#341: Salmon Tikka

The word 'tikka' means bits or pieces.  Chicken tikka is one of the most popular tikka dishes, but we shouldn't forget the delicious paneer tikka, aloo (potato) tikka and today's recipe for salmon tikka.  Tikka dishes are cooked over hot coals, and are marinated in yogurt and spices.  Tandoori chicken and chicken tikka are so similar, but generally, tikka dishes are boneless, so you can get right to that charred meat!  

This dish is best served with naan and raita (cucuber and yogurt), but is also delicious with quinoa (think Indian quinoa bowl) or on top of a salad.  Considering we're right around the corner from New Year's (my favorite holiday!), I think this would be great on a small toothpick (skewer one salmon, one red pepper piece, and one onion piece), and passed around before ringing in 2016!  Happy New Year!! 

Salmon Tikka

Ingredients:

18 oz. salmon fileet, skinless, boneless and cubed

1 red pepper, cubed

1 small red onion, cubed (small cubes)

2 green chilies, each cut into three pieces

1 teaspoon olive oil (to grease the pan)

For Marinade:

2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped fine

1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon ginger, minced

1 cup plain yogurt

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cardomom 

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

pinch of black pepper

Directions

1. In a bowl whisk together all of the ingredients for the marinade and set aside.  
2. Place the salmon, peppers and onions in a bowl with two chopped green chilies; pour the marinade over the mixture.  Let sit in the refrigerator overnight (or at least for 2 hours).  I had marinated and frozen mine, thawed it when I was ready to use, and it was still delicious! 
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.  Line a baking sheet with foil and grease with the oil.
4. Place the salmon, onions, peppers and chilies on the baking tray, removing any excess marinade.  Cook for 15 minutes.  Flip and drain off any liquid that is in the pan.  Cook for another 15 minutes.   
5. The salmon should flake easily when cut into with a fork, then you know it's done.  Take out of the oven and let cool before serving.  

Happy Vishu and Happy Vaisakhi!!

Just a quick post to wish everyone a Happy Vishu (which is today) and a Happy Vaisakhi (which was yesterday).  Vishu is the New Year based on the Malayalam Calendar in Kerala. Vaisakhi is the Punjabi New Year based on the Punjabi calendar, and hold religious significance for both Hindus and Sikhs of Punjab. 

Our family being from Kerala, we all had a delicious Vishu sadya this past weekend.  A sadya is a huge vegetarian feast!  During most Kerala holidays and weddings, we have a sadya.  Traditionally it can be comprised of up to 25 dishes!  My mom definitely made quite a few, but not quite 25! The meal was fantastic.  Take a look at the picture below.  The sadya is traditionally served on banana leaves.  (That's my dad preparing to place a spoonful of ghee (clarified butter) over the delicious lentils and rice - adds to the creaminess of the whole mix!).

On Vishu morning, the day starts with Vishukanni, this is meant to be the first thing you see when you wake up to ensure prosperity for the new year.  As a symbol of prosperity, rice, fruits, vegetables, betel leaves, flowers, holy texts,  lighted brass lamps and a decorated statue of Lord Krishna will be arranged by in the prayer room to be a welcoming sight on New Year morning.  

S and I went to my parents place this weekend and had a great Vishu, with Vishukanni ready as we arrived!! Here's to a good New Year! 

#312 Easy Curried Lentils with Kale, By: V

I had the most wonderful day on Monday.  Yes, it was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, and S and I had the day off from work.  As I mentioned in my last post, Monday was also the start of D.C. Restaurant Week.  S and I decided to enjoy restaurant week with a lunch at 701 Restaurant.  

So we went to the city, and the city was bustling and busy with people enjoying the day off and the gorgeous weather.   I say 'gorgeous', as in it wasn't below 40 degrees, and it isn't snowing as it was thisThursday.  The restaurant week menu at 701 was a three course spread.  We both started off with the Tuna Tartare, which was dressed in a wasabi vinagrette and topped with sliced asian pear.  The plate drizzled with a persimmon-yuzu sauce.  I generally prefer tuna tartare with a more spicy lime flavor running throughout, so this probably wasn't my favorite as far as flavor is concerned.  S agreed that this wasn't the best tuna tartare we've had, but it was ok.  

For his main course, S ordered the Skuna Bay Salmon which was served atop a mustard spaetzle mixed with pomegranates, kale and pecans - talk about a perfect Fall/Winter dish!  It was delicious!  

I ordered the Duck Tajarin, spaghetti with duck bolognese with two beautiful spoonfuls of goat cheese on the side.  Let me just say it was amazing! Promptly halfway through our dishes, we switched to enjoy the other person's order - these  things have to be done!

And then we come to the dessert course.  I ordered the Chocolate Pot De Creme which was served with ice cream, brownie bits and a salted caramel.  I was not impressed by this dessert - the brownie bits were dry and crumbly, but I have to say the salted caramel was made to perfection.  S ordered the Cheesecake (his favorite dessert) which came with a berry sorbet and peanut butter crunch.  I have to say the cheesecake seemed to be made of goat cheese and cream cheese, rather than cream cheese alone; that taste was certainly distracting and not in a good way.  

All in all the main course was the highlight of the meal.  Not sure that I would run back to 701, but I'm glad I had the opportunity to try the cuisine.  The restaurant group that owns this restaurant owns several other popular D.C. Restaurants (Rasika, Bombay Club, Bibiana, Ardeo + Bardeo, The Oval Room and Nopa).

After lunch was over we walked over to the National Gallery of Art and the Hirshhorn Museum.  That's by far one of the best things about Washington, D.C., you can visit all of the museums and sites for free.  It's great! We took in all of the beautiful sculptures and paintings.  It was a nice way to enjoy a day off from work.  Afterwards we enjoyed coffee at my favorite D.C. coffee shop, Chinatown Coffee Co. and headed home to get ready for what ended up being a long week.

Today I went to brunch with three girlfriends to Nopa Kitchen + Bar.  I had a delicious Bloody Mary (my favorite alcoholic brunch beverage) and a healthy Farro & Black Quinoa Rissoto.  

The quinoa dish had a flourish of sage-pumpkin seed pesto, kabocha squash, baby sweet potatoes, egg 63 and truffle pecorino.  What's egg 63 you ask?  I asked the same thing of the waitress.  Egg 63 is an egg cooked for one hour in 63 degree celsius water.  It was creamy inside and when broken into and stirred into the black quinoa and farro turned the entire dish into a creamy rissoto flavor.  This sounds like how I described my Creamy Lemon Orzo dish from last week! It's surprising how flavors work, and how a little thing like a poached egg can change a dish's texture and flavor.

After brunch I headed with a law school friend of mine, R, over to an articles club I just joined.  In lieu of getting through an entire book, one member hosts and assigns an article that the group will read and discuss, all over some wine and snacks.  It's a great way to meet new people and to debate, discuss and learn others opinions.  It was a generally fun and relaxing evening.  This idea came from a blog post on A Cup of Jo. The article we discussed for this month's club gathering, if anyone's curious was How To Be Polite.  Let me know what you think of it!

This week for dinner I made Steamed Fish and Easy Curried Lentils with Kale for dinner.
To make the fish I simply took cod filets and placed them on top of sliced red tomatoes all atop a sheet of foil.  Sprinkle a tablespoon of chardonnay or any white wine you may have around the house and seal the whole foil packet.  Let bake on a baking sheet for 30 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.  Then open the packet and top the fish filets with a layer of panko breadcrumbs, then turn the oven to broil and cook for another ten minutes.  It's a simple and easy dish to make when you're loking for a quick dinner on the lighter side.

I served the fish with a side of curried lentils.  The lentils were quick and easy, and supery spicy, so feel free to ease up on how much garam masala and chili powder you use in your version.  Since the fish had a clean mild flavor, I thought I would spicen things up with a stronger lentil flavor.

Easy Curried Lentils with Kale

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of red lentils
• 2 cups of water
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1/2 tsp ginger, grated
• 2 tbsp coconut oil
• 2 tsp garam masala
• 1 tsp red chili powder
• 2 tbsps tomato paste
• 2 cups chopped kale
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In a medium pan add the oil and onions.  Turn the heat to medium high and fry until the onion softends.  Add the garlic, ginger, garam masala and red chili powder and mix together.  Make sure the mixture is blended, only heat through for about 10 seconds.
2. Then add the lentils and stir together.  Then add the water and bring to a simmer.
3. Let the lentils cook for 20-30 minutes.  Add water as it evaporates.  You can have it more watery or thicker to your taste.  Once the water has mainly all evaporated, add the tomato paste and raw kale (or spinach).  
4. Stir thoroughly, the heat from the lentils will cook the greens through.  Add salt and pepper to taste.  Turn the heat off and serve.  You can also eat this dish with naan or rice.

#298 Keema Lamb Curry, By: V

Americans have meatloaf and Indians have keema curry.  Haha that sounds like an odd comparison, but let me explain the connection.  Well, the connection is in the meat!  Ground meat forms the foundation of both cost-saving and time-saving dishes.

Keema curry is an Indian dish that is based off ground meat of your choosing, lamb and beef are the two most common, but healthier alternatives with ground turkey or chicken can be made as well.  Traditional keema has a bit of coconut milk in it, which tempers the spiciness of the dish.  The traditional version also has more curry (or gravy), but since I wanted to eat this with roti, I figured making it a little more dry would be a good idea.  I also made another non-traditional move by adding a bit of lemon zest at the end to brighten up the flavor, and I because I basically love citrus flavors in most dishes.

Growing up my mom made keema quite a bit.  While I haven't had it in some time, I had such a craving for it last week, so I set out to make it myself.  I paired it with a quick okra fry, so at least I could check off 'veggies' on my dinner menu, along with roti and plain yogurt.  A delicious and surprisingly easy meal for a weeknight.

On a side note, this week happens to be my mom's birthday AND Diwali, or Deepavali as we Malayalis like to call it.  So, an early HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my mom.  Her birthday is October 22, but yesterday we went to Bonefish Grill for an early birthday lunch.  When I asked her what she was in the mood for, she quickly said 'SEAFOOD!.'  I guess having just returned from visiting N in San Francisco, she had fish on the brain!  I'd also like to say an early HAPPY DEEPAVALI for everyone celebrating this Thursday, October 23.  It seems the holiday season has already begun!

Our waitress even personalized the complimentary piece of delicious coconut pie! :) 

Lamb Keema - Serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS:
2 tsps coconut oil

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

1/2 tsp grated ginger
1/2 tsp chopped garlic

1/2 red onion, chopped
1 tomato, diced
1 1/4 lbs ground lamb

4 tbsps garam masala

1/2 tbsp red chili powder
1 cup water

1/2 tsp lemon zest

DIRECTIONS:

1. In a hot pan melt the coconut oil.  Lower the heat to medium and quickly add the cumin seeds, crushed red pepper, ginger and garlic.  This will all start spluttering, so be careful! Let it pop for about 30 seconds.  
2. Add in the tomatoes and red onion.  Let this cook down until the onions are translucent.  
3. Add the ground lamb and cook for about 5 minutes. 
4. Then add the garam masala and red chili powder.  Stir so the spices coat the lamb.  Then add the water. 
5. Let this simmer for about 20 minutes.  If you want more curry/gravy keep it covered.  If you'd rather have it more dry then keep uncovered.  
6. Take the curry off the heat and add the lemon zest.  Stir thoroughly.  

#296 Turkey Kabobs (By: V)

Every so often I head to a local kabob restaurant for lamb or chicken kabobs.  Ravi Kabob is one of my favorites.  N introduced me to Ravi Kabob's chicken and fish kabobs, and I've been hooked ever since.

Kabobs are fairly easy to make.  Using a dry spice rub and a stove top or oven to cook them, they are one of those easy flavorful items that can be transformed into protein for a hearty salad or a pita sandwich.  This recipe pairs well with a lightly dressed salad or rosemary garlic roasted potatoes.  This time around I made the kabobs with a side of long grain brown rice filled with peas, carrots and broccoli.

The recipe can be modified to use ground beef or lamb, as you desire.  Regardless of the type of meat you choose to use, this kabob recipe is layered with flavor.  I use the word 'layered' because of the variety of flavors in this recipe.  The lemon zest has oils that diffuse the sharp spicy flavor that garam masala brings with it.  If you don't have a lemon try adding a capful of red wine or regular vinegar, or even a tablespoon of ketchup to get a similar counter balance to the heavy spicy flavor of garam masala.  Don't worry you'll still get all the spicy goodness, I wouldn't want to take that away!

After I made the kabobs I thought of variations to the recipe that would add elements of flavor.  These might be worth a try:  add 1 teaspoon of orange zest or 2 chopped green chilis or chopped green or black olives.  If you decide to use green olives, cut back on the salt as green olives tend to be saltier in flavor than black olives.  As you can see, the recipe below is just the foundation for what can become a variety of delicious kabob recipes.

Turkey Kabobs - Serves 2 to 3, Makes 6 to 7 kabobs
1 lb of ground turkey
2 tbsps grated ginger
3 tbsps garam masala
2 tbsps Mexican spice mix (or cumin)
1 tbsp red chili powder
1 tsp lemon zest
2 tsps lemon juice
1/2 a chopped red onion
1 tbsp crushed garlic
salt & pepper to taste
1 tbsp coconut oil

In a large bowl place the ground turkey.  Chop half a red onion and add this to the bowl.  Then add the ginger, garam masala, Mexican spice mix, red chili powder, lemon zest, lemon juice and garlic to the bowl.  Add salt and pepper as you see fit.  I would say 1/2 tbsp of salt and a dash of pepper.

Once the mixture is fully incorporated start turning them into patties.  Place the coconut oil in a skillet and let it melt down.  Once fully melted add the patties.  The entire mixture of ground turkey should make about 6 to 7 patties.  Cook these in two batches on high heat.  Place on one side for 1 minute and flip over to the other side for 1 minute.  Cover the skillet with a lid to allow the kabobs to cook through, about 3 minutes.  They should be ready to eat, but check the middle to make sure there's no pink!

#270 Nationally Famous Murg Makhani /Butter Chicken

My North Indian rotation of side dishes has been pushed aside for a while and it's time to make my version of this silky gravy with chunks of tandoori-style baked chicken for my daughters. What is Murg Makhni and why is it Nationally famous? Murg means chicken and Makhan is butter in Hindi- and I don't know any non-vegetarians who dislike either chicken or butter!! Do you see why this fabulous combination can spruce up your taste buds sending a tingling sensation to your tummy? It's nationally famous for the rich gravy with masala and the lovely aroma in all Indian cooking...butter or pure ghee.

Well lets see what it's all about-- Butter Chicken is a curry with a velvety smooth red gravy enhanced by creamy tomato paste and cream, and above all the spices used are unlike any other Chicken curry. Not everybody loves the curry because of a distinctive sweet touch to the gravy. Although double cooked  the chicken floats in the rich gravy and keeps moist and flavorful so dipping in with some Naan bread will just about satisfy your curry temptations. Unfortunately, R my husband does not include Butter Chicken in his list of favorite curries. He prefers the Chicken Chettinad the spicier kind.



Ingredients:
Boneless skinless chicken- 1 lb (thighs or breast can be used)
Melted Butter-1 Tablespoon
Garam Masala( can substitute Tandoori paste)- 1 Tbslpn
Yogurt-1 Tablespoon
Chili powder- 1 tspn
salt, lemon juice
ginger paste- 1tspn
garlic paste- 1/2 tspn

Gravy:
Onions chopped fine- 1 Tablespoon
Ginger paste-1 Tablespoon
garlic- 1/2 tspn
Clove powder-1/4 tspn
Cinnamon powder- 1/4 tspn
Tomato Paste- 3 Tablespoon
Butter- 2-3 Tablespoons
Heavy Cream- 1 Pint
Salt to taste
Water- 1/2 cup
Kashmiri Chili powder- 1 Tablespoon

Directions:
1. Wash, clean and dry chicken pieces with paper towel.
2. Mix together the first set of ingredients and rub all over the chicken. Marinate for 4 hrs.
3. Pre-heat oven to broil and roast until the chicken is lightly browned. (Alternate way is to grill chicken).
4. Remove, cool and shred the chicken. Keep aside.
5. For the gravy, place a deep skillet over a medium fire, add butter and when it melts add the
onions, saute until golden. Then add tomato, ginger, garlic and saute gently until the
oil seperates out but be careful not to burn or allow the tomato to lose its red color. It should not turn brown.
6. Before the tomato paste turns brown, add Kashmiri chili powder and salt to taste.
7. Add enough water and stir to form smooth paste add more water if needed (1/4 cup).
8. Add the rest of the powders, salt and the shredded chicken and let it come to a boil.
9. Turn off the stove add the cream immediately stirring while you add it to prevent it from
splitting.
10. Remove from heat and serve with hot rotis, pulao or tandoori naan!

# 269 Handvo -a Steamed, Savory Veggie Lentil Cake

Happy St Patrick's day to all my Irish friends! Let's go green today--- Oh no, I'm not talking about the environment, or shamrocks (3 leaf clovers) that drive away evil spirits, I meant green food. On this day of the festival of Patrick I'm re-creating a green recipe from Tarla Dalal and her delicious collection of veggie recipes. The Irish celebration is not in any way related to Tarla Dalal- but it's time for my pure-vegetarian spin and so I'm out to get my fill of healthy veggies today. I remembered that she always has a variety of savory and satisfying veggie tidbits from the state of Gujarat and  that's what led me to this green snack!

Handvo is usually made of pulses, wheat, rice, yogurt, oil, sugar, baking powder, cilantro, ginger and green chillies. There are so many variations and the little cakes may be served with cilantro/mint chutney or eaten just plain since they are loaded with nutrition and flavor. I happened to taste Handvo for the first time a few months back, and to me it was yet another version of Dhokla only it had a lot more veggies and is loaded with protein, so I'm making my version of  Ms Dalal's Moong Handvo. What  caught my eye was that this Handvo could be baked in the oven.  I always thought it was steamed but this turned out to be awesome!!!

For the handvo
1 cup moong dal (split green gram)
2 1/4 cups finely chopped spinach (palak)
2 tbsp yoghurt
1 tsp level soda-bi-carb
3 tbsp chopped coriander (dhania)
8 to 10 green chillies, chopped
ginger chopped-1/2 tspn
1/2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tspn asafoetida (hing)
2 tbsp oil
salt to taste


For the tempering
1 tsp mustard seeds
1small onion, chopped
1 tsp sesame seeds (til)
1-2 Tablespoon grated coconut
a pinch asafoetida (hing)

Method
1.Soak the moong dal overnight or at least for 5 hours.
2.Grind into a coarse paste.
3.Add the spinach, yoghurt, soda bi-carb, coriander, green chillies, lemon juice, asafoetida and salt.
4.For the tempering, heat the oil and fry the mustard seeds until they crackle. Add the onion, sesame seeds,coconut and asafoetida. Mix into the moong dal mixture or keep aside and spread half the mixture over the Handvo after baking.
5.Spread the mixture in a well greased baking tray.
6.Bake in a hot oven at 400 degree F for 20 minutes or until golden brown in colour.

#266 Bombay Toast

I'm sure you've all heard about French Toast --a soft and sweet breakfast food that is absolutely buttery moist with a crispy skin. Who doesn't like French toast with some Maple syrup poured all over? This toast is equally good and has a different flavor in the egg mixture used to drown the soft slices of bread. Did I throw you 'off-track' with the recipe? It is not a new recipe of any sort, instead it's one of the simplest  savory versions of the French Toast. One very common in most households in Maharashtra... and so the name "Bombay Toast" and I can eat this at any time of the day. For one, the savory onions, ginger and cilantro have such a lovely aroma together, and while you toast the bread in the butter its a whole breakfast that tastes of an omelette ...Mmmmmm love it!!!

Ingredients:
Eggs-4
Shallots chopped fine- 1/4 cup
Cilantro chopped fine- 1/4 cup
Green chili chopped fine- 1 Tspn
Ginger chopped fine- 1/2 tspn
Pepper and salt to taste.
White Bread -4 slices
Butter for pan roasting.

Directions:
1. Break the eggs into a shallow bowl. Add salt and pepper and beat well with eggbeater.
2. Add a Tablespoon of water and mix well.
3. Add all the ingredients except for bread and butter to the egg mixture, beat well until fluffy.
4. Place  skillet over a medium to low fire and add small dabs of butter.
5. When butter just melts, dip each slice of bread gently in the egg mixture coating all sides of the bread distributing the onions, cilantro all over evenly.
6. Gently place the soaked bread onto the skillet add a few more dabs of butter around and over the slices.
7. Toast until the egg is cooked and bread is lightly browned. Turn over and let cook in the same way on both sides. Remove and serve with ketchup.

#265 Greens and the Chopped Challenge !!

The Chopped Season 12 episode 3 on FoodNetwork was one of great interest to me. For those of you who have not watched it, Chopped is a competitive cooking challenge and all about presentation, taste and creativity. The expertise of a chef is determined by how an ingredient is prepared and not whether he/she knows enough about it's background.  Fatima Ali who was once eliminated from Chopped, took upon the challenge once again and this time she won! Congratulations and Hats-off to her for winning despite the fact that she had never tasted Olive loaf (being made out of pork she could not even taste it for religious reasons). However, she crisped it up and made it into bacon cubes and it was ultimately the perfect technique which got her points towards her topping the competition!

While the secret ingredients for the entree round in this episode, offered duck breast, red malabar spinach, cherry cola, and olive loaf, another contestant was completely thrown off by Malabar spinach. He was in fact asking himself what "Malabar" meant... was it some kind of "Bar"? This is the trickiest part of the Chopped competition. To be able to utilize surprisingly strange ingredients, to plan within seconds and come up with a delicious and beautifully served meal in 30 minutes is no joke!!  It may not have occurred to him in that nervous moment, that they're greens adaptable in many ways whether it is spinach or bok choy or Malabar spinach. What makes the show so challenging is the fact that in a short time these chefs are required to create a dish and be absolutely perfect to get to the top!

Although to a much smaller extent,  sometimes we all face a similar situation in our own kitchens too, don't we? Just like the "Chopped" show, we find a few ingredients in the fridge at the end of the week and look in the pantry for others that we try to combine to suit our taste buds and come up with an edible dinner. I do feel lucky that the end product doesn't matter since I'm not being judged in any way.....or am I?

Like last night for example I peek in my fridge and think --What can I do with a few random Bok Choy bunches that never made it to the Chinese soup I intended to make this week? Did a can of Black beans and a cup of Besan/Chickpea flour in the pantry catch my eye? Is it just me or has anyone else been in a similar situation at some point and time?  The family has voted for an Indian meal tonight so it will be tough.
Anyhow, let's see if I'll be Chopped by the toughest judges-----my family?

Bok Choy Zhunka

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Besan/Chickpea flour
1 cup buttermilk
1 Tblspn ghee
1.2 cup thinly sliced Onion
1 green chilli minced
3 garlic minced
1 Tspn grated ginger
1 cup cilantro chopped
1/2 cup mint chopped
3 medium sized Baby Bok Choy
1/2 tspn haldi/turmeric
1-2 tspn lemon juice
Seasoning: 1/2 tspn mustard seeds, 1/2 tspn cumin seeds, a pinch of hing (Asafoetida)
1 red chilli.
Olive Oil and salt to taste

Directions:
1. Roast the Beasn until it heats through well and gets a nice aroma. remove and cool.
2. Mix together buttermilk with just enough water, Besan and 1/2 tspn salt to make a smooth mixture without any lumps.
3. Heat the ghee in a non-stick pan, add mustard seeds, red chilli,cumin seeds, a pinch of Hing.
4. When the mustard splutters add the onions, green chilli, garlic and ginger and saute until the onion is light brown or reddish.
5. Add turmeric, chopped Bok Choy and stir until is wilts. Add salt to season and then toss in the cilantro and mint.
6. Right after that add the Besan-buttermilk mixture and turn the stove down a bit, simmer stirring well until the raw smell is gone and the zhunka thicken well keep seasoning to taste with salt and pepper(if needed). It will get thicker as it cools so remove the mixture from fire when it has reached a semi- thick state.
7. Add more water if it is too thick before removing from fire and then add 1-2 tspn of lemon juice stir well and serve.

Three Bean Dal Makhani

Ingredients:

1 cup channa dal
1 cup moong dal
1 can black beans (15 oz can drained)
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 tomato chopped
garlic/ginger paste- 1 Tblspn
Ghee- 2Tbslpn
Coconut Milk- 1/2 cup thick milk
Cilantro chopped
1/4 tspn Asafoetida/Hing
Cumin seeds- 1/2 tspn
1/2 teaspoon halid /turmeric powder
4 green chillies

Directions:
1. Place a pressure cooker pan(without the pressure seal). Heat ghee and add cumin seeds.
2. Add onions, tomato, asoafoetida, green chillies, turmeric, salt and ginger-garlic paste,
3. Saute for a minute add channa dal, moong dal and 1 cup water. When the mixture comes to a boil, cover with pressure, seal and cook for a whistle or two and remove from fire.
4. Take the lid off of the pressure cooker. add cilantro. drained black beans and enough salt and water.
5. Boil the dal until the mixture has absorbed the flavors for a minute or two and remove from fire.
6. Quickly add coconut milk and stire well. serve with rotis and rice.

Sometimes the challenge opens up a whole new world of cuisine and you find new dishes with unfamiliar ingredients that you would otherwise never deem compatible!!

#263 Super Bowl Sunday..and a must-have street snack from Western India- Bhelpuri

Super Bowl Sunday is here again and New Orleans will host its 10th Super Bowl today. I'm making a snack as we watch the Baltimore Ravens play the 49 ers taking you all the way to Bombay for Super Bowl Bhel!!!

One of the tastiest street foods I associate with the beaches in Mumbai(Chowpatti) is the Bhelpuri but I've also had the pleasure of snacking on this food while I was in Pune. The Bhelpuri is from the "Chaat" family which in turn is a salty-spicy crunchy mix sold on carts throughout India served up in a newspaper sheet folded in the form of a cone and eaten with a spoon. Although it is a simple indulgent snack there are innumerable variations of Bhelpuri some of which are unaccounted for, but the most common one always starts with puffed rice and sev,  and then you add layers and layers of different ingredients as you go  with chutneys or masalas.

Normally there is either potatoes or chick peas but my version does not include the starchiness of potatoes or chaat masala(lets leave the masalas in curries). I've even made a version with potato chips which is awesome. Let me mention that this is also not a typically healthy snack. Although it looks like a semi-salad, most of the store-brought ingredients are deep fried snacks.

Servings: 3
Prep Time: 10 mins
Cook Time: 10 mins

3 cups puffed rice
1 cup of sev(vermicilli like fried strips of flavored chick pea flour)
1 cup of papdi and peanuts (may substitute with a spicy Indian mixture)
Indian Mixture is a mixture of fried snacks mostly made of chick pea flour
you may even find potato sticks, chick peas, peanuts, raisins, curry leaves in some mixtures.
1 onion chopped fine
1 tomato-chopped
1 green chili chopped fine
Date-tamarind chutney to taste
Mint-Cilantro chutney to taste
2 Teaspoons yogurt
1/2 cup cilantro chopped

Directions:
1. If you decide to make the date/tamarind chutney or mint chutney it may take at least 20 mins.
2. For a green chutney grind together mint, cilantro, garlic and green chillies with salt and lemon juice to taste.
3. For a sweet chutney cook and puree dates, add chili, salt and dried ginger add a little tamarind and mix.
4. I've taken short cuts to use storebought mint chutney. add a few tspns of yogurt to the mint chutney and lime juice
to freshen it up.
5. Mix together the dry ingredients and toss with cilantro.
6. When ready to eat, mix in the onions, tomatoes, green chili and the two chutneys to taste.
Add the rest of the ingredients and toss to incorporate the dry ingredients with the wet ones.
7. Serve topped with additional chutneys, yogurt, cilantro and sprinkle with additional chili powder for a spicy kick.

#260 Veggie Samosas on the Run

I may have to run a few extra miles on the treadmill next week after all the rich food I've enjoyed during the 2012 Holidays. However hard I try to avoid high-caloric meals, it seems like I can never get away from them and there's no accountability for my New Year's resolutions either!! Did you know that at least 50% of adults make resolutions at New Years and almost 50% of those resolutions are broken in the next six months? Of course that's no excuse for breaking mine but perhaps I would be better off developing well-informed and healthy eating habits instead of making diet resolutions. LOL!!

Today I had a short cooking session for V's friend 'K' from Oregon and I shared a few of my favorite Indian recipes with her. The session ended with dinner but I took this as a reason to fry up a traditional Indian snack- samosas. Quick and easy veggie stuffed pastries fried until crisp and crunchy.

Ingredients:
For the filling-
Russet Potato-1
Carrot-1/2 large
Frozen Green peas-1/4 cup
Cauliflower florets- 1/4 cup
Onion chopped- 1/4 spanish onion
garam masala- 1/2 tspn
amchur(dried mango powder)-1/8 tspn
ginger paste- 1/8 tspn
chili powder- 1 pinch
A combination of coriander seeds, cumin seeds for light tempering.
Salt and Olive oil as needed.
Corn Oil for deep frying.
Cilantro chopped 1 tspn
For the dough-
All-purpose flour- 1 1/2 cups
Butter- 1/4 cup
Water- 1/2 to 1 cup (or just enough to form a soft dough)
salt and 1/2 tspn cumin seeds

Method:
1. Make a smooth, pliable but firm dough with the ingredients for the dough. Keep aside.
2. Cook the potato in microwave and cool. Remove skin and cool.
3. Heat oil add the seeds and then saute onions, chopped cauliflower and carrots well until cooked through,add green peas.
4. Add ginger, garam masala, amchur,chili and salt and mix until the mixture is dry.
5. add potatoes and mash well with cilanto.
6. Make lime-sized balls from the dough and roll out as thin as possible using a rolling pin and additional flour.
7. Form a circle with each ball and then cut into half each of these.
8. Take a spoonful of potato mixture and place at the center of each semi-cirle. Fold the two ends of the semi-circle
flap over each other close enough to cover the potato mixture well and none of it is exposed.
9. The end product should look like a stand-up small pyramid. Pinch well to seal.
10. Heat about 2 cups of corn oil in a wok. When the oil is hot, slowly lower each pyramid into it.
11. Turn using a metal spatula very gently and brown all sides lightly. Remove and serve.

#244 Happy Diwali with Mango Badam Peda

It's the festival of lights again this year and I'm welcoming Diwali with a sweet for goddess Laxshmi. Happy Diwali!!

By now you probably have an idea of how food and drink are such an integral part of every Indian festival, whether it is tradition or a religious celebration. Once again we make the most luxurious snacks for special ocassions. Pedas are generally made of milk fat and sugar as a special delicacy. 

The juice of a perfectly ripe mango gives this peda just enough fruitiness to add a slight hint of mango in the back of your tongue just as you take the first nutty bite into one of these. Isn't it amazing how a small touch or change in flavor can take an original recipe over the top and give it a creative taste? Try this one and you will agree with me!

Ingredients:
1 cup whole almonds
1 ripe mango
1 cup whole milk
1/4 tsp cardamom powder
1/2 can sweetened condensed milk
1 Tblspn sugar
1/4 ghee


Preparation:
1.    Soak the Almonds in 1 cup milk overnight.
2.    Peel the skins off (they come off easily) or use slivered almonds instead
3.    Grind the almonds to a puree/paste using a bit of the milk(use the milk sparingly-just enough to grind the almonds).
4.    Skin and chop mango , blend and strain the puree out,(instead you may use fresh mango puree equal to the puree of one mango.)
5.    Grease a small plate with ghee/clarified butter.
6.    Add both mango and almond puree into a thick bottomed pan over
A medium fire.
7.    Add the condensed milk and sugar and stir well until the mixture comes together and the sugar melts.
8.    Once the mixture becomes a solid mass, add the cardamom and mix well together.
9.    Slowly incorporate the ghee little at a time mixing and stirring until  all the ghee is used up and once the mixture starts getting a shine the ghee slowly starts to separate out. Remove from fire.
10.  Let the mixture cool until just warm enough to roll into cherry sized balls, press with a finger to form an indentation Sprinkle with slivered almonds and serve.

#243 Patak's Butter Tofu with Okra

There's butter chicken and then there's butter paneer but have you heard of Butter Tofu? Most people think Tofu is an alternative for cheese or dairy but there's no harm in combining the two and this time with Patak's Curry Paste. What's surprising is that there is a Patak's Curry Club on Facebook with tons of excellent recipes.  With a handy collection of Tikka Masala paste, Mild and Hot Curry paste, Tandoori and Biryani paste from Patak's,  you could simply saute meat, veggies or tofu and simmer in your favorite sauce for an instant flavorful side dish.
It's curry time and the heat is on...........Tofu and Okra simmered slowly in Hot Curry paste from Patak.

Ingredients:
Organic pressed tofu cutlets- 6 ounces
Okra cut into 1 inch peices- 6 ounces
Patak's Curry paste-3 Tblspns
Onion-1 chopped
Tomatoes- 2 chopped
Cilantro-1/2 cup chopped
Butter- 1 Tblspn
Cream- 1/2 cup
Olive oil, Salt and pepper to taste.

Method:
1. Cut the Tofu cutlets into bite size pieces.
2. Saute onions in olive oil until they are almost light golden in color. Add okra and saute until the okra is dry and does not emulate the stickiness.
3. Add the tomatoes and cilantro and saute  until smooth.
4. Add the Patak's paste and then the tofu, add 1/4 cup of water, salt, pepper and cook until the tofu absorbs the spices. Now add butter and stir well.
5. Turn off the stove and add cream. serve hot with rotis.

#233 Red Kidney Beans in Onion Gravy/Rajma

R and I are both recovering from a flu. No matter how dreadful I feel, my resilience is normally instantaneous. Being in the midst of people everyday, we are all prone to infections but most often I eat my way back to health...funny isn't it? Moreover, I feel a bit guilty since I caught something from work and shared it with my husband 'R'.

The last of this season- a night bloom from my deck

Is it so unfathomable that some foods can be healing for certain maladies? The truth is that I understand how my body reacts to certain foods and I've felt so much better after cooling with special spices known for their curing properties. To name a few -- ginger, turmeric, fenugreek, black pepper, garlic, lemon and honey. R may not completely agree with me. Although he believed it was more of  a 'myth', recently he is convinced that maybe there is an ounce of truth in the matter. Anyway, we are both bright, shiny and as good as new this week, so it's time to get back into the swing of things and get cooking with  a "grown-up" version of a few of these healing foods.


'Rajma' is the Red Kidney Bean which is a larger relative of the common Mexican red bean found in most American stores. Rajma is the name of this North Indian dish taking after the bean itself. When preparing Rajma, as is the case in most beans the dry version is much tastier than the canned beans. It takes a little extra effort to soak these overnight and then pressure cook them but all worthwhile. The thick, spicy onion gravy reminds us of all the different spices and the slow cooking of 'adraki' North Indian flavors.

Ingredients:
 Dark Red Kidney Beans- 1 1/2 lbs
Onions- 3
Tomatoes-3
Ginger-garlic paste- 2 Tblspns
Garam Masala- 2 tspns
Cumin powder- 1/4 tspn
Coriander powder- 1 Tblspn
Lemon juice- 2 tspn
Fennel seed powder- 1 tspn
cumin seeds- 1/4 tspn
Green chillies
Cilantro- 1 cup chopped.
Turmeric powder- 1/2 tspn
Salt and Olive oil to taste

Method:
1. Soak the Red kidney beans overnight with a pinch of baking soda. The next day rinse out the beans add turmeric, slit green chillies and cook in a pressure cooker until cooked. Maybe for one whistle. Remove and cool.
2. In a blender grind together onion, tomatoes and ginger paste.
3. Take a deep pan place over the fire and add oil. Splutter the cumin seeds and add the onion paste
and saute over low fire until the paste turns a deep brown color.
4. Slowly add the red kidney beans, garam masala, coriander, fennel seed and cumin powder cook until gravy thickens and the beans have absorbed the flavors. About 5-7 mins. Mash gently a few beans.
5. Remove from fire and serve garnished with cilantro. Best served with a sliced tomato, onion and cucumber salad along with steamed rice and a little pickle.

#222 Spiced Spinach and Mustard Green Puree

Saag as it is commonly known is merely a bunch of greens sauteed with spices, onions and tomatoes and then pureed. You either love or hate Saag because of the pureed nature of the dish. I am an ardent lover of all greens and saag is the best way to eat greens -Indian style. A saag may also include potatoes, chickpeas, paneer, chicken or lamb immersed in it but is perfectly paired with warm Naan or rotis. Today, I'm making saag with Fresh Mustard greens and Spinach.

Ingredients:
2 bunches of fresh spinach
1 bunch of Mustard greens
2 Onions chopped very fine
2 tomatoes chopped
1 Tbpsln Ginger paste
1 Tspn Garlic paste
2 green chillies
1/2 tspn Turmeric powder
1 Tblspn of Besan or chick pea flour
Olive oil, salt as needed
Garam masala- 1/2 tspn

Method:
1. Wash, drain and dry the greens. I usually leave them in cold water until the soil settles to the bottom before washing, draining the water and chopping them.
2. Place a wok on a medium fire, add enough olive oil to saute the onions until they are translucent.
3. Slowly add the tomatoes and saute until smooth and thick. Add garlic, ginger and chopped chillies.
4. When all the gravy comes together, add the greens all together wil salt and turmeric powder.
5. Add 1/2 cup water and mix well. Cover and slow cook over low fire until cooked down well.
6. Add the garam masala and besan and simmer until thickened. Turn off the fire and cool.
7. When cool, use a hand blender to puree lightly. At this point you may puree the green very smooth if you prefer. My family likes it a little lumpy so I puree the greens partially.
Serve with fresh homemade Pitas or Naans

#220 Salmon Tikka Masala a twist to a National Dish

The Americans have claimed Apple Pie as their national dish and Paella is the national dish of Spain, what do you think the British have claimed as one of their national dishes? While there are the best tasting custards, Yorshire pudding, fish and chips and the best bangers and mash served up all over the country, does it surprise you if I said that the simple Indian Chicken Tikka Masala became a national dish in the British Isles because it is widely popular in restaurants?

Chicken Tikka Masala originated in the region of Punjab in India, and slowly got around the world. The Punjabis have a unique style of slow cooking so the gravies are absolutely lovely and smooth. One such dish  is the Tikka Masala. I absolutely love gravies and I've used of Salmon instead of Chicken.

Ingredients:
Salmon- 1/2 pound filets cubed.
Spice for rubbing:
1 pinch clove powder
1 pinch cinnamon powder
1 pinch chili and coriander powder
1 pinch turmeric
lemon juice- 1 Tblpsn
salt and pepper to taste
1 Tblspn yogurt
1/2 tspn ginger and garlic paste

Method for grilling:
1. Mix together all the ingredients for spices above and mix well with yogurt.
2. Rub it over the salmon chunks. Marinate for about 5 hrs.
3. Grill or pan fry gently without breaking. Keep aside.

For the Tikka Masala gravy:
2 medium size ripe tomatoes.
First make a small criss-cross on the bottom of each tomato and boil in hot water for about 5 minutes until the skin is ready to peel off. When cool, drain water, remove the skin and beat into a smooth puree. Keep aside.
1 Onion chopped fine
1 tspn garlic paste
1 tspn ginger paste
1 Tbslpn Sriracha
2 Tblspn Tomato Sauce
1 Tblspn Butter
1/4 tspn garam masala
1 cup heavy cream
salt to taste
red color  and chopped mint(optional)

Method:
1. Saute the onions in the butter until they have turned to a light brown color. Add the garlic and ginger paste and saute until the raw smell is completely cooked down.
2. Add the Tomato puree, tomato sauce, garam masala and salt and cook until the gravy is thick.
3. Gently add the grilled salmon chunks and finally turn off the fire.
4. While warm, add the heavy cream and chopped mint if necessary.

#191 Oscar Weekend with a friend's Fish Corn and Spinach Saag

It was pretty interesting to watch the Academy Awards this Sunday. I felt the best dressed was surely Cameron Diaz in Gucci !!What do you think?   The unreasonably good weather in Washington DC was just perfect this weekend. What's not to like about perfect weather at this time of year? Although on Saturday Mother Nature played a few games in our area which some of you early risers may have experienced. It was a phenomenon(no UFO sightings) of sorts.  I woke up a bit early and tested the air outside to go for a walk.  It was very cold at dawn so I stayed indoors.  The Hazelnut coffee that my husband-R brewed, wafted out to me and I had to get a large cuppa and settle down by the window.  As I was sipping the hot coffee, a light shower of snow pellets started falling from the sky, they were coming down real fast too. A little later, it stopped and turned into a soft shower and a layer of snow covered the grass.  An hour later the sky opened up and the sun was shining down upon us and all  this was happening so fast.  R had to meet with a client which meant a lunch meeting.  I was sending him off with a bagel and cream cheese when I noticed the winds getting stronger and wind chills were rising to create a wintry atmosphere.  So that's when I  made up my mind to stay at home and catch up on pending chores.

I jotted down four assignments on my 'to-do' list today. Even though it's a bit early for spring-cleaning, a few boxed mixes and cans have passed their 'used best before' dates and were waiting in my pantry to be discarded, my old cook-books needed dusting and cleaning from my cabinets(any excuse to flip through meaningful old recipes to read) and last but not least- pack up un-used clothes for the Salvation Army.  Who knows if I am good, I would like to catch up on long due phone calls to my best buddies!!  I will confess that I am a procrastinator and for those of you who know me well enough, you'll agree that once I'm on the phone I may end up on the couch for a nap, munch on a few snacks and that may be the end of my 'to-do' list!!LOL! While at it, I'm making dinner too and that too a side dish from one of my favorite blogs.

A few days back I was reading an interesting post on 'Only Fish Recipes' by Sonali Pradhan. Her incredibly delicious seafood dishes are so innovative, they've inspired me to return everytime she comes up with something new.  I've always wanted to try some of them in my own kitchen, but as I mentioned earlier, I have not got down to it yet. So today I am proud to say that the time has come. The time to stop putting things for later, the time to get down to cooking a nice dish from Sonali's kitchen and also catching up on my chores. So I set up my Laptop on the kitchen counter looking for ingredients at hand and recipes that I could cook from..  While doing so it may give me time to clean up my pantry too! That sounds like a plan, right?

Sonali's 'Fish Corn-Palak'  grabbed my attention this time. The full flavors of an unusual saag(mashed spinach/palak curry) with a beautiful spinach sauce and fried salmon immersed in the saag. I could not resist the temptation to eat something so delectable and healthy! Fortunately I had spinach, frozen corn and some Tilapia filets in the fridge which was sufficient to satisfy that temptation. It turned out so delicious you've got to try it out to know what I mean!! Here's the link to Sonali's recipe with detailed instructions on how to make it....
http://onlyfishrecipes.blogspot.com/2012/02/fish-corn-palak.html?utm_source=BP_recent#axzz1mwmLHeS3

Thanks dear Sonali :0) I was able to get to most of the chores---mmmm all except for packing clothes for the Salvation Army!!

#189 Gold Fish, Lemon rice and Bottle Gourd Kofta Curry

I am sharing our dinner from last night with you today. It wasn't planned .........I started out making a lauki kofta curry and the meal grew into a simple lemon rice with raita since I had some extra time. We washed it down with a tall glass of sweet, salty lassi(yogurt drink) and that ended our perfect weekday dinner.  The plain bottlegourd or lauki is a staple vegetable that you are sure to find in my fridge quite often. I've mentioned this vegetable in an earlier post Bottle Gourd Curry so read on for all its benefits.  Most often, children flee from it because of its bland taste and some adults too. A kofta/ball curry such as this one is usually deep fried and immersed in a tomato-onion-spice sauce which adds so much flavor to the vegetable.  The spicy sauce is then balanced out with a cool 'raita' - a boondi raita comes to mind!!

Boondi- the basic boondi is made with a thin batter of gram flour. The batter is passed though a seive with medium holes right into hot oil, fried and drained well. The evenly shaped globules of fried batter are called boondi. The crispy little droplets drown themselves in a mixture of yogurt, cilantro, chilli, sugar, salt and chaat masala to suit your taste, and it all pulls together as a boondi raita.  I didn't have the patience to make boondi today, and I didn't have any storebought ones handy so I came up with an alternative for the traditional boondi - Gold Fish crackers!! Who said boondi was unhealthy? Why are Koftas deep fried? Although I avoided deep frying of any kind today, the koftas and raita turned out as authentic as ever with no compromise on taste!



Lemon rice, Lauki koftas and Gold fish in a pre-prepared yogurt sauce spiced with onions, chopped cilantro, chillies and salt.

  How to make the Lauki kofta curry:
Ingredients
Bottle gourd (lauki)  1/2 lb
Gram flour (besan) or tempura flour  1/4 cup
Salt  to taste
Red chilli powder  1/2 tablespoon
A pinch of baking soda
ginger-garlic paste- 1/4 tspn
Oil  to fry using a paniyaram pan
 For gravy  
Tomatoes  2 medium
Onions  2 medium
Ginger,2 inch piece
Garlic  6-8 cloves
Red Chilli powder- 1 tspn
Turmeric powder  1/2 teaspoon
Coriander powder  2 tablespoons
Cumin powder  1 teaspoon
Garam masala powder  1/2 teaspoon
Salt  to taste
Fresh coriander leaves  a few sprigs
Oil  4 tablespoons

Directions:
1. Peel the lauki if you wish, I usually use the peel because most of the nutrition is in the peel.
2. Now, rinse in water and then grate it and steam lightly in microwave for about 2 mins.
3. Let this cool down before squeezing out all the water(save this for gravy). Add salt, ginger-garlic paste, red chilli,baking soda, gram flour and mix well together to combine.
4. Make even sized balls from this using water to wet the palms of your hand to prevent sticking of the gram flour.
5. Heat the Unniappam (or Aebleskiver) pan and grease each little depression.
6. add the balls and toast/cook evenly on all sides until the batter is cooked on the inside. Remove and cool.

7. For the gravy, place a pan on the fire and saute chopped onions in a little oil until well browned,
add chopped tomatoes, followed by the garlic ginger, turmeric, coriander and cumin powders and when the
tomatoes have softened remove and cool.
8. Grind the mixture from step #7 into a smooth gravy set aside.
9. Heat the same pan from step #7 and add the gravy along with salt, allow to cook with 1/2 cup water until
any remaining raw taste of onions and tomatoes is cooked down, add the juices from the grated gourd and cook until the gravy is fairly thick.
10. Finally, place the koftas in a serving bowl, pour the gravy over it, garnish with finely chopped cilantro
leaves and serve.

#176 Happy New Year 2012 with Bohri Samosas and Blissini

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012 !!!
There's so much pressure on enjoying New Year's Eve, making strict resolutions to better our lives in the brand new year ahead when there are so many resolutions to be made!  Over flutes of Champagne I make some resolutions and it ends up that I forget all about it the next day. I don't know about you, but that happens to me very often...LOL
What is your New Year Resolution this year?
It is easy to outsmart the ending of last year and bring in 2012 by forgetting resolutions...so lets loosen up and forget resolutions for now. I am still recovering from bronchitis after my overseas trip so this New Years Eve and 2012 was best celebrated right here at home, watching the ball drop at Time Square and bubbly working well with lighter bites for R and I, my couch, and a cozy pair of warm socks. A few dips, veggies, crusty bruschetta, salsa and samosas later, I made myself a Blissini.....
Samosas...Ahhh the word just brings so much joy to Indians! Samosas can be large or small bundles of  stuffed pastry filled with either potatoes and peas or ground meat of any kind, accompanied by the classic Indian cream tea. An icon for comfort food in India along with Urad Dal vadas and Besan Veggie Pakoras... Yummm

Dinner is usually served a bit late in India, so an evening snack is most welcome, washed down with a cup of fresh brewed hot tea. Although in the West, it is the norm to skip the afternoon snack and go straight for an early dinner, we can always find time to sit back and enjoy these delicious pastries on holidays and weekends. Samosas will never take back stage, so they make their appearances on weekends with a cup of tea.

Traditionally they are made of a spicy filling of potatoes, carrots or peas and onions, filled into cone/pyramid shaped dough made from all purpose flour and fried to perfect crispy bundles. I like this version because it involves phyllo pastry baked to crispy perfection.

Why did I call them Bohri Samosas? Bohras are people from Yemen who later moved to India or Pakistan and moved their cuisine with them. The food has Mughlai, Arabic and Middle Eastern influences and some have taken an Indian twist too.  Today's dish was adapted from what's called 'kheema na samosa' or mince meat samosas by the Bohras.   My vegetarian Samosas are made of Soya Granules and veggies stuffed inside the phyllo pastry.  Then baked to a golden brown triangle encasing the savory, flavorful meat substitute mixture with a layered crispy blanket of flaky pastry. How hard is that? You can hear the crunch as you take a bite into the pastry and bite into the beautiful interior. A burst of flavor, texture and spiciness of the stuffing embedded inside wakes up your tastebuds.

The ingredient today is a Soy derivative introduced in India several years ago. Nutrela Protein Soya Granules by Ruchi is a product widely used to make many meatless meat dishes in households across India.  A high source of protein for vegetarians, it can be purchased in cartons as chunks or granules that closely resemble the Grapenuts cereal found in most US supermarkets.

My mother makes cutlets, kheema and kababs from soy granules and the burgers turn out equally good. I prefer to use Nutrela Granules over ground meat since it has about 52% of protein content, no fat and is loaded with Calcium and I am a huge fan of this product..  I soaked the dry granules in a pan of hot water for 30 minutes and then squeezed out all the water from them. The granules were ready for a quick saute absorbing all the flavors I incorporated into them, and tossing them with mashed sweet potatoes and green peas, now they were pretty much ready to be stuffed.

What you would need to make these tasty packets:
Sweet Potatoes-1 cut up, cooked
Green Peas-1/2 cup
Garam Masala- 11/2 tspns
Cilantro chopped-5
Jeera/cumin seeds./fennel seeds- 1 tspn
Onion-1 large chopped fine
Soy Granules- 1 cup
ginger -garlic paste- 1/2 tspn
Sheets of Phyllo Pastry as needed.  About 12
Keep these covered with a wet towel so that they do not dry out.
Melted Butter
Oil for sauteing
Salt and red chili powder as needed

How to make them:
1. Soak the soya granules in hot water for about 1/2 hour. Squeeze out all the water and drain.
2. Saute the onions in oil after adding the jeera and fennel mixture. When the onions turn light brown add the
 soya granules, green peas and the garam masala. Add ginger-garlic paste, salt, red chilli and mix well

3. Add a little water to bring all the ingredients together and incorporate the bold flavors throughout the stuffing. Add the Cooked sweet potatoes, mix well. Remove from fire and cool.
4. Now remove the sheets of Phyllo gently one by one and apply the melted butter with a brush.
5. Place the next sheet over the first one and brush more melted butter.
6. Repeat for about 3-4 layers and cut them with kitchen shears lengthwise into two or three strips.
7. If you have three strips you will have mini samosas and two will form bigger ones. I have a mixed batch.
8. Place a large spoonful of mixture on to one end of one strip of pastry. Fold over to cover and form a triangle.
9. Fold over into a cone from one end of each strip until the stuffing is completely encased inside the pastry.

10. Heat the oven to about 350 degrees F and bake the little bundles until the shell is a deep brown color.
11. Serve with mint chutney or ketchup

Blissini

Blissini is a pumped up Mimosa with the addition of Pomegranate Juice, and as an Ode to my Space I am celebrating the new year with this Drink. Reminds me of all the rosy sunsets enjoyed the past year and many more joyous ones in the future:)

1 cup Sparkling Wine
1 cup Orange Juice
1 cup Pomegranate Juice
Lime slices for garnish

Method: Combine all three liquids in a shaker, pour into Champagne glasses, garnish with mint or lime slices and serve.