Spicy Stovetop Popcorn

Organic corn kernels - 3 oz or around 1/2 cup
Peanut Oil - 1 tbsp
Butter -1 tsp
Salt
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Paprika (optional) - 1/4 tsp

Take a large flat skillet and put it on medium low heat. Add oil, butter, salt, chilli powder and the corn kernels. Cover with a tight fitting lid.

Gently shake the pan by moving it back and forth over the burner. After a few minutes the kernels will begin popping.

Once the popping starts in earnest, continue shaking the pan by moving it back and forth. Once in a while try to keep the lid slightly ajar away from the face for a second only just to let the steam from the popcorn release so that the popcorns are crispy.

Once the popping slows to several seconds between pops, remove the pan from the heat and keep the cover on for a minute.

Now remove the cover, sprinkle paprika on top and enjoy warm crunchy spicy popcorns.

Roasted Broccoli

Broccoli - 2 bunches
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 6, thinly sliced
Salt
Pepper
Red Pepper Flakes
For sprinkling on top:
Parmesan Cheese - 2 tsp
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Basil Leaves - 4, shredded
Olive Oil - 2 tsp
Lightly toasted Pinenuts / Walnuts - 1 tbsp

Preheat the oven to 400F.

Cut the broccoli into big florets. Mix together with salt, pepper, red chilli flakes, garlic, olive oil.

Line a baking sheet with foil. Arrange the florets on the sheet in a single line.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes till the florets start getting slightly caramelised. Remove from oven and sprinkle cheese, lemon zest, basil leaves, olive oil, walnuts on top and serve.

Onion Chips

Adapted from http://siddhiscookingexperiences.blogspot.com/2011/06/crispy-onion-chips.html

Onion (big) - 1
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, finely chopped
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Turmeric - a pinch
Chaat Masala Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Jaggery - 1 tsp, grated
Brown Rice Powder - 1 cup
Hot oil - 2 tsp
Peanut oil for deep frying

Cut the onion into half. Chop one half into pieces and make a fine paste in the blender. Keep aside.

Chop the other half into very very fine pieces. Add it to the onion paste. Add salt, chopped cilantro, green chillies, red chilli powder, cumin seeds, chaat masala powder, grated jaggery. Leave aside for 10 minutes.

Now add 2 tsp hot oil and mix in the rice powder. Adjust the quantity of the rice powder and knead the entire mixture to form a soft dough. There is no need to add any additional water. The moisture from the onion paste should be sufficient to make a soft dough.

Heat peanut oil on medium flame for deep frying. Apply a little oil to the palms. Pinch a small ball of the dough and press it between palms to make a small flat roti. The flatter the chips, the crispier they turn out.  Add it to the hot oil and fry till brown on both sides. The chips are very crispy and stay crisp in an airtight container for a couple of days.

Grilled Grapefruit with Ginger and Brown Sugar

Adapted from http://www.athoughtforfood.net/2010/12/recipe-broiled-grapefruit-with-brown-sugar-and-ginger/

Grapefruits - 2
Brown Sugar - 2 tbsp
Crystallized Ginger / Dried Ginger Powder - 1/4 tsp

 

Cut the grapefruits into halves. Trim the bottoms of the grapefruits so that they sit up straight. Loosen them a bit from the side white membrane and cut them into segments.

Place them on a baking sheet and sprinkle with brown sugar and ground ginger. If using crystallized ginger, cut them into tiny pieces and sprinkle on top of the grapefruits. Set the oven to broil. Place the sheet in the oven under the broiler so that the grapefruits are as close as possible to the broiler heat.

Broil for 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm or at room temperature.

Crispy Cabbage Pakoda

Cabbage - 1 cup, very finely shredded
Red Potato - 1/2, grated
Red Onion - 1/2, finely chopped
Green Chilli - 2, finely chopped
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, finely chopped
Besan / Chickpea Flour - a handful
Brown Rice Flour - a handful
Salt
Chaat Masala - 1/2 tsp
Garam Masala - 1/4 tsp
Red Chilli Powder - 1/4 tsp
Aamchur / Dried Mango Powder - 1 tsp
Peanut Oil for deep frying

With firm hands, mix all the above ingredients well. Do no add any water. The moisture from cabbage and onion should be enough to bind the mixture and make a dough. If the dough has too much liquid, add a little more besan.

Make small balls of the dough and press gently to make flattened shape like patties. Try to make the patties as flat as possible so that they are extra crisp and cook fast.

Immediately fry on medium low heat till golden brown on both sides. Serve with tomato ketchup.

Pad Thai

Brown Rice Noodles - 4 oz or 1 fistful
Cabbage - 1 cup, chopped
Onion / Scallion - 2 tbsp, chopped
Garlic - 4 cloves, thinly sliced
Bean Sprouts - 1/2 cup
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Red Pepper Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Eggs - 2, scrambled
For sauce:
Soya Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tamarind - 1 tsp, soak in 1 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes
Palm Sugar / Jaggery - 1 tbsp, grated
White Wine Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp
Coarsely ground roasted peanuts - 2 tbsp

Cook the noodles in boiling salted water till just shy of al dente. (Later the noodles will cook on high heat along with the sauce for a few minutes). Rinse in cold water and keep aside.

While the noodles is cooking, squeeze the juice out of the tamarind and discard the tamarind pulp. Mix this juice along with the soya sauce, vinegar, grated palm sugar. Taste the sauce, it should taste sour first and then sweet.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the onion, garlic, red pepper flakes and saute for a minute. Then increase the heat and add chopped cabbage. Sprinkle a little salt. Cook only for a couple of minutes on high flame. Do not overcook as the cabbage should remain crunchy.

Add the bean sprouts, scrambled eggs, boiled noodles and the tamarind sauce. Continue to cook on high heat for a few minutes, stirring and mixing the noodles continuously.

Remove from heat, toss the ground peanuts on top and serve immediately.

Roasted Baby Broccoli with Caramelised Onions

Baby Broccoli - 1 bunch
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 4, finely sliced
Red Chilli Flakes - 1/4 tsp
Vidalia Sweet Onion / Red Onion - 1, cut in thick roundels
Salt

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Add the sliced garlic and red pepper flakes and saute for a minute.

Add the baby broccoli and salt and toss everything together and cook for a couple of minutes.

Arrange the onion roundels on the broccoli and drizzle oil on top.

Transfer the pan under the broiler and cook for around 5 minutes till the onion begins to caramelise and becomes brown at the edges. This goes very well with pesto pasta.

Easy Chana Dal Brown Rice Dosa

Adapted from http://vardhiniskitchen.blogspot.com/2011/06/adaidosa-savory-lentil-pancake.html

Chana Dal - 1 cup, soaked overnight
Brown Rice Flour - 1 cup
Salt
Red Chilli Powder
Asafoetida / Hing - a pinch
Oil

Drain the chana dal and blend it in a blender to make a fine paste. Add a little water if required for blending.

Mix the blended dal with brown rice flour, salt, red chilli powder, asafoetida. Add water to make a pancake like consistency.

Heat a tsp oil in a well seasoned cast iron skillet. Pour a ladle full of batter and spread it around. Add a few drops of oil on the sides and on top of the batter.

Cover the pan and cook on low flame for 4 minutes.

Once the bottom is browned, flip it over and cook till the other side is also browned.

Serve with potato bhaji and sambar. Alternatively, instead of making potato curry and sambar, you can add finely chopped onion, green chilli, curry leaves in the batter and serve the dosa with chutney.

Egg Fried Rice

Adapted from http://healthfooddesivideshi.blogspot.com/2011/06/chicken-and-egg-fried-rice.html

Brown rice - 3/4 cup, cooked and kept in the fridge to cool
Eggs - 3
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch, finely chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, finely chopped
Shallot - 1 tsp, finely chopped
Green Chillies - 2, chopped
Mixed Vegetables - 1 cup - carrots, capsicum, peas, green beans, green onions, etc - finely shredded or chopped
Soya Sauce - 2 tsp
Salt
Pepper

Hard boil 2 eggs, peel and slice them.

Beat one egg with a little salt and pepper. Add a little bit of chopped green chillies, ginger, garlic and 1 tsp chopped shallot. Mix well and keep aside.

Heat a big pan. Add some oil. Dip the egg slices in the egg batter and add to the hot pan. Pour any leftover batter over the eggs.

Cook till the eggs get slightly brown on both sides. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the skillet. Add the ginger, garlic and green chillies and fry for a minute.

Add the vegetables, salt, pepper and cook on high heat for a few minutes. The vegetables should not be overcooked. They should remain crunchy.

Add the cold rice and soya sauce. Mix everything well. Cook for a couple of minutes more.

Add the fried egg slices, mix well and serve hot.

Falafel

Adapted from http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/05/falafel-with-tahini-lemon-sauce-recipe.html

Dry chickpeas - 3/4 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander powder - 1/2 tsp
Red chilli powder - 1/2 tsp
Garlic Cloves - 5, grated
Cilantro - 1/2 bunch, chopped
Red Onion 1 small, chopped
Lemon juice
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Cornstarch / Arrowroot Powder - 2 tsp
Salt

Peanut Oil for deep frying

Soak the chickpeas overnight. Drain them on kitchen towels to remove the moisture completely.

Add the chickpeas to the rest of the ingredients and grind to make a coarse paste.

Shape into small balls, add a little more cornstarch if required, press between your palms slightly and refrigerate for a couple of hours.

Deep fry on medium low heat until dark brown on both sides. Serve with your favourite sauce and a side salad.

Almond Chocolate Chip Cookies, gluten free

Adapted from http://www.sensibleveg.com/2011/06/almond-flour-chocolate-chip-cookies-egg.html
These cookies have a wonderful nutty flavor and are crunchy and slightly chewey in the middle.

Almond Flour - 1 cup (I used Bob Mills finely ground almond meal flour)
Salt - a pinch
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Maple Syrup / Raw Honey - 1 tbsp
Turbinado Sugar - 1 tbsp
Butter - 2 tbsp, softened
Chocolate Chips - 2 tbsp (I used Ghirardelli bittersweet chocolate chips)

Preheat oven to 350F.

Mix flour, salt and baking powder well.

Now add maple syrup, brown sugar, chocolate chips and the butter and knead into a dough.

Make 10 balls and slightly press each ball between the palms.

Place them on a lined cookie sheet and bake for 10  to 12 minutes. Cool and store in an airtight container.

Smashed Baby Red Potatoes

This is an incredibly simple but delicious recipe, with few ingredients, but can be varied in flavor easily with the addition of various spices (paprika, chilli powder, mustard, roasted cumin powder) or fresh herbs (parsley, chives, cilantro) or cheese. The outside of the potato gets crispy and the inside is soft and melty.

Baby Red Potatoes - 12, use the tiny ones
Olive oIl - 1 tbsp
Salt
Pepper
Paprika
Red Chilli Powder
Garlic Powder or Garlic Cloves - 1, grated
Grated Cheese - 1/2 tbsp (optional)

Wash the potatoes well, leave the skin on. Put them in a big pot in a single layer along with a tsp of salt, cover them with enough water and bring it to boil.

Cook till the potatoes are just done, should take around 20 minutes. Do not overcook the potatoes. Drain them well and let them sit in the same pot for a couple of minutes.

Preheat the oven to 400F. Make a mix of salt, pepper, garlic, cayenne and red chilli powder. Take a baking sheet and cover it with alluminium foil. Rub the foil with 2 tsp of olive oil.

Take each potato, put it on the foil and with the palm of your hand or a pestle press gently to flatten it. Flatten all the potatoes the same way. Sprinkle the salt mixture on top and drizzle olive oil.

Roast the potatoes till they are crispy and brown on the sides, around 30 minutes. If using cheese, remove the baking sheet and sprinkle cheese on top and put them back in the hot oven for a couple of minutes more. Serve hot.

Vegetarian Monte Cristo Sandwich

Traditional Monte Cristo Sandwich uses ham and cheese as filling and they are dipped in egg wash. I tried to make a meatless version of it by substituting green peas in place of ham and a batter of besan, water and milk in place of egg.

Whole Grain Bread - 4 slices
Frozen Green Peas - 1/2 cup
Boiled Red Potato - 1/2 cup, coarsely mashed
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Onion - 2 tbsp, chopped (optional)
Green Chili - 2, chopped
Ginger - 1/2 tsp, grated
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Dried Mango / Aamchur powder - 1/2 tsp
Cheese Slice - 2
Salt
Besan / Chickpea Flour- 2 tsp
Whole Milk - 1 tbsp
Water
Butter - 1 tbsp

To make the filling, heat a skillet. Add the olive oil and immediately add chopped onion, ginger and green chillies. Cook till the onion starts to caramelise.

Now add the frozen peas, mashed potato, salt, roasted cumin powder, aamchur powder. Mix well and cook for around 5 minutes. Mash some of the peas with the back of the spoon so that the filling comes together. Leave aside to cool.

To make a thin batter, beat the besan, milk, water and a little salt together. Take one slice of bread and put it on a flat plate. Take a handful of the filling and press it on top of the bread . Top it with a slice of cheese and another slice of bread. Cut the sandwich into 4 equal squares. Similarly fill and cut the other 2 slices to make a total of 8 squares.

Heat a skillet and add a tsp of butter. Take one square of the bread and dip it carefully in the batter. Then put it on the hot skillet and cook till golden brown on all sides. Cook the other bread squares in the same way. Serve hot with tomato ketchup.

Mushroom Fried Rice

Brown Rice - 1 cup, cold cooked rice
Shitake Mushroom - 1 cup, sliced
Cashewnuts - a handful
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Garlic Cloves - 3, thinly sliced
Red Chilli Flakes - 1/2 tsp
Soya Sauce - 1/2 tbsp

Heat a skillet and add the olive oil to it. Immeditely add the garlic slices and red chilli flakes and saute till the garlic begins to change color.

Add the shitake mushtoom and cashewnuts and saute on low heat till the mushroom is cooked and gets slightly soft.

Deglaze the skillet with the soya sauce and add the cold rice. Mix everything well. Saute for a few more minutes and serve hot.

Malai Chum Chum

Makes 12 chum chums

Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon
Lemon Juice - Juice of 1 lemon or 1/4 cup white vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup water
Sugar - 2 cups
Water - 4 cups
Saffron - a few strands

For Malai:
Whole Milk - 2 cups
Sugar - 1 tbsp

Sieve the lemon juice so that it has no solid particles. Mix it with 2 tbsp of water and keep aside.

Boil the milk in a heavy bottomed pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, making sure not to burn milk.

As the milk comes to a boil, add the lemon juice gradually and stir the milk gently. When the curd starts separating from the whey, turn off the heat.

Once the milk fat has separated from the whey, drain the whey using a strainer lined with cheesecloth or cotton napkin.

Wrap the cheese in the cloth, and rinse under cold water for at least 3 minutes, and squeeze well.

Once it is drained, place on a dry, clean plate and knead the paneer by dragging the palm of your hand hard for at least 10 minutes until the paneer rolls into smooth soft dough.

Divide the dough into 12 portions and make them into smooth, slightly flat oblong shape.

Mix the sugar, saffron and water in a big wide pan on medium high heat and bring to a boil. Add the chum chums and cover and cook for 10 minutes.

Remove the cover, turn the chum chums over and cover and cook for another 20  minutes.

Take a heavy bottomed skillet, add 2 cups of milk and bring it to boil. if desired, a few strands of saffron can be added to the milk. Turn down the heat to very low and let the milk reduce and cook till it almost 1/4th of original quantity. Add sugar and continue to cook till it reaches almost a thick cream / mawa consistency. Remove from heat.

Put half a tsp of malai over each chum chum and serve. Alternatively, slice each chum chum into half lengthwise and put a filling of 1/2 tsp mawa in between and press the two pieces together.