Akshayapaatram

My DIY Spice Blend

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 02 Mar 2015 02:40:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

Yet again its been a silent few months here though I most certainly promised myself it wouldn't be that way. I've still been cooking a lot for myself and friends every chance I get. Oddly enough, pausing to take photos started to takeaway from the food experience...that's my story for being lazy. I even have a hard drive full of unused photos to find their way here anyway. It's not that I got busier but time that I previously spent updating my blog now got used reading many others. My bookmark list just keeps growing and keeping track of my to-try recipe list is seemingly impossible. I find new blogs almost every other day filled with photographs fit for a magazine spread. We don't even have to go into cookbooks authored by bloggers that are on my library list. I must admit it did put a damper on my spirit, questioning the need for continuing my little space here. I'm keen on shaking that feeling off though and will continue to journal my favorites here leaving the eye candy as an added bonus, if it happens.

Last year I spent quite a few weeks at by brother's place during summer and that meant having plenty of occasions to grill outdoors on their patio. I experimented with cooking on the grill - pizza's, summer corn, grilled paneer and veggies and of course all with had an Indian twist. I was also trying out different spice blends and ended up with one that was a clear winner and versatile enough to go with paneer, veggies or even meat.

Every few weeks I make a batch of cumin, coriander and fennel powders just enough to half fill those bottles you see in the photos. I put together this spice blend as well and have them ready to go.This lasts me a month or so and ensures that they remain fragrant and potent for when I need them.

When I don't want an overly spiced dish but just something to accentuate the flavor of fresh ingredients this is the mix I go to. Its a mild blend with lots of citrusy, fresh notes from coriander and fennel. Roasted cumin and turmeric add a earthy note while the chaat masala brings more brightness and twang. This is blend that works for me and I encourage you to play with it and make it your own too. If you don't like much heat replace some of the red chilli powder with mild paprika or even smoked paprika. On occasion I've added freshly ground cardamom for added citrusy notes when using it in long simmered gravy curries. Use some powdered cloves or allspice for a warm, spicy kick without direct chili heat.

Roasted vegetables

I find this masala goes really well for roasting veggies. Here I have a rainbow of peppers, carrots, summer squash, red onions and Brussels sprouts. You could use cauliflower, eggplant, sweet potatoes, butternut squash, pumpkin, fennel and pretty much any other hearty vegetable of your choice. Coat evenly with your spice blend, some oil and roast in a 450F pre-heated oven for 25-30 mins tossing 1-2 twice in between. I used about 2 tsp of masala for the tray of veggies shown.

On an episode of Jamie at home he insists on using vinegar or citrus juice when roasting veggies and I became an instant believer after the first time I tried it. It immediately brightens the flavor and gives them a finger licking quality. I add a splash of vinegar in the last 5-10 mins of cooking instead of at the beginning though. I'll share more about my technique and how I re-purpose these roasted veggies to make multiple meals in a separate blog post.

Masala roti

Combine 1 tsp of spice blend with 2 tsp of oil and lightly brush the mixture over roti or tortillas before toasting them on medium-low heat for an instant flavor boost! Go ahead and use your spiced up roti/tortilla to make wraps and tacos and sit back to receive compliments :) Apply the same technique when using up tortillas to make homemade chips. I do this with plain appalams for a chatpata version that can then be used as chips or topped up with a mix of chopped onions-tomatoes-cilantro turning it into masala papad.

I don't have photos but can tell you it makes for a great marinade when combined with thick plain yogurt. If you have time go a step further and cook down pureed onions, ginger+garlic paste and our spice blend with a bit of oil until caramelized. Add some sour yogurt to this mix and cook a little further to end up with a thick paste that when cooled can coat the paneer/veg cubes. A few hours of this marination does wonders to the final flavor. Mildly sweet from the caramelized onions, slightly sour from the yogurt and combined with the mix of spices will make it an instant party favorite.

Go ahead, make your own spice blend and come back to share your recipe with me :)

Farmstand Summer Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Thu, 07 Aug 2014 04:46:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

The recipe for this salad was nothing more than putting together ingredients in my market tote. Everything was perfectly fresh, picked right that morning at their peak flavor. There was not much I needed to do to enjoy a good lunch. My neighborhood market is a short 10 min walk from my apartment. It opened the week I moved to the area 3 years ago and though it has changed locations a few times, its still within a 5mi radius. A couple of farms have become market regulars and bring in their fresh produce, likely picked that morning. Even if I don't need groceries for the week I stop by to see whats in season.

Buying veggies and fruit at the market is not necessarily cheaper than at the stores but freshness cannot be beat. More importantly it makes you relearn seasonality charts which are easy to forget when you can buy out of season produce shipped in from around the world at grocery stores. And a bonus if you still need one is finding lesser known varieties of fruits, vegetables and greens that never make it to large scale grocery stores. The lemon basil I used in this salad is a perfect example of that. I'd never heard of it before but the minute I walked up to the table the fragrance from the herb was hard to ignore. It's less peppery than regular basil with a big punch of lemony, floral notes and is perfect in raw preparations.

One other bonus I'm embarrassed to admit is getting my evening snack fix from samples laid out - candy-like tomatoes, crunchy pea pods and sugar snap peas, variety of citrus segments, berries even some fresh pita chips and dip! The difference in taste between produce at the market and grocery store is unbelievable. With a strong CSA subscription and a regular flow of people stopping by to pick up weekly groceries, farmers can confidently harvest produce without any pressures of having to transport them many miles away. Its a perfect win-win for both parties while also establishing a sense of community. I'm usually scrambling to get there by closing time but when I do have a few minutes to chat I get tips on how to cook unfamiliar ingredients, gardening tips to salvage my brown thumb or an extra handful of beans or a sprig of herbs thrown in.

I had some cooked chickpeas on hand and decided to include it to make the salad substantial. I lightly roasted them in a cast iron pan along with a little oil to get them crisp around the edges. I roasted shucked corn as well to add in the salad. If you had an outdoor grill/grill pan you could grill them first instead. I happen to love charred corn flavor but you could skip this entire step and use them raw...choose your favorite method.

I made a simple lemon+olive oil dressing perked up with red pepper flakes and tangy chaat masala for an Indian twist. Any combination of fresh herbs you like should work here. I used cilantro that I always have in my fridge and potent lemon basil from the market. This salad tastes better when made ahead and set aside for at least 30 mins up to a couple of hours. I stored leftovers in the fridge and had it for lunch next day and it tasted really good.

I used a couple of crunchy Kirby cucumbers in this salad and made a quick pickle out of the rest using this recipe. Some cukes tend to have a bitter edge to them and I use my Dad's trick when prepping to get around it. I begin by slicing off both tips, take one end bit and rub it against the opposite end in a circular motion about 4-5 rounds. Repeat using second end bit on the other end. You'll see a slight foam form around the edges and its supposed to be the bitterness getting drawn out. Wash it under running water and slice as needed. I never cared to research if science backs this up but also don't recollect ending up with a bitter cuke after using this method.

Farmstand Summer Salad

Prep Time - 15 mins

Cook Time - 20 mins

Servings - 2-3 (main) 4-5 (side)
Ingredients:

12-15 - Heirloom cherry/grape tomatoes or 2-3 regular sized

1 ear of Corn, shucked

2 - Kirby cucumber (~approx 1 cup diced)

1 cup - Chickpeas, cooked

6-8 - mini Mozzarella balls, halved

1/3 cup - chopped herbs. I used Cilantro and Lemon Basil

1 Tbsp - Oil

1/4 tsp - Turmeric (optional)

Dressing - 2 Tbsp Lemon juice, 2 Tbsp - extra virgin Olive oil, 1/2 tsp Salt, 1/4 tsp Black pepper, 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes (optional), 1/2 tsp Chaat masala

Method:

Heat a cast iron pan to medium heat with a tablespoon of oil. Add cooked, drained chickpeas, 1/8 tsp turmeric and roast for 8-10 minutes tossing every few minutes till lightly browned on all sides.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients in a bowl big enough to hold finished salad. Once chickpeas are done add to bowl and toss gently.

Add shucked corn to the pan with remaining 1/8 tsp turmeric. Saute for 6-8 mins until lightly charred and add to dressing bowl.

Allow to cool slightly before adding diced tomatoes, cucumber, herbs and cheese. Toss all ingredients together and adjust seasonings to taste. Cover and set aside for at least 30 mins at room temperature or in the fridge if serving cold.

Serve with freshly shucked corn as a garnish and toasted bread on the side.

Note: I used turmeric for color and it can be left out if you don't have it. Add chunks of lightly toasted cubed bread for a take on panzanella. Diced avocado, jicama and red onion would also work well here. This salad travels well and can be made ahead for a picnic or potluck.

This salad hits different notes on the flavor and texture palate and only gets better as it marinates in the dressing and fresh tomato juices. Though chaat masala may seem out of place in a salad it pairs perfectly with tomatoes and corn and of course its best friend cilantro and lemon. I made this three times in 10 days and will continue to make it as long as I can get my hand on these fresh ingredients. Its become my favorite lunch to pack and I'm going to miss it once summer is out!

Summer Breakfast Parfait

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Wed, 23 Jul 2014 06:04:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I will forever be envious of those who can pause in the morning to make themselves a good breakfast before getting started with their day. I wake up with just enough time to get ready for work and rush out the door. Taking a few extra minutes to sit down and enjoy breakfast even if its just a bowl of cereal or a banana makes me antsy. But skipping it entirely isn't an option either so I've found my way around it. I can't stick to one recipe for more than a few weeks but variety is good, right ? I've circled through many breakfast ideas and tricks over the years and will share some of them so I remember when the lull moves in.

We are in the cusp of berry season and stone fruit season leaving us with an abundance of choice. Strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, peaches, nectarines, plums, apricots, plumcots, lychees, jackfruit and the list goes on. Each of them proudly vibrant, plump and bursting with sweet juices making it impossible to not be greedy. But its a good problem to have on hand, pretty much wash-eat-repeat I'd say.

My breakfast during the last few weeks has been yogurt + fruit. I wanted to make it a little more fancy and played with the idea of a parfait. I was out of granola so I made a quick stove top version that was ready in 10 mins. I toasted rolled oats, flax seeds and slivered almonds in some brown butter on really low heat for 8-10 mins until they were evenly browned. I finished it off with some local honey and sea salt to balance out flavors. While this was happening I scooped a few spoonfuls of homemade yogurt into a strainer to get rid of excess moisture. I also pitted plump rainier cherries, roughly chopped strawberries and tossed them with a few blueberries and another drizzle of honey and a squeeze of floral lemon juice.

All three components will be ready in just over 10 mins. All that's left to do is layer them as you please. If you are feeling fancy pick a tall glass or jar like I did, be meticulous in your layering of yogurt followed by fruit and granola. Step out onto your patio and enjoy breakfast under the pleasant warmth of the early morning sun. Or Scene 2 - dump them together with no real rhythm into a container with a tight lid and rush out the door to where ever your day takes you. Either way, you'll enjoy the beauty of summer fruit and look forward to another mornings' breakfast.

Summer Breakfast Parfait

Prep time: 15 mins

Servings: 2
Ingredients

Quick Granola

3/4 cup - Rolled Oats

1/2 cup - slivered Almonds

1-2 Tbsp - roasted Coconut chips

a pat of butter

1 Tbsp - Flax seeds

2 tsp - Honey

a pinch of sea salt

1/2 cup - Yogurt, strained

1 cup - Cherries, Strawberries and blueberries

1 tsp - Lemon juice

1 tsp - Honey

Method:

Place a wide, shallow plan on low-medium heat and spread slivered almond into an even layer. Toast them gently, tossing every few minutes until evenly browned and set aside. Next add butter and heat until it begins to brown slightly. Add oats and flax seeds and toast on low heat till they are turn a nice golden color. Remove from heat, add almonds and while still warm drizzle honey and salt. If adding dry fruits like raisins or cranberries, do so at this stage.

While nuts and oats are toasting, spoon yogurt into a strainer (placed over a bowl to catch whey) and place in the refrigerator.

Pit and roughly chop cherries and strawberries into a bowl, add blueberries, lemon juice and honey. You may need more or less honey based on how tart or sweet the berries are. Place these in the refrigerator as well until ready to assemble.

In a tall glass or jar spoon a layer of berries followed by yogurt and granola. Repeat as many layers as the glass will hold and end with a drizzle of sweet juices from the macerating berries.

The combinations are endless with this one - add vanilla bean seeds or extract to the macerating fruits or lemon/orange zest or cinnamon/cardamom or a tiny bit of grated nutmeg. Use whatever combination of fruit you have on hand, I cannot think of a bad one. Jackfruit + honey + pistachios is divine, papaya + candied pineapple + toasted coconut chips, for tropical bliss. Add other nuts to the instant granola - pecans, walnuts, brazil nuts, pistachios, pine nuts, raisins or dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, pineapple or cherries. You know, no rules. And of course, you can flavor the yogurt too or make a compote from some of the fresh fruit, but when simple, weekday-morning-doable can be this good, I'll stick to minimal work.

Weekend Craft Corner || eReader Fabric Sleeve

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Sat, 19 Jul 2014 06:34:00 +0000

Hi Foodies,

It's hard to open this space and start ~~talking~~ writing again. This post has been in the drafts for 2 weeks now and there isn't a recipe even :) This is another quick weekend sewing project for a beginner. I went overboard with my fabric purchase a few months back. Luckily I bought just 1/2 yard pieces since the only project I had in mind needed very little fabric. I'm bad when it comes to making a choice and a craft store is mental overload in those terms! There were too many good prints to pass up and photo below is the selection after I'd pared it down :)

The first project to come out of this loot was a sleeve for my Kindle. It was my Christmas gift from my brother and sil and I had to protect it from the obstacle course in my handbag. There are many many patterns and inspiring covers out there. I came across a few that used sturdy folder covers sandwiched between fabric that double as a stand when folded. It's a nifty idea and next on my list to try, for now though I stuck to a simple sleeve pattern.

You'll need:

2 pieces of coordinating fabric. I probably used 1/4 of each 1/2 yard piece, approximately a little more than twice the area of your device with seam allowance.
1 piece fusible fleece - I used this one
Matching thread and a contrasting button for the loop closure

No process photos for this one since I was experimenting without a pattern. I started with fabric that was twice the length of the Kindle and sewed along the sides. I then ironed on the fusible fleece to the outer fabric, wrong side out. To sew the two pieces together I used the same method used in this bag (finishing the tote step). I used a small piece of the inner fabric to make a loop closure and finished it with a cute button. An elastic hair tie would work too.

Though I did not plan it that way I love how the star pattern lines up in the front and the fleece underneath gives a nice textured look to the fabric. The fusible fleece is soft and provides enough cushion without making the sleeve bulky so I'll definitely be using it in other projects.

Any project suggestions for my remaining fabric selection ? :)

Cauliflower Cutlets/Patties with Roasted Red Pepper Dip

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Sun, 02 Mar 2014 07:14:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

We are finally seeing some much needed rains here this weekend. Its been overcast for the last few days with frequent bursts of rain and glimpses of pretty rainbows throughout the day. Since we hardly see a string of dull days like this its a nice time to indulge in snacks and piping hot chai/coffee and get cozy at home. I love cutlets/tikkis/patties whatever you choose to call them and this was a perfect time to try a few variations.

Cauliflower is a summer/fall season vegetable yet I still spot them in a myriad colors (white, yellow, purple!) and their adventurous friends - romanesco and brocoflower at the farmers market. Tempted by the offerings I pick a different color each time and experiment with new ways of preparing them instead of my go to method. I used a whole head of yellow cauliflower in this recipe but you could just as well swap any other veggie you have on hand. I made a variation of this by coarsely blending soaked garbanzo beans, coriander stalks and leaves, green chillies and added mashed boiled potatoes along with the spices mentioned in the recipe below.

The best part of a cutlet is the crispy crust and semolina/rava is the magic ingredient here. I find using chickpea flour or bread crumbs as a binder makes cutlets dense and takes away from the flavor of the veggies. Both those are overcome by using rava and as a bonus it gives them the awesome crispy texture we crave. If you are impatient like me in the kitchen this also lets you get away with out waiting for all the water to drain from steaming veggies.

No matter how good your veggie mix its a sturdy iron skillet that seals the deal in getting the texture right and using less oil. If you don't have one then get one right away! A heavy bottom stainless steel skillet might also work here but not a non-stick pan since you'll be left with sloppy cutlets. Not good.

I used my skillet to char mini red peppers under the broiler for the pepper dip. This dip is based on the recipe for Spanish romesco sauce but with the number of substitutions I made I think I would offend folks if I called it that! :) The recipe calls for stale bread and I only had stale pita bread on hand so use whatever you have available.

Cauliflower Cutlets/Patties

Prep time: 15-20 mins

Cook time: 20 mins

Servings: makes 6-8 4"patties
Ingredients:

1 head of Cauliflower

2 Scallions, chopped

1 tsp - Chaat masala

1/2 tsp - Coriander and Cumin powder, each

1 tsp - Red chilli powder (adjust to taste)

1/8 tsp - Turmeric powder

2 Tbsp - Rava/Semolina

2 Tbsp - toasted Pita bread crumbs, powdered (or add more rava)

2 tsp - Lemon juice

2 Tbsp - Cilantro, chopped

3-4 - Mint leaves, chopped

Salt to taste

4-5 Tbsp - Oil

Method:

Separate cauliflower into florets and reserve tender stems. Steam in microwave with a little sprinkle of water or plunge in salted, boiling water for a few minutes. With either method keep in mind that stems take a few minutes longer to cook than florets.

Place skillet on medium-low heat. Drain florets and add to a mixing bowl with all other ingredients. Using a potato masher or fork gently combine and form a coarse mix. Taste test and add seasonings.

Form rough 4" round patties about 1/2" thick and place on skillet. Drizzle drops of oil around each patty and cook 2-3 mins on each side until golden brown. Serve immediately as is with a dip and as a burger patty.

Note: I made a variation of this by coarsely blending soaked garbanzo beans, coriander stalks and leaves, green chillies and mashed boiled potatoes along with similar spices. Quick pickled red onions made by soaking sliced onions in red wine vinegar for 10-15 mins makes for a zesty accompaniment.

Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Servings: makes ~2 cups
Ingredients:

5 mini colored peppers or 2 regular red bell peppers

2 - Plum tomatoes

5 - Garlic cloves

10-12 - Almonds and Walnuts, each

2 - small Pita breads, quartered (or use 2 bread slices )

1-2 Tbsp - Red wine vinegar

2 tsp - Lemon juice

1/2 tsp - Coriander & Fennel powder

1/2 tsp - Paprika

3-4 Tbsp - Extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 deg. Wrap garlic cloves (with skin) in foil along with a drizzle of olive oil and roast for 20 mins. Spread nuts and pita bread on a baking sheet and roast for about 10 mins.

Next place halved peppers and tomatoes cut side down on a skillet, spray cooking oil and broil for 15-20 mins until outer skin appears blistered. You can do this on a open grill as well. Place roasted peppers and tomatoes in a bowl and cover tightly with cling film or lid to loosen skins. Allow to rest for a few minutes before peeling.

Once cooled, squeeze roasted garlic cloves from skin into a blender jar. Add roasted peppers, tomatoes, nuts, pita bread, all other ingredients and half of the red wine vinegar and olive oil. Process until smooth adding more red wine or olive oil to taste and until you reach desired consistency.

Note: This is a great dip to use with chips, crudites, as a spread in burgers or sandwiches.

This was a wonderful combination of flavors that I turned into a light lunch on a bed of arugula greens. It'd work great as late afternoon snack or sandwiched between well toasted bread slices. Cauliflower is a hearty vegetable that takes very well to spices. I used scallions for their mild flavor and fresh herbs add a bright flavor. The combination of toasted nuts, chaat masala, fennel powder and lemon juice adds a nice savory tang to these cutlets. This aspect is only enhanced by the zesty red pepper dip. I could practically have the dip all by itself. I end up finding excuses to use it in all manner of preparations whenever I make it.

Quinoa & Lentil Pilaf

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Tue, 11 Feb 2014 07:05:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I've been bringing home big bunches of menthikura (fenugreek leaves) from my trip for Indian groceries. During the off season I get a miserly 20-25 sprigs for 2$ and now its thrice that quantity for the same price. So now I'm trying to find new recipes since the usual suspects - andhra style pappu, aloo methi fry, methi malai paneer have been covered. For lunch last week I was looking to use quinoa instead of rice and decided to make this puloa/pilaf.

To cook quinoa by first toasting the seeds in a dry pan. This adds a nice nuttiness and also keeps them from turning into a mush if cooked a few extra minutes. As they toast the seeds begin to pop which is my cue to take them off the heat and rinse them under cold water. Based on the batch/brand that you buy you may have to rinse the seeds multiple times to get rid of the bitter outer coating. Once water runs clear I add water in the ratio of 1:1.5 and bring it to a boil. Add salt and whole spices or spice powders at this stage for extra flavor. Then set to lowest heat setting, cover and cook for 15-20 mins until all the of water is absorbed.

I had a huge bunch of methi leaves, freshly shucked peas and carrots on hand. Quinoa is a good vegetarian source of protein but I bumped it up with whole green lentils. Cook them in twice the amount of water, bring to a boil, add salt/spices and simmer for 10-15 mins until al dente i.e., they still retain a bite. Technically you could cook the lentils along with quinoa but they tend to discolor the cooking liquid and I did not want that. I was cooking a bigger batch of lentils to use later anyway so it worked out well.

Quinoa - Lentil Pilaf

Prep time - 10 mins

Cook time - 15-20 mins

Serves - 2
Ingredients:

1 cup - Quinoa, cooked; (see note above for cooking method)

1/2 cup - Brown/Green lentils, cooked

1 cup - Fenugreek/methi/menthikura leaves, packed

1/2 cup - Carrots, grated

1/4 cup - Green peas

1/2 tsp - Coriander powder

1/4 tsp - Mustard seeds, Cumin seeds

4-5 - Curry leaves

2 - Green chilies, slit lengthwise

1/2 tsp - Urad dal (Ivory lentils)

1/8 tsp - Turmeric powder

1 Tbsp - Peanuts and Cashews

2 Tbsp - Olive Oil

salt to taste

Method:

Cook quinoa and lentils separately. (See my notes above for cooking method)

Heat oil in a wide saute pan on medium heat, add mustard and cumin seeds. Once the seeds begin to splutter add urad dal, peanuts and cashews and toast until reddish brown. Add turmeric, curry leaves, green chillies, methi leaves and saute for a few minutes. Grated carrots and peas go in next along with coriander powder and salt. Cover and cook the vegetables for 6-7 mins on medium-to-low heat.

Add quinoa and lentils, mix thoroughly and cover again for 8-10 mins on the lowest heat setting to allow flavors to meld.

I enjoy the crunchy texture of quinoa and its perfect here with the mild bitterness from the fenugreek leaves, sweet peas, earthy lentils and occasional cashews and peanuts. I used a mandoline and not a grater to shred carrots which helps them retain their shape and stay separate when cooked. I served this with a dollop of labneh with pomegranate seeds. Yogurt would have been my go-to choice if I hadn't run out of it. Pomegranate seeds added a bit of tartness which is nice here, or a wedge of lime would do the trick too. And if you think I've focused more on the fabric than the dish itself in these photos then your not totally wrong :D I fell in love with the print and had to buy it though I have no clue what I'll use it for!

Weekend Craft Corner || Farmers Market Tote

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 10 Feb 2014 00:25:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I've had my sewing machine for about 3 years now and once every couple of months I bring it out of its box. I usually pick projects that get done in day, the instant gratification from these keeps me searching from more. Since I'm always on the look out for quick and easy things to make I thought I'll share my ideas here every week/month and ask for yours in return.

I re-use paper bags from stores like Whole Foods, TJ's and Sprouts but having a pretty cloth bag to flaunt is even better. I made 3 of these totes last summer - one for my dad, my sister-in-law and myself. My dad's probably the most frequent user in our family since he has used cloth bags for our grocery shopping for as long as I can remember. So he dictated the design aspects - a sturdy bag that would stay vertical when set on its base, making it convenient to place it on the floor when filling it up with fresh produce; pockets on the outside to hold spare change, keys or a cell phone; a lining inside that's easy to clean; and a way to seal the bag, keeping its contents from spilling out.

After much searching for a style we all liked I ended up at this tutorial - Summer Madras Tote pattern. Its a really well put together tutorial with detailed photos and instructions for a beginner like me. I used fabrics that I picked up at a yard sale last year. Outer fabric is a sturdy cotton and floral fabric for the inner lining is much lighter in weight. The inner lining can be pulled out for cleaning as its held together only at the top. I used a contrast color for the handles and to line pockets. To add loft and sturdiness I sandwiched a layer fusible interfacing between the two layers and also sowed a few velcro strips across the opening to close the bag.

What are you crafting ?

Another Harvest

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Sat, 01 Feb 2014 04:39:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

A very Happy New Year to you all! I hope you have had a great start to the year. This year seems to be a run to get done though, its already the last day of the month now! So before I break any unmade(!) resolutions lets get going shall we. I've told you before about Harvest Crops and the great work that they do. Last year they partnered with another fabulous cause - Meals for Hunger. Together they strive to save fruit in the community from goin waste and provide for those that cannot afford it.

This past weekend about 40+ volunteers gathered to pick avocados and other citrus fruit. It was a gorgeous day to be out and we were all raring to go by 9 am on a Sunday morning. We were headed to a house with an abundance of avocados for the season. The very first time I saw an avocado tree was when driving through southern California on a road trip. I mistook them for mango trees and hurriedly stopped by the farm hoping to get hold of fresh mangoes. From them on, we drove past miles and miles of avocado farms. California is said to produce 90% of the local harvest with Southern California contributing close to 60% of that.

So its no surprise that the house we visited had 60+ trees for us to pick. There are more than 50 varieties of avocados grown here with the most popular ones being Hass and Fuerte found in the farmers markets here. I couldn't tell what variety of avocados were grown but there were definitely a few different kinds - some close to 7-8 in and others barely reaching 4 in. I couldn't spot a single avocado for the first 10-15 mins, going from tree to tree as they blend really well with the dark green leaves and are well hidden under their shade. The blooms are a pale greenish yellow with a grassy fragrance. While moving from one tree to the other we kept thinking there wasn't much fruit to pick, but when it came time for the final harvest photo we had plenty.

Happy Birthday Ma! I know I don't say this enough - Love you! >:D<

We also picked a few pounds of oranges, limes, lemons, grape fruit and kumquats. One of the many reasons I love volunteering for this organization is getting to know the variety for fruit that grows around here. The blooms above are from an almond tree and the mild fragrance from them was truly a breath of fresh air.

Simple meals | Soba Noodle Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Tue, 27 Aug 2013 07:31:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

The last few weeks our grocery shopping has been an exercise in self control, well, when is it not actually. On each trip, my dad and I come back with a couple of bags of fruit. To get all our groceries we invariably end up going to a couple of stores in the area. And its extremely tough not getting tempted by the variety of fruits found in each. We seem to be at a perfect point in the season where summer berries are sharing the space with wonderful fall stone fruit. Mangoes and lychee's from the Asian market, plump raspberries, blueberries, strawberries, blackberries and melon at the neighborhood Sprouts and ripe peaches, nectarines, plums, plouts, plumcots(!) from Tarder Joe's. It's come to point where my mother has had to intervene and place a ban on fruit buying (huh!). But we still sneak some in cos there's just too much fruit to pass up and not enough time to enjoy all of it. psst...mango is still the winner :)

We are also eating our way through the amazing produce from our trip to Suzie's farm a few weekends back. The ripe tomatoes went into a traditional South Indian pachadi/pickle (recipe soon), enchilada sauce (this too!), green tomato chutney, rasam, sandwiches, salads and many more. In fact, no matter what we cooked in the last few weeks, tomatoes and peppers found a way in. A few beets, eggplants and peppers are still hanging around and I want to give this gorgeous looking pickled slaw a try soon. But in the mean time, here is a super simple summer noodle salad. It does not need much cooking and is great at room temperature or cold. I start with soba noodles that are made from buckwheat and have a nutty flavor and a slight chewiness when cooked. Did I mention it barely takes 4 mins to cook them ? In the time it takes for the water to come to boil and cook the noodles, the veggies and dressing can be prepared. Quick, simple and flavorful.

Soba Noodle Bowl

Prep time: 20 mins

Cook time: 10 mins
Ingredients:-

2 bundles (3.1oz each) - Soba noodles

1/2 cup - Onions, sliced

1/2 - Red pepper, sliced lengthwise

10-15 - Snow peas, vein removed and sliced in half

1 Tbsp - Toasted sesame oil

Dressing:-

2 tsp - Toasted Sesame oil

11/2 Tbsp - Tamari sauce or Soy sauce

2 Tbsp - Tahini or Peanut butter or Almond butter

1 Tbsp - Lime juice or Rice Vinegar

1-inch knob of fresh Ginger, finely grated

1 tsp - Sriracha hot sauce or 1/2 tsp - Red chilli flakes (adjust to taste)

1 tsp - Honey

1/3 -1/2 cup - Noodle cooking liquid

Garnishes:-

2 stalks - Scallions, green and white parts sliced

1/2 cup - Cilantro, coarsely chopped

2 tsp - Sesame seeds

Method:-

Bring water to boil in a pot deep enough to hold the noodles.

In a large mixing bowl, add all dressing ingredients and whisk to combine. If the tahini or nut butters are clumpy and the choice of pots allows it - carefully place the bowl on the pot of water to gently heat and loosen the dressing. Otherwise, microwave for 15-20 seconds. Taste test and adjust quantities to suit your taste. I tend to add more lime juice and ginger.

Blanch snow peas in the near boiling water for just a minute or two. Fish them out and add to the dressing bowl. Next add the noodles and cook to package instructions.

Heat sesame oil in a shallow, wide pan on medium-high heat. Add onions and peppers to it and stir fry until slightly tender yet crunchy. Transfer to the dressing bowl. Toast sesame seeds in the same pan until lightly browned. They'll start jumping out of the pan at this point anyway :) Reserve for the final garnish.

Once the noodles are ready, reserve 1/2 cup of water and drain the rest. Rinse noodles under cold running water and add to the dressing + veggies bowl. Toss gently to coat the noodles with the dressing, adding noodle cooking water as needed.

Garnish with chopped scallions, cilantro and toasted sesame seeds.

Note: Swap in other veggies but make sure pick a few that are crunchy. You can also add crushed, roasted peanuts for garnish. I've made this recipe with all three choices - tahini, peanut and almond butter and they all tasted good.

This has become one the recipes I go to when a quick, flavor packed meal is needed. Its fresh, colorful and has lots of textures and flavors that will keep you going back for more. I've become a huge fan of the ginger-soy combo after I made this for the first time and have used it in this salad recipe too. The ingredients in the dressing are things that I have begun to stock in my pantry and I always have a few packets of soba & udon noodles from the Asian market. With the addition of a few veggies its a quick lunch or dinner in the making. Since its good at room temperature or cold, and sans garlic, its a great lunch box dish as well.

Tostadas with Guacamole, Red Cabbage slaw & fresh Corn

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Tue, 20 Aug 2013 06:53:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

Have you been to a horse race ? We were there a few weekends back and surprisingly had a good time. I don't think I would go back there every weekend, but it was a good one time thing to do. I don't gamble much, I could just as well through some cash out the window and it'd be the same. But that said, we wagered a couple of dollars on a few races that day. My dad found a few websites that offered free tips for each race. Some could not have been more off the mark, the one they picked to come 1st came 6th in a 8 horse race...ughh. We ended up with happy coincidences on some picks though - I whopping $3.60 on a $2 wager...hehe. They have 8 races each evening, one every 30 mins, that gives a rookie just enough time to figure out which horse to pick and place your wager. We had a nice time and enjoyed the first 4-5 races of the day. It took us awhile to figure out what was going on but we soon caught on and knew what win, show, place stood for and even the special quinella, trifecta and exacta meant. We tried a few combinations on each race until we were tired of losing and got out. By the 7th race we were done and left before the final race for the day. Every summer my evening drive home is disrupted by this event - the amount of traffic is crazy, taking me twice as long to get home. Now I know whats its all about but still don't get where the money comes from! Even in the midst of a recession, $458 million was wagered at the race track last year, that is nearly $13 million a day!

Instead of corn tortillas I picked up these tostadas at the store. I had never tasted them before and was intrigued by the idea of having a crunchy chip as the vessel for toppings. Part of the reason I like corn tortillas is probably the smaller size. The fillings tend to be what I like the most about taco's. I'd rather have less tortilla and more filling and these tostadas are even better because of the crunch they bring. They are light and still surprisingly sturdy enough, allowing you to pile on the toppings.

A tostada is a fried tortilla that can be loaded with goodies. Its like an open faced taco with a crunchy shell giving you more room for filings which are essentially the best part. When you need a light lunch or snack to get you through a busy summer day a tostada is your answer. With the bounty of avocado in the markets here I make guacamole very often and with a few other ingredients I can have a fun meal ready in 15 - 20 mins. If you don't find pre-made tostada's in your local stores you can lightly fry store bought corn tortilla's as shown here. But finding ready made ones would be ideal in making this a quick meal to put together.

This dish has a few of my current favorites - guacamole and red cabbage slaw. Its perfect for picnics or do ahead scenarios as you can make and store all the components ahead of time. And more importantly, it looks stunning on the plate ;-) It could also be a great addition to a 'taco party' menu. I keep the guacamole simple with lots of cilantro and lime juice. A hint of cumin and diced jalapeno round up the spices for me.

Summer Veggie Tostadas

Prep time: 20 mins

Ingredients

Tostadas

1 cup - Guacamole (recipe below)

1 cup - Mexican cabbage and Jicama slaw

2 - Corn on the cob, roasted (oven/grill) or microwaved whole in the husk

3 - Spring onions - greens only

Feta cheese

Hot sauce (optional)

Guacamole

2 - Avocados

1-2 - Limes

1/4 cup - Cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp - Jalapeno/Serrano, minced (adjust to taste)

2 Tbsp - Onions, finely diced (optional)

1/4 tsp - roasted, Cumin powder

Salt to taste

Method:

Roast or char grill corn or microwave in the husk for 3-4 mins as I did for this recipe. Once cool to handle, slice off the kernels with a sharp knife.

For the guacamole, combine onions (if using), minced chilies, cumin powder, salt and half the lime juice in a bowl. Using the back of your spoon apply gentle pressure to crush them together. This helps to draw out the juices. Add peeled and roughly diced or scooped out avocado to the mix and toss together. I sometimes go for a smooth texture and use a fork to mash everything together or when I want a more chunky guac, I add diced avocado and fold it into the other ingredients. Add more lime juice to taste, I prefer more of it.

To assemble, apply a generous smear of guacamole on the tostada, top it with a few spoons of the cabbage slaw. Add as much of the corn and cheese and complete it with a sprinkle of spring onion greens and a few drops of hot sauce(optional)

This was a super nice spin on ingredients used in these tacos. The tostada's are surprisingly sturdy and did not fall apart in my hand and neither did they turn into a soggy mess. The sharp hint of lime in the guacamole and the slaw brighten up the dish and the fresh summer corn is a burst of sweetness. I had some mild feta on hand and it turned out to be a nice addition to the tostada. This is more of a technique or idea and could be used as a perfect vehicle for all the fresh produce in summer and fall.

What's your current summer favorite go-to meal ?

Homemade | Rhinestone / Kundan Rangoli

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Thu, 15 Aug 2013 06:50:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

Padmam - Lotus muggu

I'm going to take a detour from cooking on today as I can no longer keep this new craft that my mom and I (...mainly her :) ) have been churning out from all you guys. Last month for a puja at my brother's place we were trying to come up with ideas for setting up the altar and other decorations. Since it was their new home we did not want to risk using traditional muggu (rangoli) colors and staining the floors. When looking for designs online I came across some that were made using kundan stones and that's when this got started.

Peeta muggu (to be placed under a 3" high stool - peeta)

Michael's is our go-to store for craft items and it was no different this time. We found a huge pack of assorted color acrylic rhinestones and with the 40% coupon it was a good buy for a impromptu project. Only drawback was having to sort the beads by color before we got started. But with some glue and plastic printer sheets we got started on our very first one soon.

Since then we've made many more...it's hard to stop and we knew we were spent our afternoons ordering stones on Amazon and our evenings scouring bead stores in the area for the right shape, right shade or the perfectly sized stone :)

another Padmam with a different petal tip design

For the first few muggu's we used Graffix Ink Jet film, but later realized it's a little too thin and flimsy for such a project. We currently have these sheets from Graffix that we ordered online. They are much more sturdier but the only downside is the color. I noticed that the sheet itself had a blue tinge only after opening the package. So if you can find clear sheets of the same thickness, that would be ideal.

Flower pattern - Not the best photo but my favorite so far

Since the sheets are transparent its easy to trace the pattern on a sheet of paper and attach it to the plastic sheet using staples or paper clips. Its best to move a few inches at a time, trace the pattern with glue (we used this) and immediately place the rhinestones. Do use a good amount of glue or the stones will fall out over time when handled...found that the hard way.

We also used pearl and silver bead strings for some of the outlines. My mother figured that the best way to make them fit the pattern is to leave them stringed until they are glued in place. While the glue is still fresh, gently tug at the string and pull it out. You can then make slight adjustments but its a lot easier than gluing beads individually. Once the glue has had time to dry, trim off excess plastic sheet around the pattern. We skipped this step for now and left a lot more space so they are easy to handle and move around.

This our most recent project and the one we are most proud of, I think. We spent many evenings visiting stores and looking online for the right stones for this one but it was definitely worth it. Its still not complete. My mom's done making all the petals (below pic) and we'll have to create the final shape by using some gold string to form an outline.

Materials & Sources

Acrylic Rhinestones - Various colors, sizes and shapes

Pearl and Silver beads
Sources: Michaels Craft store - don't forget to look for coupons; local bead stores/outlet; The Crafts Outlet - Amazon store, eligible for prime shipping;
Craft Plastic Sheets - we used these Graffix sheets, but in a clear color if you can find them (and let me know where!)

Glue - Aleene's Clear Tacky Glue

a pair of tweezers really come handy when you have to move little beads around

petals to go around the above circular center pattern - 8 total

Google stone rangoli and get prepared to be awed. There is soo much great work to be inspired by. I thought I had a brilliant idea when we were trying to find an alternative to traditional color powder rangoli, but looks like its been around forever. This was the first collection that inspired me, here's another that lead to our current project; and another one. The very first muggu is the one that will be at the base of our Varalakshmi vratham kalasam this year.

Did you worked on any craft projects recently ? Please share them here!

Bajji - Vegetable Fritters

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 12 Aug 2013 06:41:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

The festive season has begun for some Hindu's with the onset of Sravana masam last Wednesday. My parents are here visiting and I get to experience firsthand again the various puja's and neivedyam that I very vividly remember from when I was home. The unmistakable aroma of ghee and cardamom from the kitchen, incense from the puja room, the melodious voice of M.S. Subbalakshmi or Sudha Ragunathan playing in the background and the whole house buzzing with energy. The entrance would have been decked with a fresh muggu (rangoli) and thoranam. Fresh flowers adorn the altar and all puja samagri cleaned and ready to go. I've tried my best to recreate these from memory in the last few years but its never the same. Having mom here has brought that all back. I've slipped naturally into my post as assistant along with my Dad.

Today is Garuda panchami, a puja performed by sisters for the well-being of their brothers. It is a special pooja in our home for both my mom and me - she has four brothers and I have one. This also signifies the start of a string of auspicious days for the season - Varalaksmi vratam is on Friday, followed soon by Avani avittam (Jandhayala pandaga/Rakhi), Janmashtami, Vinayaka Chavithi, Dasara and then Diwali.

Clockwise - peppers, green tomatoes, eggplant, potatoes

For a foodie though, all these festive occasions have one other important thing at their core - neivedyam. Each puja has its own set of customary dishes that make it special. Kozhakattai for one, kesari for another or bobatlu. But no special Andhra (/Telangana ugh) meal is complete with out bajji - fritters. Usually its thinly sliced potatoes dipped in a mildly spiced besan/chickpea batter and deep fried to puffy, golden deliciousness. Using just pantry essentials, these take no more than 15 mins, with prep time taking just as long as it takes for the oil to come to temperature. So no surprise then that these were perfect snack to offer to unexpected guests.

On Saturday, we spent all morning at Suzie's farm picking fabulous summer produce. We now have close to 10 varieties of peppers, lots of sun ripened tomatoes, beets, kale, chard, eggplant and squash. With all this fresh produce in hand we had no reason to stick to traditional potato alone. Instead we made a bajji sampler plate using sliced eggplant, padron peppers, unripe green tomatoes and potatoes. Onions are also great for bajji but since this was going to be offered as neivedyam we skipped it.

Bajji - Fritters with Potatoes, Brinjal, Green Tomatoes and Peppers

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 15 mins
Ingredients:

1 cup - Besan/Chickpea flour

1/4 cup - Rice flour

1/2 tsp - Ghee or 1 tsp - Curd or 1 tsp - Rava/Semolina

1/8 tsp - Turmeric

1/4 tsp - Red chilli powder (adjust to taste)

1/8 tsp - Ajwain (whole or roasted & powdered)

a pinch of Hing/Asafoetida

Salt to taste (~1/2 tsp)

Water, for batter

Oil for deep frying

Method:

Prep veggies first - Scrub potatoes clean, wash all other veggies and pat dry. Peel potatoes if needed. Slice potatoes and eggplant thinly (1/8inch) by knife or using a mandoline. Cut stem end of peppers, de-seed and slice into discs. Green tomatoes sliced a little thicker than the rest.

Heat about 1 inch of oil in a wide pan over medium heat.

For the batter, combine all dry ingredients first. To make the fritters crispy add either ghee, rava or curd in the amount suggested. Add water to get the batter to a thick yet pouring consistency as shown above.

Once the oil is hot (starts to shimmer and a small drop of batter falls to the bottom and rises up in a few seconds) dunk a few slices in batter and move them around to coat all sides. Pick up one slice at a time, allow excess batter drop, and gently slide it into the pan of oil from the side closest to you. Add a few more slices based on size of the pan making sure not to over crowd it.

Using a slotted spoon, gently move the slices around 1-2 times, gradually spooning a little oil over them. Once the bottom part looks cooked (~ 1 min) flip over and cook until both sides are golden.

Transfer to a tissue lined plate for a few minutes to absorb excess oil. Move them to a serving plate or dish. They are great warm or at room temperature. Though they hardly need any accompaniments, a little Maggi sauce or mango avakaya on the side is wonderful.

Once you have the batter ready, you can experiment with almost all veggies. The tart green tomatoes were really good and so was the eggplant with a slight bitterness. Peppers (mirapakakya bajji) and potatoes (aloo bajji) hardly need any help in selling out. Cauliflower, cucumber, squash, spinach are all very good candidates. Last week we even saw someone on a cookery show dip rava kesari balls in this batter to make a hybrid snack! I may never go that far and plan to stick to just veggies.

We are busy making arrangements for Varalakshmi Vratam now and I hope to write another post this week about ourpreparations. My mom's Kozhakattai recipe now has new photos from today.

Corn Tacos with Mexican Slaw & Poblano Dressing

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 18:51:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I've been waiting all year long to share this recipe here. I discovered fresh corn tortilla's and tacos last summer and they were my staple food for a good month or two. But it was way past fresh corn season by the time I got around to putting the recipe together. This year I hope its right not time so you guys can enjoy it as much as I do. Summer in SD is not until July or August, we are going through what is called June 'gloom' right now. Overcast days with 60-65F temperature hardly feels like summer. One look at the farmers market stalls though and you'll know otherwise. Just like summer and mangoes will go hand in hand for me, its fresh summer corn that I look forward to here. The kernels are so tender and juicy that they hardly need any cooking. When separating the kernels form the corn, a good portion of it ends up being a snack. I nuke them in the microwave for 2-3 minutes while still in their husks sometimes. Once cool to handle, remove the husks, slide half a lime through the kernels, sprinkle salt, chili powder and call it dinner.

This taco recipe is filled with some of my favorite components. A stunning slaw has just three main ingredients - purple/red cabbage, carrots and jicama. I started using jicama only last year after watching a Mexican food show on TV. I had always seen them next to cauliflowers at the local store here but never really paid them notice. Eaten raw, jicama is super crunchy and has a mild sweet flavor. It's rich in fiber and adds a wonderful texture to salads. I dress the salad with a sharp lime dressing with lots of cilantro and a hint of cumin and chile powder to add zing. This simple slaw is clearly greater than the sum of its parts. Its perfect for picnics or do ahead scenarios as the veggies are sturdy enough to hold up against the acidic dressing for a few hours. And more importantly, it looks stunning on the plate!

If you make nothing else from this recipe, you should at least try the poblano dressing immediately. I use poblano's instead of green bell peppers in quesadilla's or stuff them with the sauteed corn and red peppers, a little cheese and bake them for a quick dinner. Once the poblano's are grilled/broiled it takes 5 mins to make the sauce. I use thick homemade yogurt, scallions, a lot of cilantro, some lime juice and roasted cumin powder. A few recipes call for garlic but I don't like its pungent flavor in raw form and avoid it here. Throw everything in a blender jar, give it a few pulses until the sauce to smooth and creamy. And its ready to be used as a salad dressing or a condiment for burgers and sandwiches.

For these taco's, I separated the kernels from the cob and charred them in a dry pan. Seasoned them lightly with salt and pepper. The star of the dish though are the vibrant slaw and poblano chile dressing that packs a punch. I make both every few weeks and store in the fridge for a few days. I made the slaw for a event at work a few weeks back it was enjoyed by all.

Corn Tacos with Mexican Cabbage slaw and Poblano dressing

Prep time: 45mins

Cook time: 15mins

Servings: 3-4

Corn Tortillas

Roasted/Charred corn (on an open flame or kernels sauteed in a dry pan)

Radish sprouts or any other kind of your choice

Mexican Cabbage-Carrot-Jicama Slaw

1/2 - small head of Red cabbage, thinly sliced, approx. 3 cups

1/2 - Jicama, julienned, approx. 1.5 cup

3 - Carrots, julienned or shredded, approx 1.5 cup

1/2 cup - Cilantro, roughly chopped

1/2 tsp - Jalapeno/Serrano. minced or mexican red chile powder (adjust to taste)

1 tsp - roasted, Cumin powder

2-3 - Limes, juiced

2 Tbsp - Olive oil

Salt to taste

For the salad dressing, combine lime juice, olive oil, salt, chile and roasted cumin powder. Adjust seasonings to taste. I tend to use more lime juice in mine. Toss together all the veggies, cilantro and half the dressing adding more as needed. Set aside for 30 mins at room temperature or refrigerated to develop flavors.

Poblano Chile Dressing

3 - Poblano chiles

1 - Scallion

1/2 cup - Cilantro leaves and tender stalks

1.5 cups - thick plain Yogurt or (3/4 cup buttermilk + 2 Tbsp sour cream)

1/2 tsp - freshly roasted Cumin powder

1-2 Tbsp - Lime juice

1/4 tsp - Garlic, grated (optional)

Salt to taste

Roast poblano chiles over a gas flame or under the broiler until charred all around. Transfer while hot to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 10mins. Once cool to handle the peel should come off easily, discard the seeds and membrane as well.

Transfer coarsely chopped poblano, scallions, cilantro and yogurt to the blender jar and process until smooth. Add salt, lime juice and cumin powder to taste. Use immediately or store refrigerated in an air tight container for up to a 1 day.

Warm the corn tortillas lightly to make them pliable again. This can be done on a skillet or cover a stack of them in aluminum foil and place in a warm over for 10 mins. Spread out all your fixings on a table for a taco bar or assemble them as you go. Place a spoonful of slaw on the taco, top with charred corn, radish sprouts and finally drizzle a spoonful of poblano chile dressing over all of it, right before serving.

Notes: Swap charred corn with roasted onions & peppers or marinated and cooked tofu/mushrooms or crisp sauteed potatoes or well, the choices are endless. You can also add a zippy guacamole , tomato salsa or tomatillo salsa as topping additions.

This is a perfect summer dish loaded with crunchy veggies and vibrant flavors that keep these tacos light and refreshing. Since its all about the fillings I like to use smaller tortilla's and prefer the flavor of corn tortilla's over flour. There are no strict rules with this though so make it your own and use flavors and ingredients you enjoy. Each component is good on its own too and can be used in many other forms. If I have left over salsa's and roasted corn or peppers I make a burrito bowl with the addition of black beans and rice. Add some steamed edamame, cranberries and toasted slivered almonds to the slaw for a light mid-week lunch.

Spring Barley Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 20 May 2013 16:22:00 +0000

Hello Foodies,

It feels like spring and summer are fighting it out right now on who gets to stay. We had a few good days in between and then it was rain and cooler temps for a week. But a visit to the farmers market confirms that the veggies got their memo. The farm stands were either a lush green or filled with pops of color showing off nature at its best. My brunch if I go to the farmers market on a Saturday is usually samples from each of the stands ending with a cup of freshly cut watermelon, cucumber and mango spiked with lime juice and tangy chile powder.

It's hard not to fall in love with veggies when they are in season and picked fresh. I was never a fan of peas as a kid and hated that my mother would add them to everything when they were is season. But now I find myself doing the same. I shocked myself by snacking on fresh peas as I walked through the market and ate whole sugar snap peas and ended up liking it. Asparagus on the other hand don't have a long history since we never had them back home. My favorite way to make them is to quickly roast them at high heat with salt, pepper and olive oil or roasted in a dry pan on the stove top. In this dish I went for a quick saute as they were fresh and tender and wouldn't withstand much cooking.

In an effort to ~~clean out my pantry~~ be healthy, I've been using quinoa, wheat berries, farro, barley and brown rice instead of plain rice. Each of these have different cooking times and its hard to keep track. I have a whole grains cooking sheet on my refrigerator for easy reference but even that gets ignored most days. A few months back I tried cooking barley in my little electric rice cooker and it came out perfect. Since then I've cooked wheat berries, farro and brown rice in it and have had consistently good results. I use the same amount of water as I would for rice, slightly less for barley. Cooking it this way has definitely made it more convenient to swap whole grains for rice. If you can plan ahead, pre-soak whole grains for a few hours or a quick soak in warm water to cut down on cooking times.

I make a big batch of grains and have a stash in the fridge to use over a few days. This makes putting together a quick lunch salad like the one below really simple. Barley has a chewy texture, similar to brown rice but less nutty. Its almost neutral taste makes it a perfect grain to pair with mild veggies or spices. I add it to salads snd soups or use it in this Indo-Chinese fried rice recipe.

Peas & Asparagus Barley Salad

Prep time - 10 mins

Cook time - 30 mins + 20 mins

Ingredients:

2 cups - Pearl Barley, cooked

1 cup - Green peas

10-12 spears of Asparagus

2 - Shallots

1 Tbsp - Olive oil

1 - lemon zest and juice

Salt, freshly ground pepper and red pepper flakes to taste

1 tsp - Toasted sesame oil (optional)

Spring onion greens for garnish

Method:

Wash and cook barley grains in an electric rice cooker(1: 1.5 water) or on the stove top (1:2) as you would regular rice.

Mince shallots and saute in a wide pan with olive oil. Chop asparagus in 1 inch rounds and saute for a few minutes, reserving spear tips to add towards the end. Add peas, salt and red pepper flakes next. Sprinkle a few drops of water, cover and cook a few minutes till peas wilt and turn a bright green.

Add barley, more salt as needed and cook covered on medium low heat for 5-6 mins.

Add 1 tsp lemon zest, 1-2 tsp of juice and black pepper to taste. I finished it off with a tiny drizzle of toasted sesame oil to add a nutty, aromatic flavor, but this is optional.

Garnish with spring onion greens before serving it warm or at room temperature.

Notes: Swap with farro, quinoa or brown rice instead of barley. Other spring delicacies like fava beans, sugar snap peas would work too.

This dish is all about the fresh peas and asparagus. Tender spring veggies don't need much in terms of cooking or flavor additions. A quick saute like this one helps tone down the rawness but still retains the bright fresh flavor and crunch. Barley adds a chewy texture and heft to the salad making it a meal itself. Use any spring veggies you have on hand - fava beans, snap peas, fresh onions and garlic, broccoli flowers.

Color Splash - Farmers Market

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Sat, 11 May 2013 18:08:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

These are a few photos I took with my phone while walking around the Saturday morning market in Little Italy. This is one of the larger farmer's markets in San Diego county with a great selection of fresh and artisanal products. Just sampling the produce and snacks ends up being my brunch for the day :) I went back home with a bunch of these carrots and roasted them whole with some salt and pepper. Finished it off with squeeze of lemon and enjoyed them over tart sorrel greens and slivered almonds. I was surprised by how substantial the carrots felt and they tasted great. I was tasting sorrel for the first time and liked the tartness in them, they reminded me of some other green, may be chintha chiguru - tamarind leaves.

See the colorful cauliflower in the background ? Stunning, right. I have a recipe with them coming up soon.

Fresh Onions

Rainbow Chard

A multitude of colored beets

Berry nice! and of course there were a lot of fresh strawberries too

Chamomile tea anyone ?

Tofu Veggie Hash

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 06:24:00 +0000

Hello Foodies,

I got through two books in two days this weekend. And I got 4 more from the library to read over the next few weeks. I go through these phases where I pick one hobby and do one project after another, crocheting, sewing, photography or reading. Its been a while since I picked up a good book and read it in one sitting. I have a hard time picking books, if I don't like the first few pages I'll never get through it not matter how good the reviews. Last year I read the books suggested by Tara Austen (Tea and Cookies) and enjoyed all of them. The library system here is just brilliant and I can find almost any book in the vast network they have. Each book on that list was very different from the other but they all were tied by the common theme of food. I love getting immersed in a book, living with the characters and anticipating how the story unravels. Even when I have to step away from the book I'm still in their world with them until I complete the book. A well written book can do that to you, drawing you into its imaginary world by creating life like scenarios. A movie not matter how good it is lasts just a few hours and is soon forgotten.

I picked the first book (The Mango Season by Amulya Malladi) at random with just 5 mins to library closing. Once I got through it late that night I went back the next day and got a second one from the same author, Serving Crazy with Curry. I was so thrilled to have finished the book in one setting that I did not want to stop with one. Both were easy reads with well developed plots and characters. They also had little recipes strewn between the chapters which was nice. I picked up more books when I went back and is it odd that they all seem to have a food theme going on! ha. So as to not spend too much time in the kitchen I whipped up this quick brunch style dish to keep me with my books longer.

Tofu Veggie Hash

Prep time - 10 mins

Cooking time - 20 mins

Servings - 2 -3
Ingredients:

3 oz - Tofu block, extra firm

1/4 cup - Tomato, diced

1/3 cup - Onions, Green & Red bell pepper, diced

1/2 cup - Potatoes, cubed (Red or Yukon Gold)

1/2 tsp - Cumin & Fennel seeds

1/4 tsp - Red pepper flakes

1/8 tsp - Turmeric powder

Salt to taste

2 Tbsp - Olive oil

2 - Spring onions greens for garnish

Method:

Heat a Tbsp of oil in a saute pan on medium high heat. Add cumin & fennel seeds, once they begin to sizzle add red pepper flakes, turmeric powder, diced onions and peppers.

Meanwhile, peel and cube potatoes. Rinse them in water to get rid of extra starch. Drain tofu and cube in roughly the same size as potatoes.

When the onions and peppers are tender and begin to char slightly transfer them to a plate and reserve. Add another tablespoon of oil to the saute pan and toss in cubed potatoes. Cook for 5-6 minutes without moving then too much so they can crisp up on each side.

Cubed tofu, tomatoes and sauteed veggies go in next. Add salt to taste and cook for 5 mins until the flavors meld together.

Transfer to a serving dish, garnish with diced spring onion greens and serve with fruits and toast.

Hash is one of my favorite brunch dishes when I eat out and making it at home is even better. Potatoes and peppers go perfectly together and adding tofu brings protein and substance to the party. It soaks up the flavor from the veggies and tastes really good in the end. The different textures from the peppers, crispy and tender potatoes and tofu work well together. The fennel seeds add just enough interest along with the cumin seeds or I its just that I'm in a fennel phase now :) What are your favorite brunch recipes ? or weekend reads ?

Spread the Bounty

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Tue, 19 Mar 2013 06:25:00 +0000

Hello foodies,

The final haul from one of our trips. And this was just half of it! We ran out of buckets and had to empty the fruit into a trunk of a van to be hauled out. Orange, blood orange, grapefruit, kumquats, tangerines, lemons, Meyer lemons, pomelos.

Nope, this was not a pick your own farm loot :) The last few weeks I've been spending my Saturday mornings volunteering for a wonderful organization called Harvest Crops. They work to bridge the gap between the haves and have not's of fresh fruit. Its a great cause and I am glad I am able to contribute. Its a win-win situation for everyone involved and that's the beauty of it. Every resident we have helped is happy to have us there and welcome us into their homes and backyards. They are happy to see their fruit picked at its peak and taken to those who need it most. It just amazes me each time to see how many buckets we fill up from one tree. Even the barest of trees yields no less that 4-5 buckets of fruit. The best part of it all though is the last bit of delivering the fruit to those who need it. It leaves me with a smile that lasts through the whole week. This past week we picked just three trees but ended up with 20-25 buckets of fruit that would serve many many families. As a volunteer I am just having fun. I get to explore the city, meet new people and also sample some fabulous organic fruit. So to leave with so much more than what you put in is gratifying.

Meyer lemon blossom Orange blossoms

California is known for its citrus harvest. The markets are usually stocked with multiple varieties of citruses all through the year, even the winter months, or should I say specially the winter months. Right now the farm stands are bursting with blood oranges, grape fruit and many lemon varieties - meyer, eureka, sweet lemons and a few more names that I don't recollect right now. Drive out a few miles from the city and you are bound to come across orange orchards lining the road. But right here within the city almost every house that has even a few feet of open yard has a citrus tree or two that is bursting with fruit.

They all start green Orange bunches everywhere

Overloaded with Meyer Lemons!

The famous California Meyer lemons have a floral aroma and are sweeter than regular lemons. I've made lemonade, salad dressings, muffins, cupcakes and currently have a batch of preserved lemons curing in the refrigerator. The lemons from this tree are probably the juiciest and sweetest I've had till date. The tree was brimming with fruit but did not want to let go of them either. The fruit were nestled among the inner branches that had huge thorns! I was lucky we had gloves but that did not help us for long. We eventually just started jerking the branches to loosen the fruit and luckily for us it worked out.We got close to 10-12 buckets of fruit from this one.

Grape fruits!

This grapefruit tree was in a mini orchard that a resident had. From the outside the tree looked like it did not have much fruit. But once we took a peek behind the outer leaves, this is what we find! We got close to 6-7 buckets of fruit from this one alone. They were huge and juicy. But this was the day I also realized I have a very low tolerance to grapefruit. Its way too acidic for my throat, just a few drops and I was left with a soreness that lasted a whole day.

Ponderosa lemon blossom Ponderosa lemon

The shocker from last week was discovering Ponderosa lemons. Looking at how big the fruit looks in the photograph you might think the photo angle is odd. But nope, these lemons are enormous! The fruit were easily 7-8" in diameter. I initially mistook them to be grapefruit until the kind lady who lived there told us about these special lemons.

That's a blood orange for comparison alongside one of the smaller lemons on the tree. And if that's not big enough these lemons are still just half their size at this point! The wiki link tells that they taste exactly like lemons just a looooot bigger. More about blood oranges in the next post :)

Peach blossoms!

These flowers in pretty pink are peach blossoms I was told! Looks like we might go back to this place in a few months for another harvest :) Take a few minutes to see if such an organization exists in your neighborhood and I can promise you'll have a wonderful time.

Fennel Salad with Chaat Masala

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 04 Mar 2013 03:14:00 +0000

Dear foodies,

This year is in a rush to get done. I planned to share this recipe in early January and now we are into March already. So let me get to it right away - this is the best salad I've made, ever. It was only after I came to San Diego that I started noticing fennel bulbs in produce aisles almost all through the year. I love flavor of fennel seeds (saunf), specially in the form of addictive mukhwas. As kids, my brother and I would hoard the bowls placed on the table at the end of meal in restaurants. While my father took care of the bill, we took care of the saunf bowl! We'd fill our tiny mouths with as much as we could and then stuff the rest into paper napkins for later. Though not at the same level, my fascination for anisey flavored food is not lost. And so when I saw huge white bulbs labelled fennel at the store I had to give them a try.

Fresh fennel has a crisp, refreshing flavor unlike any other raw vegetable. Initially, it took a few tries to get used to the concept of eating my favorite mouth freshener in vegetable form. But since then it has become a regular in my shopping list. Fennel has been used in Mediterranean cuisine for a long time. It can be eaten raw, cooked into stews and soups, braised and even roasted. I've tried all these methods and enjoy eating them raw the most.

When buying look for plump bulbs with fresh, healthy fronds on top (fennel greens). If the outer layers look blemished, give it a good wash and shave away a thin layer using a vegetable peeler. Slice off close to where the greens begin and the tough bottom core. I reserve the fronds to use as a herb. If roasting fennel, retain the core and cut the bulb into quarters so they hold their shape. Otherwise slice the bulb in half, splitting through the tough core and cut a deep wedge to remove the core. Once this is done you can slice it lengthwise or across based on the final dish. For maximum crunch I prefer cutting thin slices across the bulb instead of lengthwise.

If you have a mandolin, this would be a perfect place to use it and make thin half moons of fennel, onions and matchsticks of carrot. I don't have one and doing it by hand takes only a few minutes longer and you have one less gadget to wash :) You can also use a serrated vegetable peeler for the carrots which gives a slightly similar texture.

I think I go through more cilantro than any other herb and the same goes with chaat masala in the spices section. I periodically get rid of all the other masalas that rarely get used but that's never the case with chaat masala. A little sprinkle on salads and fruits is a sure way to make me eat them with relish. In this salad though fennel is the show stopper - chaat masala, cilantro, limes - combine to make it an instant hit. They add to make it super refreshing and the khatta meeta balance of flavors is amazing.

Fennel Salad with Chaat masala

Prep time: 20 mins
Serves: 4-5
Ingredients

1 - Fennel bulb, thinly sliced

1 - Carrot (medium size), sliced into thin matchsticks

Quarter of a red onion, halved through the root end and thinly sliced into half moons

1/4 cup - Cilantro leaves, washed and roughly chopped

1 - Lime, juiced (~ 1/4 cup)

1/2 tsp - Chaat Masala

1/8 tsp - Red chilli powder (optional)

1/2 tsp - Salt

1/4 tsp - Pepper, freshly cracked

Method:

In a bowl, toss together sliced fennel, carrots and onions. Sprinkle salt, lime juice and combine well using your hands, rubbing the salt into the veggies. Add chaat masala, red chilli powder, pepper and mix well.

Next add chopped cilantro and some of the reserved fennel fronds. Combine and taste for seasonings adding more as needed.

Note: Make the salad at least 30 mins before serving to soften onions and allow time for flavors to combine. That said it could be made well in advance and refrigerated as it does not loose its crunch even after a few hours or up to a day. I tend to enjoy extra lime juice and chaat masala in this salad. I can assure you that the raw onions will not leave you with bad breath since they are softened by the salt and lime juice but feel free to exclude them.

The only confusion with fennel salad is if it should be served as a first course or last :) I've served it to friends and family and they've all loved it. If you never tried fresh fennel before this is a perfect first bite. Like any addictive chaat item, this salad has contrasting colors, textures and flavors that are in perfect harmony. I use it in tacos as a slaw, a side salad when serving heartier stews and its been a perfect addition to potluck fare. Give it a try and let me know what you think. It could be a great pick me up in the cold weather.

Tips & Tricks | Baking Tools & Ingredients

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 07:19:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I've started a small tradition over the last few years. Each year, around Christmas I bake sweet treats and mail them to some of my dear friends. It started as a one time thing to try some of the recipes I had bookmarked. The joy it brought to them and in return to me was so enriching that I now look forward to it each year. But I am no baker, even after multiple batches of cookies, cakes, bars I am still learning and its a touch and go process. Cooking comes easy to me as I can taste test and make adjustments at any point. It is a still a science but a friendlier one :)

I've picked up some tricks, honed my methods and figured out some things that always work and help make things go smooth. The kitchen is still a mess and covered with flour or sugar or butter but as long as I have a sweet treat in the end, all is good.

Baking is all about measurements, you need to have all your ingredients to come together in the perfect ratio in order to make a good end product. And so having measuring cups and spoons is vital. I don't own a kitchen scale as yet but its on my list for sometime soon. For now though, I rely heavily on these little cups and spoons. I've picked up many variations because they look good or are cute, but the ones I reach for the most is the simple plastic cups and my ceramic and stainless steel measuring spoons. I have them hung on the wall right next to my counter so they are right where I can use them easily. If not I would go back to my old ways of guesstimating 1 tsp which definitely does not work.

Leaveners - Baking soda & Baking powder - are key ingredients in most sweet treats. Make a not of the expiration dates on these and keep them sealed air tight for the best results. They cannot be used interchangeable in all recipes as they react very differently. But once you understand how they differ you can certainly use judgement. Baking soda is activated by liquid or acidic ingredients to release carbon dioxide which in turn lifts the cake or cookie. So its essential that you bring together the two ingredients right before it goes into the oven. Delaying this will cause your cake to drop or turn out dense. Baking soda also reduces the sharpness that ingredients like sour cream or buttermilk bring to the dish.

Baking powder on the other hand is a combination of baking soda and 2 acidic ingredients. So it doesn't necessarily need a additional acidic ingredient. It would still need a liquid to begin the aeration though. The first stage happens when it comes in contact with a liquid and the second stage is heat activated, and hence is also referred to as double-acting. Recipes using baking soda need to be baked immediately, but those with baking powder can be allowed to rest for a while. Do keep in mind that the longer it sits lesser effect it will have.

Sugars - White, brown, light brown, dark brown, granulated, powdered and many many more. Once you get baking you will soon see your pantry fill up with all these different kinds. If you are lucky enough to have a store with bulk bins, use it to your advantage and buy just the quantity you need. In some cases the kind of sugar called for cannot be substituted for another kind 1:1. The texture, density and quantity vary with which kind you use. But there are still some tricks that are good to know. If you have regular granulated white cane sugar you can whiz it up in the blender to make your own powdered sugar instead of buying a separate box. Light/Dark brown sugar is granulated white sugar + molasses. The amount of molasses dictates if its light or brown. So by having a bottle of molasses will be useful not just in recipe for molasses but to also use in recipes that call for brown sugar.

Turbinado sugar has bigger granules and to me tastes similar to what I was used to having as a kid. I use it on a day to day basis for coffee/tea and desserts. It had a mild caramely, deep flavor that is great in Indian desserts as well. Crackle cookies that are really popular these days get the 'crackle' part from a light coating of this sugar. The bigger granules don't disintegrate in the high temps of the oven and lend a desirable crunch.

I can't leave out butter in a post about baking, can I! This is the first ingredient to set aside and a very important one at that. There are many varieties out there and I don't intend to go into which is better. The one thing to pay attention to is if its salted or unsalted. Adding a little bit of salt is always desirable even is a sweet dish as it brings out the flavors of all the ingredients, exaggerating them even. Now a days you will notice a pinch of salt in most ingredient lists and unsalted butter. You can always use salted butter but make sure you skip the additional salt. I am not going to get into salts in this post since that will take up a lot more space :)

Its important to have your ingredients at room temperature before you begin. This will allow them to combine very easily and react as expected to give you good results. Set butter, eggs and other ingredients like sour cream or cream cheese at room temp for atleast 3-4 hours. But like me, if you decide to bake something last minute and haven't done this then don't fret. If you have an hour to spare, cube the butter into little chunks to speed up the process. Less than that, microwave the whole stick, with wrapper for 10-15secs at a time, rotate and repeat 4-5 times until you feel it warm up. Or cut it in cubes and place is a warm glass bowl.

The first step is most recipes will be to cream butter and sugar. This part is essential as it creates little air pockets enveloped in fat which go on to create texture in the final dish. Starting off with room temp butter will help this step. Start on low speed and slowly increase the speed until the butter sugar mixture is pale, almost white and not as grainy to the touch. Its very hard to over beat but definitely possible. About 3-4mins with a handheld blender is a good reference point. The heat from over beating will cause butter to melt, thus breaking the bubbles we tried so hard to create. Once other ingredients are added there chance to create more bubbles is lost, so complete this stage before adding extracts or eggs.

Eggs are another ingredient that need to be a room temp, if you are running short of time, immerse them in warm (not hot!) tap water for 10-15mins. If a recipe calls for multiple eggs, add them one at a time after each previous egg is fully incorporated. When adding eggs to the butter-sugar mixture it is natural for it to look curdled since at that point there is a lot more fat in the batter, once flour is added, balance will be restored, so don't fret :)

Extracts give the distinct flavor of each baked treat, be it vanilla, orange, almond. They are the backbone of any cookie or cake. Vanilla is the most common of them all and to me is the cardamom of non-Indian desserts. Almost all recipes I've seen use it as it gives a depth of flavor and its signature fragrance is hard to beat. Making your own extract takes less that 10mins and the resulting liquid is sheer magic in your homemade treats. The aroma that fills up your kitchen will be amazing, I promise. You can use the same technique to create any flavor extract you want and control what goes into your baking.

Spices are another great complement to a sweet dessert as they break the monotony of sweetness. A little bit of ginger will give a warm, mildly spicy kick, nutmeg does the same by rounding out flavors. Cinnamon is a key holiday scent and the kind used for baking has a much sweeter smell and flavor compared to its Indian counterpart, cassia bark. I also have begun using allspice which has a musty, spicey flavor like cloves+nutmeg+cinnamon. When you are done baking don't let these fabulous power houses sit in the spice cabinet. I add a sprinkling of these to my evening tea instead of chai masala or use them instead of garam masala.

I have a set of three heavy nesting bowls that I've had for more than 5-6yrs. They are solid and work perfectly for my baking projects. I use the largest one for creaming butter-sugar since that is where the final mixing happens. The middle one holds the dry mix, and I've began sifting even if a recipe does not call for it. Sifting the dry ingredients helps blend all the spices & leaveners, break any lumps and distributes the ingredients evenly throughout. Sifting also incorporates some amount of air and this will also help in the final texture.

And finally, don't throw away the butter warppers, use them instead to prepare the ever important baking sheets/pans. Whats the point of taking pains to create a perfect batter if it won't leave the pan, right ? Even if its a non-stick baking sheet I like to use parchment as insurance. But paper doesn't really want to stay in place, so use the butter paper to grease the pan, this will ensure that the parchment sticks to the baking sheet. If using the baking tin with high edges for cakes, grease the pan and sprinkle a thin layer of flour and dust off any extra flour on the surface.

There you go! I did not know I had so much to share and I still have a lot more. I just realized I could go on about each of these topics for a lot longer, so there might be more posts in the future. But I hope these little bites of information will get you started on some of the seasons baking.

Please do share your tips and tricks as well so we can all benefit from our trials and tribulations :)

Here are a few recipes for the holiday season -

Simple meals | Orecchiette in Arrabbiata sauce

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 08:12:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I try to cook almost everyday since time in the kitchen helps me unwind and relax. Keeping track of what ingredient goes next, what needs to be washed, chopped, grated, pureed...enough salt ? spice ? With all that happening there's no choice but to throw out all of the days worries. At the end of it all there is a nice meal to enjoy as well, so its a win-win. That does not apply to the clean up that follows, but lets not go there. On days when I want a meal done asap all inspiration is lost on me though. I get into a mechanical mode reaching out for a few selective dishes. There is no energy expended in planning for them. Traditional Indian meals that my mom made fall under that category for the most part - Pappu or chaaru or sambar and plain annam (rice), a quick stir-fry of cabbage or beans, kichadi + kadhi are some of them.

Over the last few years I have added a few more dishes into this category. I make a mixed veg quinoa quite often throwing in any veggies I have on hand and the first masala I find in the spice cabinet. And then there is pasta...

it could be the new rice...the new guilty pleasure :) And I say that as I don't always be good and use whole wheat pasta. But whichever one you choose its always quick to make as most dry pastas cook in less than 10-12 mins. And more often and not that's how long I take to prepare a sauce to go with it. So with that I start this 'Simple meals' category which will make use of pantry ingredients and not take too much hands on time.

There is this tiny cafe next to the grocery store I shop at and they make the best gnocchi I've had. Its served in an arrabbiata sauce that has the right amount of heat and the gnocchi ...oooh the gnocchi. It just melts in your mouth and it has a snow like grating of cheese on top that seals the deal. This weekend when the weather was gloomy and cold all I wanted was a warm plate of pasta in a zesty sauce. I did not have gnocchi and so I used orecchiette but feel free to use any pasta you have on hand. Its the sauce that is the magic component here.

Orecchiette in Arrabbiata sauce

Cooking time - 20mins

Servings - 2
Ingredients:

2 cups - Orecchiette (or any dry pasta)

4 - Plum tomatoes

2 - Garlic, cloves, finely chopped

1/2 tsp - Red chilli flakes

1/4 tsp - Dried Oregano

2 Tbsp - Olive oil

Salt to taste

Pinch of sugar

Toasted pine nuts

5-6 - Basil leaves, chopped

Freshly grated Parmesan/Asiago cheese

Method:

Bring water to a rolling boil in a deep pot, add about a Tbsp of salt, dry pasta and give it a stir. Cook per package instructions.

In the mean time, add oil to a pan along with garlic and red chilli flakes. As they begin to sizzle add chopped tomatoes and a small pinch of sugar. Continue to cook until the tomatoes soften and break down. Crush oregano in your palm and add to the sauce and season with salt to taste.

Save about 1/2 cup pasta water and drain the pasta a minute or two before its done. Add it to the tomato sauce along with 1/4 cup reserved pasta water and continue to cook until pasta is al dente. Add more water as needed to achieve desired consistency.

Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with chopped basil, toasted pine nuts and fresh grated cheese.

This is an uncomplicated, hearty meal for a cold, gloomy day. Arrabbiata is nothing but a spicy marinara and this sauce can be used as a dipping sauce or on pizza's as well. There are very few ingredients in this recipe and so each of them counts. Use plump, ripe tomatoes is available, canned tomatoes will also work. Fresh basil and toasted pine nuts complete the dish. I love pine nuts and usually add a few extra to my bowl. The basil, shockingly came from my ever-brown garden. I had given up on the basil and had even stopped watering the plants and surprisingly I saw it spring back to life. The cheese is optional but a light sprinkle on warm pasta is tempting. What are your go-to simple meals ?

Home-made Extracts

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 07:19:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

Its December already and a year has flown by with its share of ups and downs. This space has also seen the ebb and flow of posts coming its way(or not!). Driving home from work today I almost contemplated closing this blog given the erratic updates. But something in me couldn't fathom not being able to log in and pen down my thoughts and recipes here. Its been over 6 years since I started blogging and it has slowly but firmly planted itself into my identity. I may not come here as often but I will never cut it off.

With my mind cleared out I was back to planning the 'butter+sugar' month. Though I come from a Hindu family, Christmas has always held a special place. I think its a combination of 12 years at a convent school, holidays around this time, having family friends who brought us decadent fruit cakes and home-made wine and the magic of experiencing an all-white Christmas in the US. I am not a baker and would peg myself into the cook category as I can never strictly adhere to a recipe. But come December I whip out the hand mixer, buy pounds of butter, sugar and flour and start compiling recipes to bake.

Flavor extracts are a key ingredient in many desserts, especially vanilla. Orange is another flavor that I find myself adding to most of my recent recipes. Its just as easy to add zest but having an extract on hand is convenient when you are out of fresh fruit or don't want to taint the color of a cream frosting or white chocolate etc.

There is not exact recipe for these -combine your choice of (prepped) flavoring ingredient + vodka (triple distilled, 80-100 proof) and allow it to steep in cool, dark place.

Homemade Extracts
Vanilla Extract

2-3 Vanilla beans, split lengthwise

3/4 cup - Vodka

glass bottle with lid/cork

Pick a glass bottle that can hold a whole vanilla bean. Clean and dry completely. Place vanilla beans in the bottle and cover completely with vodka. Seal well and place in a cool, dark place in your kitchen. Give it a shake every day or so for the first week.

Notes: Within 3 days you will begin to notice a light brown color and the extract was strong enough to use within 2 weeks. A month would be ideal but if you want to use it sooner start off with extra vanilla beans. I used 4-5 beans in my current batch and add more vodka as I use some of it. I buy my vanilla beans on Amazon from this supplier, its a great deal and the quality has been great. You can use vanilla beans in the extract for recipes as well. They will be super moist and you can squeeze out the seeds easily.

Lemon/Orange Extract

1-2 - whole organic lemons or 1 orange

3/4 cup - Vodka

glass bottle with lid/cork

Wash and dry fruit thoroughly before peeling off the thin outer layer. If any white pith remains, slice it off with a paring knife as they tend to add bitterness. Fill the bottle with peels and cover completely with vodka. Seal well and place in a cool, dark place in your kitchen. Shake the bottle gently one a day for 2-3 days. Check for readiness after a week or continue to steep longer.

Notes: Use organic fruit or fruit not treated with pesticides or wax coating since we will be using just the peels here. I wanted the extract to have a strong citrus flavor and used a high zest to vodka ratio. Some recipes I saw online suggested straining the extract after a month but I've had mine steeping for about 3 months now it had not turned bitter on me. But do check on your batch and strain if needed after you are satisfied with the flavor.

You can apply the same method to make flavored liqueurs. Below are raspberry and lemon (my take on chambord and limoncello) liqueurs getting ready to do their thing. For the raspberry (which was my fav of the two), I used 2 pints of organic berries and 2 cups of vodka. After steeping for 2 weeks all the color from the raspberry transfers to the vodka along with the their fabulous flavor. Strain gently, and add equal quantity of cooled simple syrup to the flavored vodka. Simple syrup is a combination of equal parts sugar and water heated just until sugar is melted. Allow it to cool completely before adding to your vodka. Store for another 2 weeks before its ready to be served. A similar process for limoncello as well - reference recipe.

These make perfect gifts to anyone who loves to bake or enjoys cocktails. They don't require much hands-on time once you have the bottles filled and stashed. I bought the smaller bottles at Michaels and the larger ones at Marshalls for a bargain.

These extracts will immensely improve the quality of your baked goods. The flavors are strong and provide a depth that can never be replicated by store bought ones. So far I've made - Cranberry Pecan Muffins using the recipe from America's Test Kitchen (register to read recipe + useful tips & tricks, or check this). These were perfect with a prominent cranberry flavor, just enough sweetness and a fabulous nuttiness from the pecans. The streusel topping stayed crunchy even the next day. Do give it a try before fresh cranberries disappear from the store aisles.

I attempted my first batch of macarons using Helene's tutorial. No two macarons were the same shape but they all tasted great :) Next on the list was replicating my favorite treat from Starbucks - cranberry bliss bars. I searched for recipes online and ended up with this one. I used vanilla and orange extract in the blondie batter. I made the frosting with 8 oz cream cheese, 1 cup powdered sugar and my vanilla and lemon extract. I also replaced the sugar frosting drizzle with melted white chocolate. The bars were a huge hit and the cream cheese frosting was amazing with that zing of lemon.

I bake these goodies and share them with my colleagues at work. What should I try next, any suggestions ?

Friday Frames | Treasure Hunt

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 07:01:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

Under the gorgeous pinkish red skin are delicious, juicy Lychees

I'd hoard these like chipmunks do acorns if I could! If you can still find them at the store, grab a few bags.

third eye ?

Don't these look gorgeous! Rambutans taste just as stunning as the look ( but I like lychees more)

Both these fruits are a perfect summer treat. Its nature's way of giving us a refreshing burst of hydration when we need it the most.

Dondakaya Nuvvula Kura| Ivy Gourd with Sesame Seeds Powder

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Tue, 11 Sep 2012 05:13:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

I've written about ivy gourd being one of my favorite veggies in the past and how I'm trying to make up for all the lost opportunities to enjoy this dish. But looking at the recipes list I found just one recipe for it and was surprised they weren't more. The fast is I rarely find fresh, tender ivy gourd here and when I do I gravitate towards my mother's way of cooking them. After all the prep work to get the sliced, her recipe is quick and hits the spot. It's a wonderful side dish with chapati's or rice paired with sambar/rasam/pulusu.

More often that not, I slice them in rounds as they get really tender when cooked that way, almost melting away in your mouth. When sliced lengthwise though you get to enjoy a completely different texture of ivy gourd. It holds its shape over longer cooking times which lends to pilaf style rice dishes. Either way the prep time is probably the most time consuming part of cooking this vegetable. If you take the short-cut and buy the frozen pack instead, you'll just be wasting your time and ingredients.

Dondakaya Nuvvula Kura

Prep time: 15-20mins

Cook time: 20mins

Servings: 3-4 (side)
Ingredients:

4 cups - Ivy Gourd, washed & sliced lengthwise

1 Tbsp - Oil

1 tsp - Urad dal & Channa dal

1/4 tsp - Mustard seeds

1/4 tsp - Cumin seeds

2 - Dried red chillies

6-8 Curry leaves

1/4 tsp - Turmeric Powder

1/8 tsp - Asafoetida/Hing/Inguva

2-4 Tbsp - Sesame powder (Nuvvula Podi)

Salt to taste

Cilantro leaves for garnish

Method:

Heat oil in a wide skillet, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, urad and channa dal. When the seeds begin to pop and the dals turn a deep red, add broken red chillies, curry leaves, asafoetida and turmeric.

Add sliced ivy gourd next and sprinkle a little salt over them. Cover and steam for 8-10mins until tender, turning them over every few minutes. Sprinkle water if it the veggies look dry.

Once the pieces are tender to touch, sprinkle sesame powder starting with 2 Tbsp and adding more based on taste. Mix well to incorporate the spice mix and cook covered for a few more minutes on low heat.

Transfer to a serving dish with a garnish of cilantro. It goes really well as a side dish for roti's or warm rice.

Note: If you don't have pre-made sesame powder, make a quick version by toasting 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1/4 tsp cumin seeds, 1-2 red chillies in 1 tsp oil and blend to a fine powder. -- To make the dish more special, add cashews along with the dals. -- Adjust the amount of salt added in step 2 according to the saltiness of the sesame powder. -- The same cooking method can be used for potlakaya (snake gourd), beerakaya (ridge gourd), vankaya (eggplant) and sorakaya (bottle gourd).

I made tomato rasam and rice to complete the meal and it was a perfect Sunday lunch. Sesame powder adds a earthy flavor to the vegetable and its addictive. When I have a fresh batch of the podi I add it almost every dish I make. Its used as a staple seasoning used in many Andhra dishes and makes vegetables extra special. Fresh farm ripened tomatoes that are in season now are perfect for the rasam and you won't need any tamarind. Its good enough to have as a soup on its own and that's exactly what I did. If I stick to my plan I'll have another recipe for ivy gourd coming up next. Hope you've had a good start to your week.

Sprouted Quinoa & Oats Granola

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 20:03:00 +0000

Dear foodies,

My blog seems to be a on health kick and I don't want to break its stride. We've covered a few salads but lets focus on the first meal of the day - breakfast. I've tried numerous cereals and still haven't found the one. Winters are easy, all I need is a warm bowl of oatmeal with some dry fruits on top and I'm happy. But the rest of the year is a mash up of many different breakfast finds. When in grad school nothing could beat Honey bunches oats with Almonds, well except Raisin bran crunch. We (roomies) would have it every single day and somehow did not tire of it. Never once did we complain while going through box after box of them. And then once I moved out I couldn't have another morsel of that cereal again! I had probably hit the quota limit for one kind of cereal and ever since the search for the next continues.

The first time I made granola at home I was pleasantly surprised by how good it was and more importantly how easy it is to make. Since then I've made numerous batches each different from the other. I pick up a cup of so of dry fruits from bulk bins and store them in refrigerator.

After experimenting with multiple batches I've narrowed my list down to using two type of nuts and dry fruits in each batch. Having this equation cuts down my confusion and makes it easier to get a batch done. The only constant in the last few batches has been crystallized ginger. I dice the chunks into tiny bits that disappear in the granola and the spice hits you by surprise when you bite into it. Switching out the combination of nuts, fruits and even the sweetener keeps it interesting. I've used honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, apple sauce and for this recipe Pomegranate molasses as a sweetener. I keep a jar of granola on the kitchen counter and a box at work. When the snack craving hits I don't have to look too far for something healthy to munch on.

I've always used rolled oats as the bulk of the granola but with plenty of quinoa on hand I decided to experiment. Cooking quinoa was out of the question for a granola so I decided to sprout the seeds instead. Sprouting, in general helps our body absorb nutrients a lot easier by breaking down some of the enzymes. And quinoa seeds are the easiest to sprout as they need a relatively short time. A 15-20min soak in water after a good rinse helps hydrate the seeds, overnight works too. Spread them out on a piece of clean cloth, cover to block any light and keep away from sun light for 4-8hours. If the conditions are right you could see tiny sprouts in just 4-5 hours. Its recommended that the sprout not be longer than the seed for consumption. Given the teeny tiny size of the seeds themselves tiny sprouts are just what we want. Sprouted quinoa can be used in various recipes like this granola or salads and stir-fries. Store unused sprouts in the refrigerator and use within 2-3 days. I've been adding about 2Tbsp to my breakfast smoothie for extra protein and it tastes just as good.

Oats are a great source of thiamine, iron, and dietary fiber making them perfect for breakfast foods.

Before all decked out after baking

Sprouted Quinoa & Oats Granola

Prep time: 1 day ahead

Cook time: 40 mins

Servings - makes ~6 cups
Ingredients:

3 cups - Old Fashioned, Rolled Oats

1 cup - Quinoa

1/2 cup -each of Almonds, Pecans coarsely chopped

1/3 cup each Cranberries, Raisins, coarsely chopped

2 Tbsp - Crystallized ginger, finely diced

2 Tbsp - Flax seeds

1 Tbsp - Orange Zest

3 Tbsp - Butter

2 Tbsp - Oil, Honey, Pomegranate molasses

1 tsp - Vanilla extract

A pinch of salt if using unsalted butter

Method:

Approx 8-10 hours ahead - Thoroughly rinse quinoa and set to soak for 20-30mins (can be left overnight). Drain water and spread the seeds on a clean kitchen towel. Cover and keep away from direct sun light for upto 8 hrs. When you see tiny sprouts they are ready to use, you can begin checking after 4-5 hrs. If you don't see any sprouts after 8 hrs then rinse, drain and repeat the process of spreading them out for another 8 hours.

When ready to make granola, Pre-heat oven to 325F

In a huge microwave safe bowl, combine butter & oil, microwave for 45-60secs. Add honey, pomegranate molasses, vanilla extract to melted butter and whisk together. Add the dry ingredients (excluding dry fruits and orange zest) and mix together coating them with some of the wet mixture.

Spread the mix evenly on a baking sheet lined with parchment and place in the center rack of the oven. Bake for 30-40 mins, flipping it every 10mins. Once you begin smelling the toasted nuts and oats check to see if they've turned a light brownish hue.

Remove pan from oven and sprinkle chopped dried fruits, finely grated orange zest and combine. The oats may not be crunchy right out of the oven, let them cool a bit to dry out and get deliciously crunchy.

Store in an clean and dry air tight container on the counter for upto 2 weeks or move to the refrigerator for longer shelf life.

Note: This recipe makes a mildly sweet granola leaning on dried fruit for sweetness. Pomegranate molasses also adds sweetness and a mellow tartness to the granola which I enjoyed. On its own pom molasses is extremely tart, making you pucker and the taste reminds of rola cola/purple poppins I had as a kid.
If I want chunks of granola I pulse about 1/2 cup oats or add almond meal and pack the granola mix in the baking sheet before it goes in the oven. Being extremely gentle when flipping ensures that the chunks hold up.
Millet can also be sprouted and used here but it takes longer to sprout compared to quinoa so plan ahead.

Tart, sweet, crunchy, colorful and healthy...can't ask for more from one recipe. Enjoy it on its own or use in other recipes, either way its a winner. Layered with fresh summer berries and homemade yogurt you have a perfect summer parfait to cool you down. Citrus zest and pomegranate molasses add bright bursts of flavor and pair really well with other fruits. You would want to stop and relish this for breakfast instead of rushing out the door. So customize this recipe to your liking and let me know what your favorite combination for granola is ?

Thai Black Rice Salad

noreply@blogger.com (Priya) — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 07:00:00 +0000

Dear Foodies,

My pantry is bursting at its seams and I've lost count of stuff I've collected over the last few ~~weeks~~ ~~months~~ years. I love bulk bins. They are good to buy ingredients in smaller quantities but I end up buying a little of everything :( I make these big plans of trying out a recipe but by the time I get home the plan is forgotten and sadly, so are the ingredients in pantry jungle. The odd quantities make it difficult to organize them into jars and, I guess I should just use them instead of wasting time looking for jars. Various shapes & colors of lentils, rice, grains, flours fill up the shelves. I'd like to say they are all in neatly labelled bags but the last time I checked it did not look good. I can tell you this, I've had to become pretty good at identifying 'anonymous' flours.

Wild Rice blend - Hulled Black Rice

I made it my mission to try out new salads and slaw's this summer. The fact that I'm currently on a taco streak is a topic for another post though. There's this restaurant called Saffron close to the airport that I really like. Su-Mei Yu is the brains behind the operation and they serve a healthy twist on Thai cuisine. The food has won her and the restaurant many accolades and rightly so. The food is some of the most flavorful I've eaten. They don't shy away from pungent spices but every dish is perfectly balanced and is just bursting with flavors and textures and colors. Nothing I've tried has disappointed me at that place.

I always gravitate towards their healthy fried rice with tofu. It's predominantly flavored with ginger and is chock-full of vegetables. It wouldn't matter if it were not called healthy because it tasted exceptional anyway. I wanted to re-create it at home. I picked 3/4 cup wild rice blend and 1/4 cup black rice from my extensive pantry (!). I know, you would think it was the other way round looking at the color of the salad though. The black rice turned a deep purple when cooked and beware, it stains any other grain cooked with it. Using a rice blend added texture with some of the grains being fully cooked while the others are wonderfully toothsome. And ofcourse, the color is stunning.

Thai Black Rice (blend) Salad

Prep time: 15mins

Cook time: 30mins

Servings: 2-3
Ingredients:
Rice

3/4 cup - Wild rice blend

1/4 cup - Hulled Black rice

1/2 tsp - Ginger, grated

1 inch - Lemongrass stalk

1 Tbsp - Tamari/ soy sauce

1/2 tsp - Toasted Sesame oil

2 cups - Water

Stir-fried Veggies

1/2 cup - Diced Red bell pepper and white onions, Carrots & snap peas thinly sliced on a diagonal

1/2 tsp - Ginger, grated (adjust to taste)

1 Tbsp - Tamari/soy sauce (adjust to taste)

1/2 tsp - Shaoxing rice wine (optional)

1/2 tsp - Toasted Sesame oil

1/2 tbsp - Olive oil

Salad toppers - Chopped cilantro, Green onions sliced on a diagonal, toasted sesame seeds, lime wedges

Method:

Get the rice started first. Rinse grains in multiple changes of water, picking out any outliers. In a heavy bottomed pan, add drained rice with 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Once its at a boil season it with tamari, sesame oil, ginger and lemongrass. (Before adding lemongrass stalk, bruise it by giving it a few whacks with the blunt edge of a knife to release its essence.) Cover with a tight fitting lid and cook for 15-20mins on the lowest heat setting. Once all the water is absorbed and the grains are cooked, remove it from heat and let cool completely. ( I spread the rice on a plate and stick it into the freezer for a few minutes to quickly cool it down). Pick and discard lemongrass stalk.

As the rice is cooking, heat a wok or saute pan on medium high heat with toasted sesame oil and olive oil. When the oil begins to sizzle add diced onions and peppers. Add grated ginger and cook until the onions begin to turn translucent.

Add sliced carrots and continue to cook for 2 more minutes. Just before turning the heat off add tamari, shaoxing rice wine and sliced snow peas which will cook in the residual heat. The veggies should retain their crunch and bright color.

When the rice is at room temperature add stir fried veggies and taste test for seasonings. Sprinkle a little bit of toppings on the salad making sure you have more of each on the side.

Note: - Tofu would be a great protein addition to this salad. Drain and dry extra firm tofu on paper towels. Cut into thick slabs and marinate in a mixture of tamari, toasted sesame oil and grated ginger for 15-20 mins. Sear both sides on medium heat in a saute pan until browned. Dice into cubes and add to the salad at the very end so as not to break them up.
- Use any combination of veggies you have on hand that'll add crunch and color.- Swap rice with orzo pasta/quinoa/farro for a variation.

All the different textures, colors and flavors came together really well in this dish. And I may have said it already but it looks stunning in a bowl. Don't skimp on the salad toppers which are like condiments in this case. I love cilantro and with a squeeze of lime it makes for a perfect combo. The salad can be served immediately but it also travels well. The longer it sits the better it gets so it's great for picnics or lunches. I made sure the veggies retained some crunch so you get different textures from veggies and the rice blend as you chew your way through it. If you don't like the strong flavor of ginger reduce the amount and use a bit a garlic when stir frying veggies instead. Do give it try and let me know if you liked it. Have you tried any new salads that you loved ?