.

The raw grain can be coked like rice using 3 parts water to one part amaranth and used to mix with milk or coconut milk to make your daily porridge. It can also be popped at home to make tasty no cook cereal. We get popped Amaranth in markets during fasting season, I buy it in bulk in such times. We love it with milk or with coconut milk.

Here is one easy parfait with popped Amaranth seeds.

Just layer chopped dry prunes, golden and black raisins, chopped almonds, popped amaranth seeds, hung yogurt and top the parfait glass with a fruit preserve of your choice.

I used a homemade Mulberry preserve. Use strawberry or raspberry preserve or even fresh cut fruits. We love mangoes with it too.

You notice that there is no sugar added to this recipe. The fruit preserve has minimal sugar in it.

The crisp popped amaranth seeds are a nice contrast to creamy yogurt and chewy raisins, prunes and almonds. I love this combination and the husband also likes having it for breakfast. Mostly we just plonk everything in a cereal bowl and have it after lightly mixing it.

I layered it all into a glass for you all to see. Keeping some extra nuts and dry fruits on the side is useful as you might like to add on something or the other. Don't forget it makes a filling breakfast meal and keeps you full till lunch hours.

a 10 minute recipe of a creamy kasoori methi paneer or methi malai paneer ...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:54:00 +0000

How many curries you know cook in 10 minutes? This kasoori methi paneer or methi malai paneer cooks in just 5 minutes if cooking for 2-3 people and the rest 5 minutes goes into preparations. A very rich looking, mildly spiced creamy yummy curry that can make a quick meal with chapatis and a green salad on the side. I had it with a fasting platter of Sama ke chawal ki tehri (fried rice made with Barnyard millet) and zucchini and onion raita.

ingredients...
(2 servings)

paneer 120 gm
dry fenugreek leaves (kasoori methi) 2 tbsp

to be made into a paste...
broken cashew nuts 2 tbsp (25 gm)
black peppercorns 2 tsp
cumin seeds 1 tsp
2 cloves
half a black cardamom
1 green cardamom
1/4 inch stick of cinnamon
paprika powder 1/4 tsp or to taste
grated ginger 1 tbsp
salt to taste

procedure...

Make a paste of the above ingredients, adding water to make a creamy batter like paste.

Cube the fresh paneer in required size, mix it with the kasoori methi, the paste and place everything in a thick bottom pan. Simmer for 5 minutes, stirring all the while. Adjust consistency by adding water if required.

Check seasoning and serve hot. Tastes great with plain chapatis and some raw green salad on the side.

That's it. The recipe is a breeze. You can also microwave this mixture for 3-4 minutes with 2-3 breaks to stir the ingredients and the curry will be ready in a jiffy. I cooked the recipe in the same bowl it is served here. In microwave.

You can also cook cauliflowers almost the same way to give a rich and creamy gobi methi malai.

You can always change the spicing a little bit to suit your choice. The curry is incredibly creamy and yet light. Certainly lower on fat than real cream and you see there is no cooking oil or ghee used here as well. I used home made paneer that was made and leftovers refrigerated the previous day.

amaranth leaves and buckwheat flour savory pancakes for navtratri fasting | healthy fasting recipe....

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 12:55:00 +0000

Amaranth leaves and buckwheat flour are a combination made in heaven if you are making a savory pancake. A firm, crisp exterior and soft inside of a pancake that takes very little effort to make. Buckwheat is a pseudo grain, a seed actually, that is eaten during navratri fasting and is a good source of minerals, Vitamin B complex, dietary fiber of the prebiotic type and is low on Glycemic index.

Buckwheat has been popular in India like a fasting pseudo grain or a grain substitute for religious and detox type fasting. Read my post on buckwheat and another about nutritional information in detail.

Amaranth leaves are also Vitamin and mineral rich, if using red amaranth you get good amounts of antioxidant type Vitamins as well (Vit A and C)...

This recipe is quick and filling for fasting days and if you are on a diet. Minimal ingredients are required as buckwheat is a tasty grain and even amaranth imparts good taste. So the pancake is just seasoned with salt and pepper.

ingredients...
(for 2 servings)
chopped red or green amaranth leaves 2 cups packed or 300 gm
a cup of buckwheat groats or flour (I milled the groats freshly to make the flour)
salt and pepper to taste
about 1/3 cup of water

procedure...

Make a thick batter by mixing everything together. The batter will be barely a batter, just a hardly binding mix of leaves and buckwheat flour. Don't worry about how it will bind as buckwheat flour is quite slimy so it binds the leaves well when spread to make small pancakes.

Divide into 4 portions and spread on a greased flat pan with your fingers. It takes about 1-2 tbsp ghee for four pancakes and gets crisply cooked on one side in just a couple of minutes. Flip it using a slotted spatula and press a little so the other side also gets evenly crisp.

Once browned and crisp, serve immediately with chutney of your choice or as I did with a yogurt based salad. It is a finely chopped carrots, home grown romaine lettuce and mint raita style salad served in a glass like a parfait... You can refer to the carrot and bokchoy raita if you want to make this kind of raita salad. I added mint powder while whipping the yogurt this time.

I had a few halves of tomatoes as well.

The savory pancakes are incredibly crisp and quite nutty in taste owing to buckwheat flour. Very filling and just two of these small pancakes will be a filling meal if served with these kind of sides. You might like some buttermilk too with this meal. I had a large bowl of bottle gourd curry with it too.

See how crisp and lovely it gets with such a minimal effort. It is a 10 minute recipe if you are cooking it for two and have chopped amaranth ready.

How about not complicating the fasting and detoxing? Keep it simple, keep it nutritious as well.

lemongrass and ginger green tea for treating common ailments...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 19:12:00 +0000

I am a tea lover, my brews are special to me as I always include some or the other herb to suit the day, the season or just my mood. It helps when I am troubled with work pressure or with a nasty cold or simply a headache. Lemongrass is a particularly favorite herb, may be because I need it more for my constitution and also because I have a lush bush of lemongrass in the garden. So plucking a blade of lemongrass and brewing it fresh with ginger and green tea is as pleasant as actually sipping on it. That is, when I get the time to brew myself a cuppa. But that is another story...

Lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) is a nerve soothing herb, the essential oil in this herb has a lemon scented compound called Citral which is a potent cancer fighter. Read here how it is a research proven fact. It is a pain reliever, helps in relieving digestive tract spasms, muscular pains and even joint pains related to rheumatism. It also reduces fever and inflammation, very useful herb to treat seasonal cough and cold. Lemongrass is also found to regularize menstrual flow in cases of amenorrhea as it generally improves blood circulation as well. Imagine something so useful and so tasty and aromatic. The curries and teas can actually heal us if used strategically.

Lemongrass is anti inflammatory, antioxidant and astringent. The good thing is, it can be grown easily in a clay pot if you get good sun in your balcony or have a sunny patch anywhere. Good sun, good drainage and frequent watering is all this grass needs.

Back to the tea, just heat a liter of water (yes it's all for myself), and take a large blade of lemongrass, twist it and tie into a small knot or just scissor cut in small bits and put into the water when it is just about to boil. Take off heat and cover for 3-4 minutes. Grate half an inch blob of fresh root ginger, and put it in the tea strainer along with 2 tsp of loose green tea or a tea bag. I prefer to tie a knot of the lemongrass blade and put that into the kettle. Now everything is in the kettle, pour hot water over it, cover and let it brew for 4-6 minutes. Serve as and when you wish.

I keep sipping on this tea even when it turns cold. I love it without a sweetener but you can add a hint of honey to it. This is also a great tea for those who want to start on green tea but green tea feels awful to them. These refreshing flavors would make you want to have more of it.

Serve it with some savories if you are serving it to friends. I was clicking these pictures for an online photography workshop by a wonderful food photography blogger Neel at Lfp. I am learning lots at this workshop and feel enthusiastic about taking pictures most of the times now. Hopefully you will be seeing better pictures on this space in future..

sattu or roasted gram flour : a flour that does not need cooking to make a nutritious meal...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 20:00:00 +0000

Sattu must be a new name for most of you but don't just be fooled by it's simplicity, it is one of the wonder foods that I know. I am sure you don't need any introduction to chickpeas but roasted chickpeas flour is not a very common ingredient in other parts of the world. The roasted gram flour originates probably from Bihar, but is equally popular in eastern UP as well. You must be curious about the flour if you haven't already tasted it.

We normally get roasted chickpeas coated with salt and pepper or chaat masala in the supermarkets and have it with our evening tea. Yes, teacakes and scones are to English teas what the savories, namkeens and such roasted chana is for Indian masala teas.

So the roasted chickpeas with skin on the extreme right is used as a savory snack, the middle one is plain unsalted and skinned roasted chickpeas which is used mostly for making chutneys mixed with coconut, curry patta and green or red chilies etc. This skinned plain roasted chickpeas can be ground to make sattu or roasted chickpeas flour at home using you trusted mixie or coffee grinder. It is very convenient to do when you don't get the ready sattu in your part of the world. The extreme left in the picture is roasted chickpeas flour that is sattu.

Sattu can be milled using roasted chickpeas with skin as well, enhancing the fiber content in it, but I find it too grainy so sometime I add half skinned and half with skin roasted chickpeas in my sattu.

A roasted barley flour is also available in markets and specialty health food stores and that is called Jau ka sattu in Hindi. Both the flours are cooling in nature but chane ka sattu or roasted chickpeas flour is considered to be a tonic food also. Farm laborours were given sattu, raw onion and jaggery as their mid day meal in olden days, they used to do hard work in scorching sun, this food was cooling for the system, hydrating and stamina building. It is absolutely gluten free too.

Sattu is considered strengthening, cooling, light meal that doesn't sit heavy on your system and even helps detox as it is quite rich in soluble fiber. Normally it is consumed with raw onion and chopped coriander greens so the cleansing effect of the meal is even better. The best thing about sattu is, it is a great food for babies, adults and even old people as it is light to the digestive system and yet very nutritive. High on Iron, Magnesium and Manganese, low on Sodium, low on Glycemic index makes sattu a favorable food for diabetics and for weight watchers as well.

Here is a savory drink made using sattu and mint powder along with some finely chopped raw onion...absolutely cooling, cleansing and yet filling.

For 2 servings of this drink, dissolve 2-3 tbsp of sattu in 500 ml of chilled or cold water, add 1 tsp of mint powder (or fresh mint paste as per taste), salt to taste, lime juice to taste and 1 tbsp of finely chopped onion. Mix everything together and a refreshing drink is ready.

You can carry this drink to your office in a jar or sealed tumbler. Mix the dry ingredients and fix the lid. Add chilled water, mix and have it fresh. I sometimes add chopped coriander greens to the drink as well.

And we can have sattu like a solid food as well. The same ingredients are mixed with lesser water to make it in a porridge or upma consistency. Topped with chopped onion, coriander greens, green chilies etc, it makes a yummy filling meal.

3-4 tbsp sattu can make a filling quick fix meal better tasting than instant noodles. A dollop of laal mirch ka bharva achar (stuffed red chilly pickle) is served with this porridge sattu mostly. Heavenly combination it makes.

The aroma of sattu is spectacular in it's effect. You would know when you mix all the ingredients as you would immediately feel like having it. Others in the home will also be drawn towards the kitchen believe me. And this when no cooking is being done. Isn't that wonderful?

There is another way to include sattu for convenience and nutrition. This is how my grandmother used to quickly mix up a tasty snack for us after our play time in childhood sometimes.

Sattu ke laddoo...

Some desi molasses for sweetening, some ghee for binding and sattu, just three ingredients, no cooking and a tasty quick snack ready.

Just rub 2 tbsp of molasses or honey if you don't get (desi molasses), 1 tbsp of ghee in a cup of sattu, and bind it to make a few round laddoos (balls).

Isn't it a great ingredient to have in your pantry?

I do a cheat chutney with sattu as well. Mix equal amounts of sattu and dessicated coconut powder, add yogurt and whip to make a thick chutney, season with salt and temper with a littl sesame oil, hing, mustard seeds, red chilly and curry patta and a nice spicy chutney is ready for your idlis or dosa.

And we make a sattu ka paratha as well. Do try that for a nutritious family meal sometime.

Do you use this ingredient? How often?

Use it more if you already do.

interacting with a foodie dad, a celebrity chef and an actor | David Rocco talks about making family meals fun with kids...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 20:03:00 +0000

It's always a pleasure to meet celebrated Chefs and foodies so when I was invited for an interactive lunch with David Rocco at ITC Maurya I couldn't resist. After all I am always eager to know what drives people to cooking great food and how they shape up a life around it.

Oh...and also, engage more lives into the business of food.

One very important observation of mine is, that every single foodie derives inspiration from his or her mother's kitchen. A kitchen where a mother or a parent cooks in a warm environment, is a potential breeding ground for some great talent. The warmth and coziness of a mother's kitchen lives through a celebrated life, a kitchen garden or a herb garden stays in the memory as a sacred place and the weekly grocery shopping trips with parents also stays as a fond memory that one always wants to recreate.

Imagine how huge potential we have in shaping up our kids' food preferences. We don't need to tell our kids what is good or bad, just feeling good about what we eat, finding joyful moments during cooking and dining is what we need to aim for. Everything else will definitely fall into place. And the kid will grow up and find food, ingredients and flavors in her fond memories, most probably would want to revive them all.

That is what I found really impressive when David talked of involving kids for tossing up a meal in a fun way. They wont pick the green bits of herbs when they have cooked the meals by themselves. Try baking a garden pizza with your kids and see how they would eat every bit of green form it. You would be surprised to hear what he said about not allowing the kids to eat alternative food when a family meal is served on the table, the kid would go to bed hungry, wake up in the morning and eat the same food alright when hungry. All mothers were nodding vehemently.

We talked of Olive oils and cheeses and how the climate and local factors change the taste of the same product and how local produce should be celebrated more for it's flavors and freshness, imported stuff is better to be used occasionally. David talked about paneer and how Indian mozzarella also has a nice firmness due to added cow's milk to the predominantly buffalo milk mozzarella culture.

We were tempted to compare olive oil to mustard oil and then agreed that both the oils are like oranges and apples as Ruchira rightly put it into words. I would love having both of them in my life, in my kitchen and on my table as well. I love both these oils in my seasonings and in my salad dressings. I would always prefer to have all my food cooked in traditional oils rather than the refined crap marketed as the healthy 'alternative' today.

West View at the top floor of ITC Maurya was quite in the day time, being a weekday and we didn't even realise how much time we spent interacting and talking about foods from our country.

David had liked our daals and mustard oil and chutneys and I hope we will see some interesting Indian flavors in his India series. The Italian menu at West View was done by David Rocco, executed by Chef Manisha Bhasin and her team.

There was Champagne and Prosciutto wrapped melon cubes for starters...

First course was Penne con Pomodori e Melanzane was simple flavors that we cook at home like pasta alla norma , the pasta had minimal aubergine and more tomatoes probably keeping in mind the taste of north Indian palate, I would have loved more aubergine any day. Aubergine is such a flavorful creamy vegetable. The pasta was liked by all nonetheless. It was paired with Fratelli Sauvignon Blanc.

Second course came with a Saltimbocca di pollo, chicken with prosciutto and sage cooked in marsala wine. It was really interesting, every element shining through the delicate balance of flavors. The stock and Marsala wine reduced with sage made a flavorful coating sauce that made the chicken breast quite juicy and well done. This course also included a lovely Beet Risotto. Perfectly creamy, al dante and cheesy flavors. There was not much beets into it but David told he makes it with beets stock and puree back home and is darker in color. I was imagining how that would taste with the cheeses. I might try that myself very soon.

There was fresh and crisp blanched broccoli doused with red chilly flakes and onion on the side and very fresh baby carrots with cilantro. Perfectly the way I love my vegetables.

The second course was paired with Fratelli Sangiovese.

Good food enjoyed over more banter about food. I liked it when David said he trains people from communities for making meals affordable for all. Fresh seasonal and local produce is cheap and can be used effectively to achieve nutrient value at a lower cost. Otherwise too, this meal served at West View was an example of how simplicity of ingredients can be superbly flavorful.

I was disappointed by the desserts though. Don't blame it to my general apathy towards desserts always but I do appreciate great tasting desserts. Torta Caprese, a flour less chocolate cake was eggy and that masked everything in the cake filled with blanched almonds. Zabaglione con Frutti di Bosco (mixed fruit with espresso zabaglione) was better as it had strawberry coulis, a few blueberries and hints of espresso. I might have liked it a little chilled may be. It was a good dessert, probably spoiled by the eggyness of what I tasted first.

In totality it was a nice day out, a weekday well spent, exchanging foodie bits from different cultures. I hope David corrects himself on the impression of Indian curry spices masking all the flavors and freshness in most foods. I told him how our Chokha is such a flavorful simple salad-mash dressed with raw mustard oil and that our daily food is not at all masked by heavy curry gravies.

David was a good sport and posed with blogger friends before leaving.

Anita Tiku , Reeta Skeeter, Deeba Rajpal, Ruchira Hoon, Charis and Parul were the other bloggers present and we all sat for a while for a cup of coffee before dispersing.

I would show you the most beautiful part of West View at ITC Maurya. the terrace herb garden before I sign off.

This place looks beautiful at night but the herbs and fruit trees growing in pots can be seen in full glory only during the day time.

I recommend the Sunday brunch at West View during winters. You would love to sit al-fresco and enjoy the herb garden, the winter sun and the wonderful food they serve. Always a nice pleasant place to visit.

spinach in my smoothie? How?

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 17:02:00 +0000

This is what I used to say when I saw many smoothies named grasshopper smoothie or a spinach and berries smoothie. I felt yuck at the mere mention of them. I thought I would never be able to gulp them down though I always appreciated the food value they have.

Not that I don't like spinach, but having it raw along with fruits that too all pulped up felt not right. More because we don't get organic stuff too easily here. So whenever there is fresh spinach from my garden, I make a few salads with it. And then I tried a smoothie one day, combining it with the refreshing and aromatic oranges and strawberries. It smelt really good and tasted only of oranges and strawberries to my amusement. If you make someone drink it blindfolded, no way one can recognise any spinach in it. The story changes when you add celery to this smoothie. Celery is aromatic and makes it's presence felt. I preferred spinach in this particular combination of fruits.

I had this post in the drafts and when someone asked me if I can give ideas about how to include spinach in fruit based smoothies, got reminded of this.

A cup of packed spinach, a cup of orange segments separated and 6 large strawberries is all I blended for a large glass of this green smoothie. No water was used.

After having this smoothie for about 3-4 times now, I will try it with green tart apples may be. But to be honest, I would rather have the apple as it is and steam the spinach and eat it as it is for a breakfast, may be cook an egg on it as well.

This smoothie will be reserved for the days when I want a detox after a particularly bad eating bout.

What about you?

zucchini, cheese and sun dried tomatoes frittata... quick Sunday brunch and chai...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Sun, 31 Mar 2013 16:23:00 +0000

Fritatta with vegetables is easier than omelets when you want to prepare breakfast or brunch for the family. Adding vegetables like zucchini and broccoli or spinach makes it easier as you don't have to scrub clean or peel the vegetables, just grate or chop roughly and you are set for great tasting breakfast with the flavors of the day. Flavors of the day play a great role on shaping up your mood for the day as well, the fresh seasonal vegetables, any herbs you feel like and any cheese of your choice. You could add some dry fruits or vegetables if you wish. May be some pickled vegetables as well.

ingredients...

6 eggs (these were a little smaller organic eggs)
one large zucchini grated (it fills 2 cups)
grated cheese (cheddar or processed) 3/4 cup or about 80 gm
finely chopped coriander greens 1/4 cup
fresh cream 1 tbsp
sun dried cheri tomatoes a handful (or use fresh cheri tomatoes)
minced garlic 1 tsp
paprika powder 1 tsp or to taste
crushed dry rosemary a generous pinch
salt and pepper to taste

procedure...

Mix everything up, pour in a greased round dish and bake in preheated oven at 180 C for about 20 minutes.

The diameter of the baking dish would be important to decide baking time. Mine was a 19 cm diameter baking dish and the frittata was a good 2.5 cm thickness. Pricking in the middle and checking if completely done will be a good idea to have an idea of you want it to be a firm frittata.

The zucchini has a lot of moisture and the frittata will be quite moist inside. The cheesy flavors melding with the tart sun dried cheri tomatoes will be great fun to be in a soft melting type frittata.

A nice springtime Sunday brunch in the garden with some milky masala tea.

We had a large slice as leftover too between the two of us. This frittata is quite filling and keeps you full till the evening.

Rich flavors or herbs, cheese and sun dried tomatoes will make you repeat this frittata over and over again. Use broccoli or cauliflowers if you don't like zucchini much and replace sun dried cheri tomatoes with thinly sliced fresh tomatoes arranged on top if you haven't sun dried some tomatoes on your own. They are available in markets and I suggest using the dry variety not the oil preserved to get the rich taste they have. I keep my sun dried cheri tomatoes refrigerated for the whole year and use them with various flavors..

fermented foods | white radish pickle or mooli ka achar .....

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 20:58:00 +0000

Mooli ka achar or white radish pickle is a nice pickled salad that can be compared to kimchi and saurekraut in it's taste and pungency, as well as in it's probiotic food value.

The taste, sourness and the pungency differ with the vegetables and spices used in all these pickled/fermented veggiess but the 3-4 days minimum of fermentation ensures a good dose of probiotic activity in these sour condiments.

Strangely, I realised the probiotic value of these traditional foods later in life when I worked with microbes myself. Before that this mooli ka achar was a yummy pickle that my grandmother used to make almost every week and we used to finish it within a couple of days. I remember how a jar of this pickle used to constantly pulled back and forth on the dining table, at dinner time and on weekend lunches. These were the times when the family used to have meals together. How I remember my grandmother whenever I make these pickles and chutneys, the way she used to chop the vegetables and work with them with utter patience. Almost like a meditative activity.

I used to make this white radish pickles and a few more seasonal vegetables pickles about a decade ago when I was overenthusiastic about trying out everything that was cooked back home, in order to remind myself the taste of home. Arvind was not much eager to try new flavors back then as he was grown up on more bland kind of foods. He was totally dependent on milk and other milk products, all types of sweet foods like halwa, pancakes, home made laddu, horlicks, smoothies, shakes and kheer. Yes, he was someone who could have halwa or kheer for a meal, horlicks and bananas for breakfast and parathas for meals in between. A lot has changed since then and he has started enjoying the other flavors and textures more. Good for me as I need variety all the time.

So somehow this pickle was forgotten over time. This year we had a lovely crop of mooli in the garden, it was wonderfully soft and crunchy and I would love to just have a large mooli for snack sometimes. The joys of having a fresh thing in your hands. I used the leaves for stir fries and parathas a lot. But then the problem is, such crops become ready all at once. So we couldn't consume the mooli as it kept getting fat everyday and soon we saw it started bearing flowers and fruits as well. I was thinking of discarding all the mooli that was hard by now and that is when the mali (the gardener) told me not to throw them and make a pickle with them rather. I was instantly reminded of my daadi's (my grandmother) mooli ka achar.

The good thing is, this pickle uses mature white radishes, the soft baby radishes don't make good pickle. So if you have a radish that has turned too tough to munch on in a raw salad, pickle it.

Read on how easy it is to make this white radish pickle or mooli ka achar....

ingredients...

large mature white radishes 1 kilo
yellow mustard powder 1/4 cup
turmeric powder 1 tbsp
red chilly powder 2 tsp or 1 tbsp or to taste
salt about 50 gm or to taste

procedure...

Clean and chop the radishes the way you like. I prefer cutting them all lengthwise first and then slicing them all in half moons.

Mix everything up and keep in a sterilised glass jar. Keep the jar on a sunny windowsill or on your terrace whatever is convenient to you. The pickle gets ready to eat instantly if you like mustard but the radish will be properly pickled in minimum 3 days and keeps well for 2 weeks. You can refrigerate after that but the taste keep getting more sour and you might not like it as much. The radish slices also loose the crunchiness over time.

The radish slices release a lot of water that works like brine, it is better to keep shaking the jars once in a while to keep all the slices equally soaked.

I like adding some mung and moth sprouts into this pickle and have it like a generous serving of salad with my meals. Just the sprouts added to the mooli pickle and allowed to rest for about an hour or so. This salad makes a nice lunch box salad as well in Indian summers as it doesn't get spoiled and is cooling in nature too.

I also like to make a salad with boiled chickpeas and raw spinach leaves form the garden with added mooli ka achar. Just toss everything up in the morning, keep the jar closed and have for lunch.

A tangy, crunchy pickle that has a very pleasant pungency.

Detoxifying and cleansing properties, affordable probiotic food and an easy condiment to prepare. That's how I would describe this pickle.

Would you like to make it?

whole wheat whole orange cake with added wheat bran...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 19:45:00 +0000

Whole wheat and added bran make this cake dense and whole orange makes this really fragrant and moist. Whole grain cakes baked without white flour are great with fruits and no one would tell you it tastes healthy. It is yummy, just that.

I love baking tray cakes with fruity flavors, orange being an all time favorite of course. Sometimes I add carrots to add more moisture to the cake and supplement the orange flavor with marmalade glaze. This cake was different from that. The orange is pressure cooked first, pureed and then used in the batter, so the softness of the cake is even better.

Cooking the orange takes a little extra time, but you can always cook it a day in advance and refrigerate, so it is cold to be pureed and blended into the batter when required. The good thing is, this cake does not require any flavoring agents, essence or extracts. The whole orange going into the cake ensures potent flavors.

ingredients...

2 cups whole wheat flour
2 tbsp wheat bran
1 cup muscavado sugar or raw brown sugar
2 large oranges ( I used Kinnu or tangerines)
3/4 cup butter
5 eggs
1/2 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda

procedure...

Pressure cook the oranges with 1/2 cup of water till the first whistle. You would like to remove the stalk of the oranges if it is still attached. Cool down, cut into halves and press to let the seeds slip out. Collect all the liquid that drains and puree it along with any remaining liquid. The puree will be about 1.5 cups.

Cream the butter, sugar and eggs together. Add the pureed oranges to it. Whip again to mix well.

Mix the flour, baking powder and baking soda together and put into the whipped eggs and oranges mixture. Whip again to mix well. Do not overdo the whipping at this stage.

The batter will be quite thick that hardly flows. You might want to add 2-3 tbsp of whipped yogurt if it is too thick to spread.

Pour the batter into a greased tray or a loaf tin if you want bread like slices.

Preheat oven for 5 minutes, slide the tray on medium rack and bake at 180 C for 50 minutes. You would want to check if it is a loaf by pricking a skewer.

In case of a tray bake, a lightly browned crust indicates the cake is done.

Take out of the oven, invert the tray onto a cooling rack and let the cake cool down completely before slicing. It has a bread like texture but very rich aromatic taste.

It was loved with the Kumquat-chilly marmalade and with whipped cream as well. Arvind even liked it with nutella and also with peanut butter. One more very unusual topping he loves with oranges cakes, it is the Amul saffron flavored shrikhand. It tastes really good as a cake topping believe me.

This cake is better consumed warm as whole wheat and bran make it feel dry when you have it cold or at room temperature. Reheating it in microwave just for 5 seconds is enough if you are having one slice.

This cake makes a nice breakfast option along with milk and you might want to add some nuts if you don't have nuts otherwise for snacking. We consume a lot of nuts as snacks so I mostly don't add more to the cakes.

Sweetening is mild as I have used very little sugar in it. This raw sugar I use is not too sweet so you might like to add some more sugar if you like the cakes fully sweet. Or you can always have it with jams and marmalade or even nutella.

Enjoy this deeply orange cake and let me know if whole wheat cakes are enjoyed in your family.

my fruity version of Insalata Caprese, more colors more and flavors to make a salad meal...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 19:02:00 +0000

A fruity Insalata Caprese. Yes, when you are getting your most favorite fruits of the season you better use them differently for variation. I do consume about 2 kilos of gorgeous Cape gooseberries and one whole large pineapple within a week sometimes. That too along with some strawberries and bananas thrown in during the week. Oh grapes too.

I'll tell you how I made this salad for 4 days consecutively last week. Not to finish all the fruits but to experiment with different cheeses every time. I liked it with feta the most, the husband liked it with paneer the most. So it's not a true Insalata Caprese in any way but the inspiration comes from there of course.

It has been long time I posted any of my salad meals. This one with a 4 day repetition in a row, urged me to be posted. As a therapeutic working lunch, this is the best thing you can do to yourself. Chopping the fruits and tomatoes slowly, tearing Basil leaves and tossing up a salad like this a pure joy. A multi sensory experience.

ingredients...
(serves 2-3 or more people if served as part of an elaborate meal)
Cape goose berries about 4 dozen
cheri tomatoes about 3 dozen
green or black grapes about 1 cup
cubed pineapple 1.5 cups
basil leaves 6-8 torn
spinach leaves 8-10
feta cheese or crumbled paneer or buffalo mozarella crumbled 3/4 cup

dressing, to be mixed in a separate bowl..
1 tbsp of EVOO
1 tsp of balsamic or lemon juice or vinegar (I used balsamic)
salt n pepper to taste
I added a pinch of dried rosemary as well (optional)

preparation...

Mix the dressing and crumble the cheese into it. Toss and set aside.

Chop all the fruits and tomatoes and toss them all the with the dressing and freshly hand torn basil. I added a few leaves of fresh spinach from garden too.

Layer the plate with spinach leaves and pour the salad into this. Serve immediately.

My lunches become exciting when I have some fresh fruits, cheese and herbs. This I eat on my work desk many times. I know it's not good and wont ever advise someone doing that, but it is inevitable sometimes. This salad perks up.

I wonder why I don't do it more often. Make this salad I mean.

May be because I want so many other things to try and eat too..what to do..

double textured scrambled eggs with sun dried cheri tomatoes, smoked cheese and parsley ...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Sat, 23 Mar 2013 20:14:00 +0000

Double textured with the chopped hard boiled eggs and scrambled eggs, fragrant with fresh parsley and tangy hints of sun dried cheri tomatoes.

Wait, there is one more exotic flavor into this scramble.That is a smoked cheese, a crumbly dry smoked cheese that Charis had brought to me from Calcutta. It is such a yummy cheese to have in my egg scrambles and even parathas.

For the two of us, I used 2 hard boiled eggs and 2 raw eggs, half cup of finely chopped onions, handful of sun dried cheri tomatoes, hint of chopped green chilies, and some finely chopped parsley. Salt and pepper to taste and the cooking fat is Olive oil. Two tbsp of finely chopped smoked cheese was used.

The trick is to stir fry the green chilies. parsley stems and onions first, mix the chopped smoked cheese and sun dried tomatoes to the broken eggs in a bowl, cube the boiled eggs and dunk them too into the raw egg mixture. Season with salt and pepper and gently pour into the frying onion mixture. Lightly turn and flip a few times and you get a beautifully textured egg scramble.

Have it for breakfast or for a meal with some carrot sticks on the side. It will keep you full till you forget when you had your last meal.

The taste is ruled by the yummy ingredients used. Good ingredients never lie, they nourish you, the body and soul both.

Cheers.

strawberry topped double chocolate brownie with a quick chocolate sauce...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 20:22:00 +0000

I baked this strawberry topped double chocolate brownie last week for two cute kids. Their exams were just over and I decided to give them a brownie treat. I had some fresh strawberries and knew that the kids loved them. I prepared a hung yogurt and strawberry preserve dessert for them as well, but they were so glad with this cake that it was had like a meal (kiddie meal obviously) and the hung yogurt dessert had to be packed for them.

They just loved this double chocolate brownie, even before tasting it they were gushing over it's looks as I took the baking dish out of the oven. I loved to watch as they took second helping and licked the creamy thick chocolate sauce. I rarely get such expressive kids to be with me. Already looking forward to the next time.

We went in the garden after that, plucked tomatoes, knol khol, broccoli and uprooted carrots. Watched a few birds that happened to be there and spotted beetles and chameleons. Picked up some dry sticks and saw how they sound when we break them, the hollow ones sound different than the solid ones and a few more such games in the nature. The chocolate sauce was being licked now and then, it was placed on the dining table to lure them. I am smiling as I type this.

This cake is intensely chocolate, on the bitter side as dark chocolate normally is. You would love it if you are a dark chocolate lover. My brownies are mostly egg less as I have experienced that egg brownies become a little spongy and on the drier side. May be the recipe I have tried makes them like a brownie cake. This double chocolate brownie is made using yogurt.

ingredients...
all purpose flour 1/2 cup
whole wheat flour 1 cup
cocoa powder 1/2 cup
baking powder 1 tsp
baking soda 1/4 tsp

thick yogurt 1 cup
butter 3/4 cup
sugar 3/4 cup
pure vanilla extract 1/2 tsp

chopped/flaked/shaved dark chocolate from a large slab 1 cup or a little more if you wish
You can always use dark chocolate chips as well.

6-7 large strawberries to be sliced for topping. More to serve if required.

procedure...

Mix the flours and cocoa powder with the baking soda and baking powder using a sieve or just fluff up using a folk. Keep aside.

Cream the sugar and butter together and then add the thick yogurt, whisk again to make it creamy.

Add the flour mix to this wet mix and fold in nicely, no need to whisk vigorously.

Grease a square baking pan (2 L capacity) and keep ready. Preheat the oven to 200 C for 5 minutes.

Mix the chopped dark chocolate to the batter and fold lightly again.

Pour into the greased baking dish, layer the sliced strawberries on top and slide the baking dish into the hot oven, on middle rack.

Bring temperature to 160 C and let the brownie bake for 30-35 minutes.

This can be baked in convection microwave oven as well, if you have been using a convection MW, you would know what temperature setting or wattage and how much time.

The skewer test wont be correct in this case as the melted dark chocolate flakes will anyways coat the skewer if inserted. So just watch the brownie to rise a little and then dehydrate on top.

This is how it looks when done. Few cracks, the top layer dehydrated. inside looks a little damp through the cracks and the strawberry slices are dehydrated yet soft.

Let it cool a little before cutting squares, serving warm with the creamy chocolate sauce is a great idea.

I had initially planned to serve it with vanilla ice cream and a chocolate sauce like this brownie I baked for a large gathering once. But the kids did not want any ice cream to dilute a brownie full of chocolate.

They loved the chocolate sauce more.

This thick chocolate sauce had a hint of salt that worked really well with the sweetness.

Recipe of the quick chocolate sauce with a hint of salt...

1/2 cup of cocoa powder
50 gm butter (amul)
a cup of full fat milk
3 tbsp sugar or more if you want the sauce sweeter (sugar can be added later to adjust)
1.5 tbsp of corn starch
pinch of salt

Mix the cocoa powder, corn starch, sugar, salt and use a whisk to mix them well, pour milk slowly and let it all become a slurry. You can cook this slurry in a pan on low flame but I microwaved it for 1 minute, whisked again and then microwaved again for a minutes to get a thick creamy custard like consistency of the sauce. Whisk well, and microwave again for a minute or 30 seconds, add the butter chopped in small cubes and whisk well to absorb all the butter. It makes a nice thick chocolate sauce.

The husband wanted a thin syrupy sauce the next day and I added 2 tbsp milk to it and heated again in the microwave. The syrupy sauce soaked the slice of cake well and became all gooey good.

See the extreme right picture in this collage.

Brownies can't be had alone, some good people around you, some sauce, some cream or ice cream.

Homemade is always better as we know what all goes into it and we can control the portion size too.

Good quality cocoa, pleasant bitterness from dark chocolate, fresh tang of strawberries and a hint of salt from the creamy chocolate sauce makes this brownie a burst of flavors.

Not just good old chocolate. A lot more to see into it...

This brownie is not for sedentary adults. Although the sugar is just enough to make it lightly sweet, there is enough flour to give you a sugar high. Butter is good so I wont frown at it.

Cheers...

a Chinese style stir fry salad with soy noodles, spring onions, green garlic shoots, bok choy and red cabbage...a one dish meal..

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 21:08:00 +0000

I love one pot meals for the convenience and simplicity. We can always make such meals packed with flavors and colors. Yes, we need to chop more vegetables and cook simultaneously on 2-3 burners, but this meal gets ready within 30 minutes. Even when you chop slowly and your hands tremble when peeling piping hot soft boiled eggs. I find such meals a great cook together exercise too. Like the husband peeled the eggs and arranged them on the plate when I was doing the cooking stuff and this meal was ready within 20 minutes for us.

The crinkled noodles are a new product I spotted on the shelves that looked good, nutritionally as well. These are soy noodles and I liked the taste. Since I love soy nuggets in Chinese style stir fries more, I thought of tossing up this quick stir fry salad with them. It was absolutely a well loved meal by the both of us.

I have used spring onions and green garlic shoots in this stir fry salad along with shreds of purple cabbage and chopped bok choy (or pok choy). It is such a wonderful crunchy mix that we ended up wanting for more. Even when it was a super filling meal.

The ingredient list looks long but is not that cumbersome to work with.

ingredients...
(serves 2)
soy noodles ( I used half of a 100 gm packet, it swells up after boiling)
you can use soba noodles or any noodles you wish..

5 baby bok choy slit lengthwise twice and then halved in length (1.5 cups)
1/4th of a red cabbage shredded (about 1.5 cups)
5 stalks of spring onions (base only) slit lengthwise and then chopped into 1.5 inch batons (1 cup)
6-7 stalks of thick green garlic shoots (greens included) slit lengthwise and chopped into 1.5 inch batons (1 cup)

half an inch of cinnamon stick broken
3-4 cloves
5-6 schezuan peppers
1/4 tsp fennel seeds
2-3 petals of star anise
Pound coarsely all these spices together..
you can always replace these spices with a ready five spice powder, use to taste.

broken red chilies 3-4 or to taste
salt to taste
drizzle of soy sauce to taste
1-2 tbsp sesame oil (or use any oil you prefer)

eggs to serve on the side to make it a complete meal as many required.

procedure...

Keep the eggs to boil in a pan on one of the burners. Boil them for 4-5 minutes. Place them under running cold water and peel immediately. Arrange on the serving platter.

At the same time, keep the soy noodles to boil in lightly salted water.

On another burner, heat the oil on high heat and tip in the broken red chilies. Tip in all the chopped vegetables within seconds after that and start tossing them using a fork or tongs. Add minimal salt, the spice powder and drizzle soy sauce while tossing the vegetables up. It takes only about 3-5 minutes on high flame. The vegetables shouldn't get soggy. Take the pan off the heat while you strain the boiled soy noodles.

Strain, rinse and squeeze the soy noodles gently. Add to the stir fry vegetables, return to high heat and toss them all till the flavors mix up with soy noodles.

Serve on the platter lined with soft boiled eggs.

The spices can be adjusted to taste but don't let the vegetables become mushy while you cook them. It makes a wonderfully flavorful meal, rich in textures and deeply satisfying.

Do let me know when you try this stir fry salad. A salad for meal that it is....

a vegetarian (eggetarian) goulash as good as lamb goulash...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:37:00 +0000

I have loved Chicken goulash and Lamb Goulash, have cooked them for gatherings as these stews are so easy to cook in large quantities. Someone requested for a vegetarian goulash recently and my mind started tickling. I always love the vegetables part more in Goulash type stews, the chunky carrots and potatoes, sometimes thick slices of zucchini and loads of red bell peppers and marjoram. I add loads of celery as well, just because there is always fresh celery from the garden. The stew is a very flavorful mix of vegetables, as much as it is about the meat and the meat stock. But then, you wont miss the meat stock or chunks of meat if you are a vegetarian.

And the best thing is, this is a stew in a hurry. Being posted in a hurry as well. It was cooked yesterday for lunch, was meant to be shared by evening but somehow things didn't workout. I am sure it is being cooked in some kitchen tomorrow. Be ready for a deep red bell peppers flavor laced with fragrant herbs.

ingredients...
(2 servings)

red bell peppers chopped roughly 1 cup
tomatoes chopped roughly 2 cups (you might like to blanch and remove skin)
roughly chopped red onion 3/4 cup
roughly chopped carrots 1/2 cup
chopped ribs of celery 1/3 cup
finely chopped garlic 1 tbsp
soaked, cooked and rinsed (squeezed too) soy nuggets 1 cup or more
baby potatoes with skin, halved 3-4
2-3 eggs
salt to taste
red chilly powder 1/2 tsp
paprika powder 1 tsp
shahi jeera/siyah jeera (Caraway seeds) 1 tsp
Olive oil or butter 1 tbsp

marjoram dried or fresh, a generous handful
chopped leaves of celery 1/3 cup (optional)

preparation...

Heat the oil or butter in a pan and tip in the mix of garlic, onion, carrots and celery (the mirepoix). Add salt to taste and baby potatoes, fry this mix for a couple of minutes or till it all gets translucent. Now add the chopped tomatoes and red bell peppers. mix well and add the celery leaves if using.

Add the red chilly powder, paprika powder and the caraway seeds as well and keep cooking till the tomatoes get squishy.

Add 2 cups of water and the soy chunks, add the marjoram as well and cook covered till the potatoes are cooked. It will need simmering for about half an hour on low flame.

Adjust the consistency of the stew as you want it, adjust seasoning too.

Break eggs gently over the cooking stew, cover and cook till they set.

Serve in soup cups or bowls and have it hot. It is a complete meal, or just have a few crudites.

I did not miss meat in this vegetarian goulash. The herbs and the red bell peppers make it really flavorful in a very unique way. You can make it more chilly spice if you like. Three types of peppers make the chilly flavor rock. It will be your favorite if you love the smell of chilly peppers. Marjoram pairs with them magically. Celery is optional.

It is a great way to eat soy chunks if they feel boring to you. I have always loved the texture and their ability to absorb flavors.

pan roasted baby potatoes with rosemary and garlic....

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Sun, 17 Mar 2013 20:19:00 +0000

This would be my favorite comfort food as we had loved it as kids as well. Just the rosemary was missing from this dish as we had it only with the chilies, garlic and lots of black pepper. It was a snack, a side dish or a lunch box meal. We couldn't have enough of these pan roasted baby potatoes.

Rosemary was known just as a medicinal herb then, useful for dandruff and scalp infections along with tea tree oil. I remember because I was working on herbs for some time. Most people did not know what herb it is as it was not available readily at grocery stores like it is now.

But I am making most of this herb now. Tried growing it a few times, it thrives for one season and then dries up without any apparent reason. This time I have got some seeds and will sow them during summers as instructed. Wish me luck my friends.

With potatoes, garlic and some dry red chilies, rosemary is insanely yummy and aromatic as well. You feel like eating them out of the pan when they are roasting. The good thing is, it doesn't take much time to cook.

Here is how I make it. No measurements, just go the way you are feeling that day. Less garlic , more rosemary, lots of crushed peppercorns, loads of rosemary add everything the way you like it, the way you are feeling that particular day.

Boil about a pound of baby potatoes, or more if you think you are going to have it for a meal. Keep the skin on but don't forget to clean them well with a soft brush. It might feel cumbersome but when you have placed the colander under running water, just go on brushing them gently and remove any blotchy skin if required.

Boil them up to 3/4 done. Strain them and keep aside. Do not microwave them as it makes the potatoes dehydrate a little which is not suitable for this roasted recipe. Otherwise I prefer the microwave for boiling potatoes for any other purpose.

Cool the potatoes well and then halve them.

Heat oil (olive oil or cold pressed sunflower oil) in a thick base iron kadhai or a cast iron pan or kadhai, and throw in a few broken dry red chilies. Let them get heated and add the potatoes and garlic with peels at once. Sprinkle rock salt or coarse sea salt and keep stirring after every 30 seconds, keeping the flame medium high.

So all you need is a pound of baby potatoes, 2-3 tbsp of olive or cold pressed sunflower oil, lots of garlic pods unpeeled, dry chilies to taste, lots of freshly milled black peppercorns and rosemary. Add salt to taste, better to use coarse sea salt.

Wait till the potatoes start browning and the garlic also start getting soft and spotted. Sprinkle rosemary generously and freshly milled black peppercorns too. Keep stirring for about 3 minutes more so the rosemary gets absorbed into the potatoes.

The cooked garlic pods will be fun to slip out of their skins and gobble them up. Potatoes will be had with the skin on. You get extra points for eating potatoes that way.

If you want your hands free while this baby potatoes dish cooks and absorbs rosemary flavors, just mix everything up and bake on a wide tray for 15-20 minutes at 200 C.

We had it along with this Knol khol curry made the Kashmiri way, they call it Monji Haak. This knol khol was from the garden, very tender and full of taste.

Monji haak...

To make this soupy curry you just need to heat about 2 tbsp of mustard oil, sprinkle some asafoetida (dry or dissolved with water) and add all the (about 500 gm) knol khol chopped roughly along with the leaves.

Toss a few times till some of the pieces start getting browned, add salt and 2-3 broken green chilies, add about 2 cups of water as well and cook covered for about 15 minutes. Simmering for a little more can be good if you want the vegetables really soft.

Check out this Monji haak recipe and how it tastes great with plain boiled rice..

This recipe can be cooked with Turnips as well, or a combination of Turnips or Knol khol and lotus stem, like this Gogji nadir cooked Kashmiri way.

We also had some besan ki roti with this meal. A heavy meal that doesn't make you feel heavy after enjoying it heartily.

Cheers...

two quick soda breads | focaccia with sun dried tomatoes and parsley and another with black grapes and rose petals..

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 20:12:00 +0000

Irish soda bread was the first bread I tried when I started playing with my new microwave oven a long time ago. The soda bread that I tried following a recipe published in Femina, turned out to be a distant relative of bread. The shape, the texture and the taste is still fresh in my memory as I swore to never bake a soda bread again. Yeast was a better friend as I had watched it under microscope too and was fascinated how it grows and multiplies. I searched and got fresh yeast and the rest is history.

And then I started baking a few soda breads again. It happened recently. And that was because I was getting many requests to post easy breads on this blog as well. In my experience and opinion, all breads are easy and enjoyable once you know what are you doing with your dough, the time taken differs though. Kneading the dough perfectly, folding it and then proving it takes time but all the time is well worth because you get great bread at the end of this.

Not to loose heart, soda breads are also great tasting. If made along with some herbs and sun dried tomatoes or anything flavorful you would be surprised to see how this bread becomes a favorite.

Actually I made a second focaccia with rose petals and black grapes and had a slice with home made strawberry preserve and to my surprise it took me back to my childhood when we used to eat bread and jam sometimes. Bread was mostly a picnic food in my childhood and this focaccia and strawberry preserve reminded me of those old times. Eons ago.

I knew instantly that I should share the recipe here for the beginner bread bakers. Or even for busy parents who want home baked breads for the family and don't want to spend time slaving the dough. I am reminded of a mail I received some time ago from a male reader of mine who said that my recipes are so easy they can be easily executed by busy working men. Now that's a good change I can see in my countrymen. This complement made me smile wide :-)

ingredients...
2.5 cup whole wheat
(I used chakki wala atta,i.e, locally milled flour) which is coarsely ground, along with the bran)
1/4 cup wheat bran
3/4 cup or more sun dried cheri tomatoes
(preserved without oil, this was my last years home made stash)
1 cup chopped parsley
2 generous pinches of dried rosemary
2 tsp finely chopped garlic (optional)
1/2 cup heavy cream
or butter or use the Olive oil if using oil preserved sun dried tomatoes
1 tsp salt or to taste
2 tsp soda bicarb
2 cups whey* (the watery residue after making home made paneer)
Some olive oil or melted ghe eto drizzle over the bread, about 2 tsp

*The whey also had some fat because some of the milk fat comes to whey even if I use 3% milk.

procedure...

Mix the flour, bran and soda bi carb well. Add the sun dried tomatoes, chopped herbs and dry herbs, salt , mix well with fingers or a wire whisk. Keep aside.
Rub the heavy cream (I actually used the home made malai) into the flour mix lightly.
Preheat the oven on maximum temperature while you move to the next step with the dough.
Grease a wide baking dish, round or rectangular which is wide enough to accommodate this quantity of dough. A bigger baking tray will also be good but you don't need to spread the bread dough till the edges in that case.
Pour the whey slowly and knead a tacky sticky dough using your fingers and palm quickly. Do not knead too much as this will allow the air bubbles to escape. Just mix everything quickly to bring them all together into a sticky dough. you might use more or less whey depending on what kind of atta (whole wheat flour) you are using.
Slap the dough into the greased dish, flatten using your knuckles and fill up the dish till the margins. If using a bigger baking tray, just spread the dough till it comes to 3/4 inch thickness. It will bake and become about 1.25 inch thick.
Drizzle some Olive oil or melted ghee over the flattened dough, brush all over and slide the dish into the hot oven. Bring down the temperature to 180 C and bake for about 25-30 minutes. Keep a watch after 25 minutes and take out the dish as soon as it browns well.
I baked this bread in night and wrapped it with a cling film. This picture was taken the next day.

The bread was loved dearly by friends and the husband. The best way to eat this bread is with extra virgin olive oil. A basil pesto will be the next best partner in crime.

Soak the bread with good quality EVOO and enjoy. I don't eat much breads but loved a couple of these.

Arvind loved it more with butter though.

The extra virgin olive oil here is a special garlic and rosemary infused oil that keeps well for a month or more.

A cup of garlic cloves and a tbsp of dried rosemary is heated with 250 ml of EVOO on very low temperature in oven for a long time. At 90 C for about an hour and half.

I kept this jar of the mixture in the oven along with some green pea pods placed on the grill. The peeled roasted green peas tasted great with this garlic and rosemary infused EVOO.

Soak the bread well in the infused olive oil. Or have it with cheese or butter. The bread makes good lunch box meal as well. In that case soak the bread with this infused oil or butter them and then pack them. Tastes good at room temperate too. Warmed up or toasted tastes a lot better though.

And have those softened garlic cloves as well. You can mash them with fresh herbs to make a dip.

For the black grapes and rose petals Focaccia I used the whey that we get after making hung curd. I had made some strawberry yogurt that day and wanted to experiment with the focaccia. Normally I mix mint powder and some pink salt to the hung curd whey and drink it.

This focaccia was also great in texture and taste though I was skeptical about how black grapes and celery that I used with this one, will combine together. But they did, though celery got masked by rose petals, so you might skip parsley. I used just the celery leaves not the ribs that too because I had it fresh from the garden.

1.5 cups of halved black grapes, dried petals of four fragrant roses from the garden, handful of celery leaves and everything just the same as the above recipe.

The strawberry preserve is a basic jam recipe, cooking sugar and chopped fruit together, so nothing new. You can always make it even in the microwave.

This soda bread focaccia is a keeper recipe. Whole wheat goodness, lesser time required and great taste It actually takes only about 15 minutes preparation time. Baking time is not actually work.

Do try and let me know. You will be delighted if you are a beginner bread baker.

Edited to answer Rachna's questions :

You can use stir fried and dehydrated fresh tomatoes as well, if you don't have sun dried tomatoes. Tomato slices arranged on top of this bread bake really well. I have baked sliced tomatoes on top of focaccia countless times and it looks great. Though you can use any dried vegetable of fruit like chopped prunes, a mix of raisins and walnuts etc etc. Fried or sauteed onions are also great.
The bread keeps well for a week or more if refrigerated. I have kept it for 2 days at room temperature too but I wont take any chances with Indian climate.
wrapped in a cling film or sliced and kept in a airtight dabba is a good way to store this bread, after cooling it completely. Wrapping it loosely with parchment would be ideal.

sol kadi | a cooling drink with many healing properties...

noreply@blogger.com (sangeeta) — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 20:07:00 +0000

It is a potent probiotic supplement as well, if made correctly.

Sol kadi is the drink that is made using a dried fruit called Kokum or Aamsol or Aamsul. It is the dried fleshy skin of a fruit called Garcinia indica, deep purple pink in color, obviously full of antioxidants that the pigment anthocyanins provide. I have worked on this pigment incidentally and that precisely was the reason I used to buy a packet of Kokum whenever I spotted it. Mostly at India International Trade Fair or from Dilli haat.

I had tried making Sol kadi at home but it was just a way to get a cooling drink with added salt and seasonings, knowing the cooling and healing properties. I used to make it more like the Aam panna we make in summers. There was nothing special in this drink back then and I used to do a few experiments now and then and like it every time. The attractive color of this dried fruit makes sure you would always like it. But honestly speaking, I had never known how tasty this drink can be, Sol kadi that is. All my previous Kokum drinks turn pale in comparison to the wonderful Sol kadi we had in Goa this January.

A cyclist team mate told me that Sol kadi is made in Goa without coconut milk and in konkan Maharashra with fresh coconut milk. He also told me that Goan deep pink Sol kadi is always served with Bangda fish fry while the coconut milk version is more of a Bramhin specialty, who eat only vegetarian food. That was a revelation and made me buy a few packets of Kokum from Goa. I even bought a bottle of Kokum agal , a salt preserved juice of the fresh fruit.

Garcinia indica, or Kokum, owing to the presence of high concentration of anthocyanins, is a great antioxidant that works like anti carcinogenic and anti ageing agent. It has cooling, cleansing and digestive properties as well and hence it is served as a watery drink along with seafood in Goa.

The addition of green chilies garlic and raw onions makes this drink a perfect probiotic drink as well, especially if you let the ingredients soak for a couple of hours or more in Indian summers. I know it will be a revelation to many who have grown up drinking Sol kadi. We have never valued our traditional foods enough.

This is how Goans have it. A hint of garlic, a gentle kick of green chilies and freshness of coriander leaves. The Kokum extract is slightly tart so the drink becomes really refreshing. It can be served as a summer drink or along with meals to aid digestion.

Ingredients and recipe...
to make a liter of drink
(serves 4-10 people)
10-12 pieces of Kokum
1 Liter of water
2 tsp finely chopped garlic
1/2 tsp finely chopped green chilies or more if you want a chilly kick
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh coriander greens
1 tbsp finely chopped red onion
rock salt to taste
pink salt to taste

Procedure...

Soak the Kokum in water for an hour or so. It releases color slowly and the whole water will be red as soon as you stir it after a while.

You can keep the soaking Kokum in fridge so you get chilled Sol kadi when you have it.

I suggest to add the chopped garlic, green chilies and onions as well along with the Kokum as that would enhance the probiotic content of the drink. The taste also enhances.

Add the salts once the flavors have seeped in, takes about an hour minimum. The drink keeps well for a day at room temperature and for a couple of days if refrigerated. After that you might not like the garlicky flavor of the drink but it's probiotic content will enhance. I have had this for up to a week, sometimes refilling the same pitcher with fresh water.

And if you are making the coconut milk version, Soak the Kokum in coconut milk and dilute to preferred thickness of the coconut milk. This becomes an entirely different drink, just with an addition of one single ingredient.

Some people add a tempering of mustard seeds and curry patta to this drink, you can try if you like.

Pretty colors in the drink. You would want to strain the chopped garlic and chilly etc if you like a smooth drink, or chewing garlic in a drink is not your idea of fun. I gulp it all down. You can also try the same.

Sol kadi has become a favorite drink now that I know the authentic recipe. More coconut milk in cartons is bought for this. I say good fats and good probiotics and packed with antioxidants, the drink is absolutely healing.