Desipes: A Vegetarian Recipes Blog

Is Emeril's Vegetarian Chili Any Good?

2011-01-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

We attempted to make Emeril Lagasse's Vegetarian Chili last week. The full recipe can be found on The Food Network under the title Vegetarian Chili Recipe:

Ingredients
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped yellow onions
1 cup chopped red bell peppers
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 to 3 serrano peppers, stemmed, seeded, and minced, depending upon taste
1 medium zucchini, stem ends trimmed and cut into small dice
2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
1 1/2 pounds portobello mushrooms (about 5 large), stemmed, wiped clean and cubed
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespooon ground cumin
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
4 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
3 cups cooked black beans, or canned beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
1 cup vegetable stock, or water
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro leaves
Cooked brown rice, accompaniment
Sour cream or strained plain yogurt, garnish
Diced avocado, garnish
Essence, recipe follows, garnish
Chopped green onions, garnish

Directions
In a large, heavy pot, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, and serrano peppers, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 3 minutes. Add the zucchini, corn, and mushrooms, and cook, stirring, until soft and the vegetables give off their liquid and start to brown around the edges, about 6 minutes. Add the chili powder, cumin, salt and cayenne, and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes and stir well. Add the beans, tomato sauce, and vegetable stock, stir well, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 20 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Adjust the seasoning, to taste.

To serve, place 1/4 cup of brown rice in the bottom of each bowl. Ladle the chili into the bowls over the rice. Top each serving with a dollop of sour cream and spoonful of avocado. Sprinkle with Essence and green onions and serve.

So, a few notes about our concoction. First, we could not find any zucchini in our local market, so we substituted in yellow squash. We did find some pepper jack cheese though! Yum! Anyway, we also omitted the garnish. The most important distinction though may have been that we used water instead of vegetable broth.

The recipe estimates prep time of 25 minutes and cook time of 30 minutes, serving 6 to 8. Our experience was more like prep time of an hour, cook time of 30 minutes, and servings of at least 8, but maybe as much as 12 (we're still eating leftovers!). Admittedly, we are slow preppers but there are a lot of individual ingredients to wash, clean, and then chop up so the time adds up quickly. But, there were two of us working on this so you would think it would be faster, right?

After cooking the chili, we dug in. While the chili was highly edible, it was somewhat lacking in that "oomph" punch we were expecting. That may have been our fault in how much we added as far as spices, so perhaps err on the side of more rather than less if you give this a shot. Oh, and I think we definitely should have used vegetable broth. The chili was just too.... soupy for my tastes as I was expecting a thicker product. Oh well, it's still edible which is the very low bar I set for myself, and tasty - I think the main downer is that it wasn't very "chili" like. But hey, it's great as a chunky soup!

Is Cabbage Underappreciated?

2011-01-13T08:08:00.000-08:00

A recent article in the New York Times praises cabbage as the most unappreciated of vegetables, especially in winter. As a longtime anti-Cabbabrigian (neologisms are fun), I was surprised to hear such high praise for such a humble veggie. However, the article does make some intriguing points about this much maligned mushy greenleaf. Read on to learn more:

January 11, 2011: Cabbage’s Sweet Side - By ELAINE LOUIE

Chefs praise cabbage. They embrace its sweetness. They delight in its crunch in raw slaws and its melting smoothness in cold-weather braises.

More often than not, their customers do not share this love.

“I personally love cabbage,” said Floyd Cardoz, who was the executive chef of Tabla in Manhattan until it closed last month. He offered lightly caramelized cabbage wedges that had been spiced with cloves, black mustard seeds, shallots, garlic and ginger. Mr. Cardoz brought out the sweetness of the cabbage, and in the plating of it, its beauty. But few people ordered it.

“They have eaten overcooked cabbage so often, they begin to hate the mushiness and the smell,” he said.

Cabbage is often an unloved, homely vegetable. It’s smelly. It’s cheap. It’s the food of the poor. But those who can get past this initial aversion know it as one of winter’s quiet overachievers.

Right now, when green beans are selling for $4 a pound, and baby spinach for $9 a pound, red and green cabbages from local farms can be had for around 75 to 99 cents a pound. The low price is in part a reflection of cabbage’s longevity. It stays fresh in the refrigerator from two to five weeks, and even longer in farmers’ bins.

For more on the benefits of cabbage, click here to read the rest of the article at NYTimes.com. For a Desipe that involves cabbage, check out the Desipes Tehri recipe, or search any recipe site for 'cabbage.'

Indian-Style Eggplant Dish (Eggplant Sabzi)

2009-09-09T10:19:00.000-07:00

Eggplant is prepared in many ways. It has many names, such as Brinjal, Baingan, Ringna and Waange. Eggplant comes in many varieties, shapes, sizes, and colors. Here I am going to describe how to prepare Japanese eggplant in an Indian style.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

2 Japanese eggplants (about 10 inches long, 1 inch diameter).
1 medium size red tomato
2 tsp Rajah Garam Masala
1/2 tsp asafoetida powder (hing)
2 tsp subrus (haldi-dhania-mirch concoction)
1 tsp mustard seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds (jeera)
1 tsp fenugreek seeds (methi)
2 tbsp vegetable oil
Chopped coriander leaves for garnish

Directions:

Dice eggplant into 1/2 inch thick discs.
Dice tomato into medium size pieces (about 18).
In a 2 quart pan, add oil. Heat on medium heat.
Add mustard seeds. When they begin to make noise, turn off the heat.
Add cumin followed by fenugreek, asafoetida, and subrus.
Add eggplant and toss so as to cover all pieces with oil and spices. Add 2-3 tbsp water. Put on medium heat with cover for 10 minutes.
Add tomato pieces and Rajah Garam Masala. Mix well. Cover and simmer for another 7 minutes.
Add coriander just before serving.

It can be made as a mixed vegetable by adding complementary vegetables such as potato, carrot, peas, or spinach.

Aloo Paratha

2009-08-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Aloo paratha is one variety of Indian flat bread that is quite popular. It is invariably included in most Indian restaurant menus. The recipe below is slightly modified from the traditional aloo paratha recipe.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

2 large potatoes (2 inch diameter, 4-5 inch long Russet potatoes)
2 tsp ginger paste
3 tbsp chopped cilantro
4 tsp subrus
1 tsp hing (asafoetida)
2 tsp aamchur
Salt to taste
2 cup chopped raw spinach
4 cups wheat flour for dough
1/2 cup wheat flour
4 tbsp oil
Oil to shallow fry or Pam Original No Stick Cooking Spray

Directions:

Boil or microwave potatoes to cook them.
Peel the potatoes, then mash them.
Add ginger paste, cilantro, hing, subrus, aamchur and salt.
Mix well. Make 8 balls of potato stuffing
Mix spinach, flour, oil and salt to taste. Make a dough soft to touch but not sticky. Make 8 balls.
Making the paratha ball: In left hand take a dough ball and with right hand thumb and fingers start making a bowl. Put potato stuffing ball on top. At this stage both hands work: the right one pushes the potato ball gently downwards and then the left thumb and fingers gradually cover it by dough. At the end, it looks like a big ball of dough. Pat it and make a patty.
Using rolling pin on a clean surface covered with dry flour, make a circle of about 8 inches diameter. This is a raw paratha.
Frying paratha: If afraid of lifting paratha without breaking by hand, use aluminium foil. Put on non stick gridle at medium hot temperature. Flip it when color darkens. Put some oil and cover whole surface. One can use brush. Alternatively use Pam Original No Stick Cooking Spray. Again flip and cover the surface with oil. In a few minutes, paratha starts showing bumps and developes few brown patches on the bottom surface. Flip the paratha over and cook it until both sides show brown patches.
Put on cooling rack. After cooling briefly, the paratha is ready to serve.

I usually serve it with plain yogurt and mango pickle. Instead of potato stuffing, one can use grated paneer, grated cauliflower, grated raddish/mulee or any other combination to create your own variety of paratha. The only consideration is that the stuffing and dough should have similar dryness and soft texture. You may serve paratha as a full meal and dessert of pie or cake.

If you are interested in seeing high quality images of many Indian dishes, some of which are described on this blog, I strongly recommend browsing Cooking with My Indian Mother-in-Law: Mastering the Art of Authentic Home Cooking

Nankatai

2009-08-15T13:00:00.000-07:00

Nankatai is an Indian style butter biscuit. In winter, we were to enjoy it with hot pakoda or hot samosa. The shortbread cookies Lorna Doone from Nabisco remind me of Nankatai.

Ingredients (For approximately 48 pieces)

4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup Cream Of Wheat
1 and 1/2 cup sugar
1 and 1/2 cup butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp mixed spices
4-5 cardamom pods
12 almonds or 24 pisachio

Directions

Mix sugar and powdered cardamom. Add butter and beat until smooth.
Mix flour and cream of wheat. Add this to butter sugar mix gradually and make a soft dough.
Make small round balls and press them to make thick circle. At the center of each press 1/4 th almond or 1/2 pistachio. Bake on cookie sheet at 350 degree Fahrenheit for 20 minutes or until turns light brown.

The crumbs of Nankatai can be used to make a base for cheese cake.
Looking for more vegetarian dessert ideas? Check out BabyCakes!

Gulab Jamun

2009-08-09T12:30:00.000-07:00

Gulab jamun is a common Indian dessert, made of milk powder, flour, and using rosewater flavoring. The word gulab means rose.

Ingredients (Serves 4 to 8) :
For balls (Jamun)

4 cups milk powder
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda (not baking powder)
2 cups yogurt (Vary according to the firmness of yogurt to get soft dough)
Vegetable shortening or ghee for frying

For Syrup

3 cups sugar
1 and 1/2 cups water
For flavor (a) Rose water 1/4 cup, OR (b) Cardamom powder 1/4 tsp and 1/8 tsp saffron

Directions:

In a bowl, mix the milk powder, flour, and baking soda.
In a cup, beat yogurt to make it uniform.
Add yogurt gradually to the mix and make a dough that should be soft to touch.
Make 1/2 inch diameter balls (use ghee on palm to reduce dough sticking).
In a frying pan with ghee on medium heat, deep fry 4-5 balls at a time till they turn brown. Put balls in strainer to get out the excess ghee.
In a pan, mix sugar and water. Heat until sugar dissolves completely and mixture starts boiling. Turn off heat.
Float the balls in syrup and cover them completely with the syrup.

Several variations are possible. While making the jamun balls, one can put at the center a variety of ingredients such as saffron, nutmeg, cardamom, sugar cube, or pistachios. Or, you can try the jamun-within-jamun approach: mix a small portion of dough with powdered spices of your liking and place this at the center of a larger jamun ball.

Related Posts:

ChocoFrost Chocolate Cake Frosting

2009-07-24T12:18:00.000-07:00

Want something besides vanilla frosting for your cake? Try this chocolate flavored frosting from Denise (1986).

Ingredients

2 tbsp butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla
2-3 tbsp milk
1 cup instant powder milk
For Spicy Flavoring, use 1/2 tsp each of cinnamon, nutmeg or cloves, or 1 tbsp grated orange rind, or cut milk powder to 2/3 cup and add 1/3 cup chocolate powder.

Directions

Mix butter, honey, vanilla in a bowl and beat until light and fluffy.
Add powdered milk, flavoring and milk gradually while mixing well and keeping the preparation light and fluffy.

This amount of icing should cover a 10" diameter cake. Adjust proportionately for different sized cakes.

Puri

2009-07-22T12:55:00.000-07:00

Puri is a deep fried Indian flat bread preparation made of wheat often served on special occassions. Various curries or desserts such as kheer, Srikhand, or Aamrus often accompany puri. Halwa and sabji go well with puris also.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

4 cups of wheat flour
1/2 cup besan flour (Gram or Soya flour: optional)
2 tablespoons oil (increase amount for fragile crisp puris)
Salt to taste
2 teaspoons sugar (for crisp puris)
Oil or ghee to fry

Directions:

Mix all dry ingredients.
Work in oil and knead dough to firm consistency.
Divide dough in to 24 parts and make balls. Apply some oil to keep balls from sticking to each other.
Using a rolling pin, flatten each ball to about 4" circle (puri). Use a drop of oil if needed.
Heat the oil in a frying pan. After the oil is heated, fry each puri as follows:
Details of frying: As soon as each puri is dipped in hot oil, it should be covered with oil. When it comes to the surface, it should swell up; if not, help it by gently pressing with a spatula (zaara) in the oil. Once sufficiently puffed, turn it over and fry till lower side becomes light brown.
Remove from the pan, and put it in a big sieve to drain excess oil.
After 5 minutes, put it in a plate with absorbent paper at the bottom.

The left over puris can be stacked like Pringles and wrapped in foil.

Puran Poli

2009-07-05T12:57:00.000-07:00

Puran poli is a flat bread dish popular in central India, particularly Maharashtra and Karnataka. It is similar to paratha with sweet stuffing of jaggery and gram daal.

Ingredients (Serves 2):
For dough

4 cups whole wheat flour
4 tbsp oil
Wheat or rice flour for rolling poli

For Puran

2 cups Chana-daal
2 cups Jaggery
2 tbsp Nutmeg fine fresh powder
6 pod seeds of cardamom, freshly ground
1 tsp turmeric
1 tbsp oil
Salt (optional)

Directions:

For making dough:

Depending upon the quality of wheat, the amount of water needed will change, so add water gradually while kneading. The final consistency of the dough should be soft, like a cheese spread.
In a bowl, put oil. Add a little more water, and knead dough to make it glutenous. Cover with extra oil and set aside for an hour.
Make 1 inch diameter balls.

For making puran:

In a 2-1/2-Quart saucepan, wash Chana-daal 2 to 3 times, and add 2 cups of water, turmeric, oil.
Start cooking on medium heat.
Remove the foam that forms and keep cooking on medium heat. Add 2 cups of water if want to make "Katachi Aamti" when daal is completely cooked. To check, put one grain in spoon and press with finger tip. Cooked daal will be crushed and feel soft. Note: Steps 1 and 2 are combined if a pressure cooker is used.
Remove excess water and add jaggery. Mix well and while stirring intermittently cook till mixture becomes moist but solid.
Make a smooth paste using food processor or crush it and pass through sieve. Add nutmeg and cardamom. Mix well.
Make 1 inch diameter balls.

For making Puran Poli:

Start heating 10 inch non stick griddle (tawa) on medium heat.
Take a ball of dough. Using your index fingers and thumbs, make a bowl with a small opening out of the ball.
Put the ball of puran in it and slowly cover the puran ball with dough without breaking it. Make a nice ball and press gently. Note: Depending upon the quality of wheat and the stretching capacity of dough, experts put almost double the quantity of puran. For very soft poli, add excess puran; for increased stiffness, reduce the amount of puran.
Use dry flour to cover the ball. Sprinkle some dry flour on the clean, dry surface (use smooth cutting board or Chakalota) and roll the ball in to about 6-8 inches diameter poli.
To remove it from surface without breaking, use an aluminium foil square bigger than the roti and flip the roti on the square supported by one spread out palm.
Immediately flip it onto pre-heated griddle.
When color starts to change and roti becomes little firm, flip using spatula. Brush both sides with oil and cook until both sides develop reddish-brown patches.
Remove from the fire and put on cake rack for 5 minutes to cool.
Serve with ghee and milk.

Puran poli will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days. This dish can also be modified by adding khoya or coconut. Coconut milk can be substituted for plain milk. Areas such as Ratnagiri may opt for coconut milk, whereas dairy producing areas like Gujrat are more likely to use milk.

Banana Mango Smoothie Shake ( Banangilla! )

2009-06-27T13:41:00.000-07:00

Bananas and mangoes are pretty simple as fruits go. However, as I sit here sipping my first and newest concoction made on my new Oster Cube 12-Speed Blender, I can't help but marvel the richness of the flavors produced from these two fruits. I like to call my drink "Banangilla" after its 3 main ingredients. Enjoy your first Banangilla today!

Ingredients (Serves 1)

1 cup mango juice or puree
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
2 bananas, sliced about 1/2 inch thick

Directions

Pour 1 cup of mango juice into the blender.
Scoop out 2 scoops of vanilla ice cream and add them to the mix.
Slice two bananas to approximately 1/2 inch thick slices, and add them in.
Set the blender to puree/cream and blend for 1 minute.

To make more servings, simply increase the amount of ingredients proportionally. Blending time should remain about the same.

Tehri

2009-06-25T13:02:00.000-07:00

Tehri is the name given for rice preparation with thirteen ingredients. In fact, one can add many varieties of vegetables and dry fruits. The dish can be easily prepared in a crock pot.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1 cup rice
1 potato
1 carrot
1 tbsp Cprriander seeds
1/2 cup chopped cabbage
1/2 cup peas
1/4 cup raisins
15 split cashews
1/2 inch ginger finely chopped or paste
1 tsp Rajah Garam Masala
2 tsp subrus
1 tsp ghee
2 tsp salt

Directions:

In a 2 quart pot , add 2 cups of water and 2 tsp of salt.
Dice all vegetables and then add to pot along with corriander seeds.
When water starts to boil, add ghee and rice. Mix well, cover, and steam for 5 minutes at medium heat.
Add garam masala, subrus, and dry fruits. Mix well, cover, and steam for 10 minutes at medium heat
After 10 minutes, check that the tehri is well steamed, then lower the heat.
Cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes at low heat.

For easy preparation, put all the ingredients into the crock pot in the morning and set it to low heat. By the evening, it will be ready! Simple! You can't beat easy beginner crock pot recipes =)

One can alternatively use 1 cup of water and 1 cup of V8 Vegetable Juice (Low Sodium) to add more flavor. The tehri goes well with yogurt, raita, papad or simple diced tomato and cucumber mix.

Homemade Pizza

2009-06-23T10:25:00.001-07:00

Pizza has become our favorite f00d 0n weekends. Also while out of town we typically eat pizza to replace a few meals. Pizza is simple, fresh, and appetizing when done right. Here is a pizza recipe that I have modified to suit our tastes.

Ingredients (Serves 4) : 15" pizza and 8 bread sticks OR two 12" pizza
for pizza dough (modified from booklet accompanying bread maker)

1-1/4 cup warm water
2 tbsp olive oil in dough + some to brush
4-1/4 cup whole wheat flour + dry flour to roll
2 cups chopped spinach
1 carrot coarsely grated
2 tsp salt
2 tsp sugar
1 packet Fleischmann's RapidRise highly active yeast

Pizza sauce:

2 ripe tomatoes finely chopped
1 cup tomato paste
2 tbsp dried oregano
2 tbsp fresh basil leaves chopped
4 stems of celery chopped
2 tsp subrus
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp salt

Pizza toppings:

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 large bell pepper seeded and diced into 1/4" square pieces
1 cup olives sliced
1 cup pineapple chunks from can or fresh

Directions:

In a bowl, put all the dry ingredients for dough and mix well.
Add spinach, carrot, and oil and mix well.
Add warm water and knead well for about 5 minutes to make a ball.
Cover bowl and set aside to rise for about 2 hours.
Get sauce and toppings ready meanwhile.
For sauce: in a pan, put oil, and add celery, diced tomato. Fry on medium heat till soft.
Add tomato paste, subrus, herbs, salt. Stir to mix, cover and cook for 20 minutes on medium heat. Cool it to room temperature.
When dough is raised enough, punch it down and take out dough to make eight 1/2" balls.
For bread sticks roll, balls into about 5" long strands. Arrange them on baking sheet and brush with oil.
Roll remaining dough in to a circle about 15" diameter. Put it on a lightly oiled pizza plate.
Keep 4 tbsp sauce aside for bread sticks. Spread the remaining sauce evenly on pizza base.
Arrange pizza toppings evenly and cover with cheese.
At this point, adjust time by refrigerating pizza and bread sticks. About 25 minutes before serving time, follow the remaining steps.
Bake pizza at 425 degrees Celsius on middle rack for 12-15 minutes. Start bread sticks at the same time but remove when they become brown in about 8-10 minutes.
Take out of the oven. After 5 minutes cut pizza into 8 slices. Serve hot

For making pizza pockets, divide dough in to 8 balls. Roll each ball in to 4-5" diameter circle . Mix sauce, toppings and cheese. Use it as a stuffing. Make 4" x 2" rectangles or half circles like calzones. Bake as in Step 14 above.

You can also prepare the dough using a breadmaker. If interested, check out the following products:

Khichadi

2009-06-23T10:18:00.003-07:00

Khichadi described here is a mild but nutritious dish that can be served to person under weather because of upset stomach, fever, headache or kids just starting to eat solid foods.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

1 cup rice
1 cup mogar (yellow moong daal)
1 tsp haldi (turmeric)
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
2 tsp salt

Directions:

In a pot, rinse rice and daal together.
Add 4 cups of water and put on medium heat.
Add haldi, hing, and salt. When it starts boiling, cover pot partially.
Check after 15 minutes. If needed, add water, cover, and reduce heat to low.
After 10 minutes, adjust consistency to semi-solid or soup-like by adding water.
Let it simmer for anther 10 minutes.
For a smooth consistency, mix well with swirling motion.
Serve with ghee.

Khichadi can be served with mango pickle, kadhi, papad, yogurt, or on its own. There are also regional variations of khichadi. In Gujrat, khichadi has ginger, raika tadka, and curry leaves. In Maharashtra, "Mugachi Khichdi" has rajah garam masala and is served in place of pulav.

Aloo-Muter-Tamater

2009-06-23T10:15:00.002-07:00

This soupy preparation can be made mild, zesty, or rich by varying the spices added. Yogurt or mashed potatoes can be used to thicken the preparation. On special occasions, one may use almond paste, and add cashews or raisins.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

2 medium sized potatoes
1 cup peas, fresh or frozen
1 medium ripe tomato
2 tbsp oil (use ghee if adding yogurt)
1 tsp jeera (cumin seeds)
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
3 tsp subrus
2 tsp salt
1 tsp ginger paste
Corriander leaves, finely chopped

Directions:

Peel the potato and dice them into about 1/2 inch cubes. If not using immediately, store in cold water. Alternatively, use steam-cooked potato, remove skin, and make 1/2 inch cubes.
Dice tomato into 1/2 inch cubes.
In a 2 quart pan, start heating oil on medium heat. Add 1-2 seeds of jeera.
When a seed of jeera puffs, add remaining jeera, followed by hing and subrus.
Add potato and fry so as to cover all pieces with oily mix. If using raw potato, cover and let simmer for 7 minutes.
Add 2 cups of water, salt, and peas. Cover and let it simmer for another 7 minutes.
To thicken the gravy, mash 4 pieces of potato. Add diced tomato, ginger paste. Cover and let it simmer for 7 more minutes.
Add corriander just before serving and mix. Serve hot in a bowl.

This dish with rice or bread serves as a simple meal. Many vegetable soups can be made this way. With little modification it can be made in a crockpot. Non-vegetarian friends coming over too? Share these crockpot bbq recipes with them.

Kadhi

2009-06-23T10:15:00.001-07:00

Kadhi is a yogurt preparation that goes well with rice and goes well with the heavy greasy food to change the taste. Like Daal Chawal, Kadhi Chawal, Khichadi Kadhi are the combinations used commonly. Generally Kadhi replaces soups, rasam, daal. Moong Chawal and Kadhi or Rajma Chawal Kadhi type of triplets are popular also.

Ingredients (Serves 2):

Yogurt 1 cup
Besan 1/2 cup
Kadhipatta ( Curry leaves ) 2 twigs
Ajwine 1/4 tsp
Methi (Fenugreek) 1/2 tsp
Jeera (Cumin ) 1/2 tsp
Rai (Mustard seeds) 1/2 tsp
Hing (Asafoitida) 1/8 tsp
Ginger paste 1/2 tsp
Subrus 2 tsp ( may replace with 1 Jalapino cut in 10 circles added in Tadka)
Salt 2 tsp
Ghee (seperated butter) 2 tbsp

Directions:

In a bowl mix yogurt, besan, subrus, Ajwine, ginger paste, salt to make a uniform mix
Add 2 cups of water and mix well this is the kadhi mix
In a 3 quart pot put ghee at medium heat for making tadka
Ghee is hot enough when single mustard seed added makes sound, reduce heat and add all the mustard seeds
Add other ingredients in given order, Jeera, Methi, hing, kadhipatta (and Jalapeno)
Partially cover the pot and add 1 cup water
Add kadhi mix and stir to make a uniform mix. At this stage one can adjust the consistancy by varying the water quantity
Let it boil on medium heat

One can add Pakode(fritters) to make Baddon ki kadhi or Childa (spicy pancake) or Gutte
to the boiling kadhi at the end. Kadhi has an appetizing effect.

Kachumera ( Koshimbir )

2009-06-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Any vegetable that can be consumed raw can be used to make this dish "Kachumera". The vegetables used commonly, alone or in combination are carrot, cucumber, cabbage, radish, tomato. Below I will describe the cabbage carrot combination.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Cabbage finely chopped 2 cups
Carrots 2 coarsely shredded
Olive oil 1 tbsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
crushed pepper 1/2 tsp
Fresh lemon half or lemon juice 1 tbsp
salt to taste 1tsp
roasted peanuts powder 2 tbsp (optional, works as a binding agent)

Directions:

In a 1 quart pan add olive oil and heat on medium heat till a cumin seed added puffs up immediately.
Remove pan from the heat and add cumin seeds followed by crushed pepper immediately.
Add cabbage followed by carrot and cover the pan
After 10-15 minutes add salt, lemon juice and if desired peanut powder and mix well

It is ready to serve. One can add chopped cilantro for added flavour. Also lemon can be replaced by orange or grapefruit. If red pepper is too hot for you reduce the amount or replace it by black pepper. It can be used in sandwich also. Other favorite combinations are Cabbage Tomato, Cucumber Tomato, Carrott Cucumber, Spinach Tomato.

Subrus

2009-06-22T10:26:00.000-07:00

The name subrus is a part of saying, "haldi-dhania subrus". I use this mix of three spices. Haldi is turmeric, it gives yellow tinge to food but has many good properties of which blood purifier is the one. Now a days there is lots of research going on. Dhania is the powder of coriander seeds it is a diuretic. The third ingredient is red pepper powder, specifically ground cayenne pepper. This mix is the basic mix that is used in everyday cooking of vegetables and curries. By mixing them together one saves time as well as proportion of the three remains consistant. Subrus means all juices!

Ingredients : Buy following ingredients, for sure they are available in Indian Grocery stores.

ground coriander seeds ( One can buy coriander seeds and grind them fresh).
ground cayenne pepper
ground Turmeric

Directions:

Make sure all ingredients are freshly made and added from largest to smallest proportion.
Mix 6 parts ground coriander seeds, 3 parts ground cayenne pepper and 1 part ground Turmeric so that mixture looks uniformly colored. Put it in a air tight jar in a dry cool space easily accessible. Mixture stays fresh for long but prefer to make it for about 15 days.

The proportion of these ingredients can be changed to make mix hot ,lighter yellow or darker. For mild to medium spicy food this combination works well. For fried vegetables little extra amount works. While using it in stuffed vegetable preparations it can be used as a stuffing directly or with addition of ground coconut or besan. For soups and daal add 1 tea spoon per 1cup of liquid. Visit whfoods.org or spiceskerala.com to know more about these spices

Halwa

2009-06-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

Halwa is a sweet dish made out of grain and a sweetener such as jaggary, dates, or sugar. It can be a part of heavy breakfast, brunch, or evening party. Halwa is often combined with other dishes in combinations such as "Halwa-Puri-Sabji" or "Halwa-Pohe." Other names for Halwa include Laapshi in Marwad or Satyanaryan Pooja Prasad on Hindu religious occasions.

Ingredients (Serves 4)

1 cup cream of wheat ( 10 minute variety )
1 stick butter (1/2 cup)
1 cup sugar
2 cups water or milk
6 pods of cardamom powdered
8-10 strands of saffron, powdered or soaked in 1 tablespoon of water
Almond or cashews and raisins for decoration

Directions:

In a 10" non-stick pan, add the butter and let it melt on medium heat. Cover the bottom and sides by swirling 1-2 times.
Add cream of wheat and using wooden spatula mix it and move it to and fro until it turns brownish and is uniformly roasted.
Add water/milk slowly while mixing it and cover.
Let the pot simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
Add sugar and mix well. If the halwa still looks dry, add a little liquid. Again cover and let it simmer for 10 minutes at low heat.
Turn off the stove. Add cardamom and saffron. Decorate with dry fruits.

There are many variations of this. If you master the basic Halwa dish, then you can easily learn to make Gajar Halwa, Doodhi Halwa, Daalka Halwa, Badamka Halwa and other Halwa varieties.

Kheer

2009-06-05T13:02:00.002-07:00

In north kheer and in South Payasam are the names given to a preparation similar to rice pudding. Instead of rice vermicelli, almonds , doodhi, dates can be used. When nothing else is added but milk is concentrated resulting dish is known as rabdi in hindi and Basundi in Marathi.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

1 Gallon of homogenized milk
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup rice
1 tbsp Ghee
Pistachio w/o salt, powdered or sliced
Saffron 1/4 tsp
Cardamom 5 pods, seeds powdered fresh

Directions :

In a big pot put ghee and fry washed and dried rice till it turns reddish brown
Add milk gradually with continuous stirring.
On medium heat with stirring reduce milk to about 2-3 quarts ( One can use condensed milk to shorten the time)
Add Pistachio and continue heating for 5-10 minutes
Add sugar, mix well and take off the heat
Add Saffron, Cardamom, pistachio and cover
This dish can be served hot or cold

There are many ways to modify the procedure, beauty is it comes out good always. This is the simplest delicacy.

Cucumber Raita

2009-06-05T13:00:00.000-07:00

Raita is generally a semi-liquid preparation with a yogurt base. It usually goes well with greasy food. Cucumber, doodhi, and boondi raita are well known types of raita. Since yogurt is used, tadka should be made of ghee (separated butter).

Ingredients (Serves 4):

Cucumber about 5" long and 1- 2" diameter
Ghee (separated butter) 1 tbsp
Jalapeno about 2" long sliced in to 10-12 circles or 1 tsp crushed pepper
Mustard seeds 1/2 tsp
Cumin seeds 1/2 tsp
Fresh green cilantro finely chopped 1tbsp or dried crushed mint leaves 1/2tsp
Salt to taste
Yogurt or sour cream

Directions:

Peel cucumber and shred it using larger mesh or dice it to very small size pieces
In a pan put ghee and heat till a mustard seed added makes sound, at this point add all mustard seeds. when they stop making noise add cumin seeds followed by jalapeno or crushed pepper. Take off the heat. For jalapeno make sure that all pieces get fried. crushed pepper does not need extra frying as it is dried.
Add cucumber, cilantro or mint and mix well and let it cool down to room temperature.
Add yogurt, salt and mix well.

In cucumber raita chopped tomato can be added also. Use of sour cream increases calories but gives thicker consistency to use it as a dip with chips. Doodhi raita can be prepared similarly but in step 3 steam it for 3 minutes. Roasted bellpepper raita is made by substituting bell pepper in place of cucumber. On picnics and barbecue parties it is a good addition

Sabzi

2009-06-05T12:58:00.001-07:00

Sabzi is a general term for vegetable. Here I am going to describe a tri-color mix of fried vegetables, specifically carrot, potato, and bell pepper.

Ingredients (Serves 4):

2 bell peppers
3 carrots
2 potatoes
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp hing (asafoetida)
3 tsp subrus
2 tsp salt to taste
2 tsp amchur (dried mango powder)
Sugar or jaggery to taste

Directions:

Peel potatoes and carrots, and cut into 1" julian strips.
Cut bell peppers in half, seed them, and cut into 1" julian strips.
In a nonstick pan, put oil on medium heat. Add 1-2 cumin seeds to the pan. When they puff up, the oil is sufficiently hot.
Add the remaining cumin seeds, asafoetida, and subrus. Fry it by moving the pan 2-3 times.
Immediately add the potato and carrot. Coat the vegetables by moving them to and fro with spatula (Chefs do this by tossing). Cover and let steam for 10 minutes.
Add cut bell pepper, mix them well, cover and let steam for another 7 minutes.
Sprinkle salt, amchur, and sugar. Mix well and cook for 3 more minutes.
Turn off the heat.

Most Indian fried vegetables follow the basic pattern laid out in this recipe. Similar tri color combinations can be made with cauliflower, peas and tomatoes, or with green beans, carrots and potatoes. Fried okra sabji can be made same way. For okra, one must add amchur, as it removes the strings that steamed okra will have. Enjoy!

Zesty Red Beans And Rice (Rajma Chawal)

2008-12-26T19:49:00.000-08:00

Vegetarian red beans and rice (Rajma Chawal) is a common dish in the northern part of India, specifically Punjab, Kashmir, and Hariyana. The dish is simple to prepare, yet hearty, making it a good vegetarian recipe for beginners. We usually eat it dinnertime, but it can be eaten earlier in the day. Over the years while living in America, we have modified the dish into a zesty vegetarian red beans and rice using ingredients found in our local supermarket.

As an overview, this meal requires 3 separate preparation sequences (detailed below in the Directions). The 3 parts are the red beans, the rice, and the tadakaa. The tadakaa is a special Indian preparation of spices. The spices are first heated in oil before being added to the main dish, which in this case is the red beans. However, tadakaa can be used in other lentil-based dishes for flavoring.

Ingredients (Serves 2 adults):

1 cup red beans
1 cup rice (Jasmine rice)
1 teaspoon of butter
1 can (12 fl oz) of V8 vegetable juice. You can also substitute this with your own diced tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon of spices in a 6:3:1 ratio of coriander powder : chili powder : tumeric powder. We feel these spices are mild but feel free to adjust this to your own tastes
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
9 cups water
A pinch of asafoetida (optional)

Directions:

For red beans:

Soak the red beans in 4 cups of cold water 6 to 8 hours prior to cooking in order to soften the beans.
After soaking, drain the water and add 3 cups of fresh water to the red beans.
Heat the red beans on medium heat to boil.
After the beans begin to boil, add the tadakaa (see preparation details below).
Next, add the entire can of V8 juice.
Keep the beans simmering 20-30 minutes after they start to boil. Stir occasionally. The beans are ready when they are soft. To test, remove one bean using a spoon and see if it can be crushed against a plate easily.

For rice:

While the beans are cooking, measure out 1 cup of rice and rinse it.
Boil 2 cups of water in a pot.
Add 1 teaspoon of butter.
When it begins to boil, carefully add the cup of rice.
Cover the rice and heat it on low to medium heat for 10-15 minutes. Do not let the rice sit for too long, otherwise it will become sticky. The rice should have soaked up all the water. To test if the rice is ready, use a spoon to take a grain of rice and see if it easily mushable.

For tadakaa:

In a small 1 cup pot, add the tablespoon of olive oil.
Start heating the pot.
To see if the oil is hot enough, add 1 or 2 cumin seeds first. If the oil is ready for the spices, the seeds will dance vigorously in the pot. If not, wait another minute and add another seed. Repeat until the seeds are moving in the oil.
Add the spices in the ratio described above.
Add a pinch of asafoetida (optional)
Stir it for 1/2 to 1 minute and then add the mix to the pot of red beans.

That's it! Your vegetarian red beans and rice are ready to serve! Simply plate the rice and add the beans in the middle. You can also add plain yogurt as a side, which has the effect of blunting the spices. Enjoy!

Zesty Grilled Cheese Sandwich

2008-06-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

A grilled cheese sandwich is a simple quick snack or meal replacement. However, with a simple additions, it can become a much more zesty meal.

Ingredients:

2 slices of bread (I prefer wheat)
2 slices of American cheese
2 tbsp of pasta sauce or salsa
Diced bellpepper
Several sliced olives

Directions:

Grill the inner surfaces of the bread slices, where you will eventually put the cheese. Use a frying pan with stove set at half max.
Wait til the inner surfaces are crisp and lightly brown, then flip the slices and put the stove on quarter max heat.
Lightly spread one tablespoon of pasta sauce (or salsa) on each side.
Place one slice of cheese on top of the sauce.
Place the diced bellpepper and several olives on one side.
Flip the other side on top of the side with the olives and bellpeppers after the cheese has slightly melted.
Grill both sides until lightly brown. Then, place on a plate and turn off the stove.

So, a straightforward grilled cheese sandwich, but with a few extra steps, it is now a more flavorful experience. Enjoy!

Patriotic Pasta

2008-06-05T18:31:00.000-07:00

Pasta is a very simple dish to make. I personally prefer tricolor rotini (see above). I also like to add peas, and top it off with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese. Pretty simple, but pretty filling as well. Why patriotic, you ask? Well, orange, white, and green are India's national colors.

Ingredients (for one serving):

3/4 cup of tricolor rotini
1/2 cup of frozen green peas
1 tsp of salt
3 cups of water
Pasta sauce
Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Add salt to water and let it boil. Set stove to half of maximum heat.
Once boiling, add pasta and peas.
The pasta will start boiling in 2-3 minutes.
Once it starts boiling, set timer to 10 minutes.
After 10 minutes, drain the water from the pasta and turn off the stove.
You can garnish the pasta with pasta sauce and parmesan cheese as you like.

Bon appetit!

Vanilla Cake Frosting

2007-08-28T14:19:00.000-07:00

No cake is ready without frosting. There are many types of frosting, but here is one that works well with the cake described previously.

Perfect Butter Cream Frosting
This recipe is from the Baking cups package.

1 pound confectioners sugar
1/2 cup shortening( I prefer oil)
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat 1/2 lb sugar with the shortening and butter. Gradually add milk. Continue beating, and add the vanilla extract. Gradually add the remaining sugar until an appropriate consistency is achieved. The frosting is sufficient to cover 24 cupcakes or a 9"x13" cake.

Eggless Cake Recipe

2007-08-28T12:38:00.000-07:00

My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me more than 20 years ago.

Eggless Cake

4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup milk powder
1 cup milk
2 cups sugar
2 sticks (300gm or 1/2 lb) butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
Greased and dusted rectangular pan (9x13 in)

Mix sugar and butter and beat until becomes fluffy in a bowl. Add vanilla extract.
Mix flour, baking powder, and milk powder in another bowl.
Add the flour mix and milk alternately to the butter sugar mix with upward motion ( not pressing down) to fluff and ensure that the batter is uniform.
Bake at 350 deg F ( about 30mins). To check if the cake is ready, insert a toothpick into the cake. When the toothpick comes out clean, the cake is done.

To make cup cakes, use the same batter mix and bake for about 20 minutes. The batter is enough for about 24 cup cakes.

To make the cake softer, add 1 cup sour cream instead of milk powder and half&half in place of milk.

For flavoring and texture, I usually add a pureed ripe banana and raisins (1/2 cup) and decrease the sugar to 1 and 1/2 cup. Other options include dates, grated apple, mushed peaches with walnuts or pecans.

Perfect Butter Cream Frosting:
This recipe is from Baking cups package

1 pound confectioners sugar
1/2 cup shortening( I prefer oil)
1/2 cup butter
3 tbsp milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat half the sugar with shortening and butter. Gradually add milk. Continue beating, add extract and gradually add remaining sugar until right consistency is reached. It is good enough for 24 cupcakes or 9"x13" cake.

Shortbread

2007-08-01T11:55:00.000-07:00

Shortbread
by Jackie Redrupp

Ingredients (Makes about 6 dozen pieces):

1 lb. chilled butter
1 cup superfined sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
3/4 cup rice flour or arrowroot flour
5 cups all purpose flour (bleached)
Blanched almonds split in half

Directions:

Dice chilled butter into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in bowl. Add sugar, vanilla and almond extracts. Beat mixture until it is light and fluffy.
Combine flours and add gradually to creamed mixture. The dough will be crumbly. Butter and lightly flour a large cookie sheet and a 10 or 12 inch pizza pan. Preheat oven to 325degF.
Spoon 1/3 of dough in to prepared pizza pan. Push, pat and roll until it is smooth and covers the pan uniformly. With a sharp knife cut circle in to 8 or 12 wedges and decorate with split almonds.
Put remaining 2/3 of dough on to cookie sheet. Push, pat and roll the dough until it covers the sheet uniformly. With a sharp knife , make 3x1 inch rectangles(fingers). Place a split almond at the center of each.
Prick the shortbread all over with the tines of a fork. Bake in the middle of preheated (325degF) oven for 20minutes or until just lightly colored.
Remove from the oven and immediately run sharp knife through all the divisions. Let cool for 5 minutes. Using a spatula transfer pieces to a cooling rack. Store in tightly covered containers.

Oatmeal Cookies

2007-08-01T11:36:00.000-07:00

Oatmeal Cookies
(Modified from recipe on Quaker Oats Box)

Ingredients (makes about 5 dozen):

1 cup butter or Vegetable oil
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water (may use juice instead)
1 cup milk powder
1 tsp vanilla
3 cups oats, uncooked
1 cup all purpose flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp soda

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degF.
Beat together butter, sugars, milk powder and vanilla until creamy.
Add combined remaining (oats, flour, soda, salt) ingredients and mix well.
Using rounded teaspoonfuls, drop cookie batter onto greased cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 degF for 12 to 15 minutes.

For variety add chopped nuts, raisins, chopped dates, chocolate chips or coconut. Add cinammon, apple pie spice mix to enhance flavor. Enjoy!

Rice-Lentils (Daal-Chaawal)

2007-07-28T14:13:00.000-07:00

Rice is a staple food in many parts of India, especially in the South. This is certainly true in my home state of Maharashtra (the state in red at right). There are many varieties of rice around the world, each with its own flavor and texture. The rice in India tastes very different from the rice commonly eaten in the U.S. It has a more distinct fragrance and is less sticky. The most popular variety in Maharashtra is called "Ambemohr" (pronounced 'uhm-bay-mo-her'). Another variety that is known worldwide from India is "Basmati" ('baas-muh-thii'). The Hindi word for rice is "Chaawal" ('chaa-wuhl') In Marathi, "Daal-Chaawal" is "Aamati-Bhaat" In Hindi, this is written as दाल- चावल.

Fresh, steamed rice is commonly paired with "Daal." The word Daal means skinned and split lentil. There are many varieties of beans, lentils, or pulses: Moong, Toor, Chana, Chole (chickpeas), Chawali (blackeyed peas), Masoore (Western lentil), Urad, and many other varieties. For many Indians, Daal-Chaawal is a good combination for someone who is on-the-go and wants a quick, nutritious meal.

Daal-Chaawal
Serves 1

Chaawal Preparation:

1/2 cup of rice ( cleaned and washed )
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup of water

In 1 quart pan, boil the 1 cup of water with the butter.
Pour the 1/2 cup of rice into the pan, and reduce the heat.
Let it simmer for 10 minutes , while partially covering it.

Keep the pan on the lowest heat setting, cover it completely, and let it sit there for another 10 minutes.

Daal Preparation:

1/2 cup daal ( Toor daal )
2 tbsp oil
1/2 tsp Turmeric (1/4 twice)
1/4 tsp Asafoitida ( 1/8 twice)
2 tsp salt
2 tsp Corriender seed powder
1 tsp ground Cayenne pepper powder (Chili powder)
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1/4 tsp phenugreek seeds ( methi)
1/8 tsp citric acid (this can be substituted by tamarind, aamchur [dried raw mango powder], kokum, V8 juice, or tomato juice)

In a separate 1 quart pan, put the measured amount of daal (1/2 cup per person for full meal of daal-chaawal only) and wash it by changing water 2-3 times.
For every 1/2 cup of daal, add 1 cup of water. Add 1 teaspoon oil, 2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon turmeric (haldi) and 1/8^th teaspoon asafoitida (hing).
Cook in pressure cooker or on stove directly for about 30 minutes on medium heat.
Make sure that the daal is cooked and gets mushed by spoon. Adjust the consistency according to your liking by adding water.
In a small measuring steel pan, add the remaining oil and heat it. To make sure it is hot enough, add a seed of mustard. If it makes a sound, the oil is ready to make "Tadakaa" in Hindi or "Phodni" in Marathi.
When the oil is ready, add all the mustard seeds. When they stop making sounds, remove the pan from the heat. Add cumin seeds, then phenugreek seeds, followed by asafoitida and remaining turmeric.
In the pan with the daal, add dhania powder, Cayenne powder, and the citric acid. Add tadakaa carefully and let it simmer for 10 minutes.

Variations of daal :

I.Varan- Bhaat : This is a favorite first course of full Marathi meal. For this version, after step 3 of the daal preparation, daal is only stirred, with about 1 tsp jaggary added. It is a good starting baby food as well.

II. Sambar: In step 4 of the daal preparation, many vegetables (about 1/2 cup altogether) are added and cooked until soft. In step 6, sambar powder is added.

III. Mogar: For moong daal, I prefer tadakaa of ghee with cumin and asafoitida. Garnish with dry mint leaf powder or ginger paste, and serve with fresh lemon piece on the side.

IV. Palko mogar: In cooked mogar (see III above), chopped spinach leaves are added.

V. Urad daal: Urad daal is very sticky. Once cooked, I prefer adding stirred yogurt or buttermilk and ginger paste, instead of citric acid . The tadakaa should be made of only ghee and cumin seeds.

VI. Katachi aamati: Whenever "Puran poli" is made, katachi aamati is made also. While boiling chanaa daal, now for every 1/2 cup of daal, add 2 cups of water. After the daal is cooked completely, the water is strained off and used for making katachi aamati. The special garnish for this is roasted dry coconut and cumin powder.

Welcome!

2007-07-21T11:11:00.001-07:00

Thank you for visiting my page. I will be posting recipes from my homeland of India soon.

Most of my cooking involves vegetarian dishes, as I am vegetarian. However, vegetarianism is very common in the part of India that I am from. I call my cooking "fusion" because, instead of merely sticking to the original, traditional recipes, I let my recipes evolve as I have been exposed to new flavors and methods of preparing these cultural dishes. I like to mix and match various vegetables based on the season, availability, and my personal tastes. Again, thank you for visiting, and I hope you enjoy the food you create!