Black and White Wednesday - Chocolates

This picture is my entry to Susan's Black & White Wednesday - Culinary photos.

Wordless Wednesday - Baylee's Best Chocolates

Pudina Chicken / Biryani Chicken

Organic Chicken - 3 lbs (I used 8 small organic chicken drumsticks)
Plain Greek Yogurt - 1 full cup
Salt
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Garlic - 4 cloves grated
Ginger - 1 inch grated
Cilantro - a handful chopped
Fresh Mint Leaves - a cup, chopped
Green Chili - 4, slit
Lemon Juice - 1 tbsp.
Biryani Masala - 2 tsp (optional, I didn't use any)


Oil - 2 tbsp.
Shah Jeera - 1/2 tsp


Marinade the chicken with yogurt and the remaining ingredients for at least an hour or preferably overnight. Slit the chicken in the fleshy areas so that the marinade can get in the meat.


Heat a large pan. Add the olive oil and shah jeera. Then dunk the chicken along with all the marinade. Toss well and cover and cook on medium low heat for around 20 to 30 minutes till the chicken is soft and cooked and oil separates from the spicy gravy.


Serve hot.

Spicy Butternut Squash with Peanuts

Butternut Squash - 1 small, peel and cut into small cubes
Raw Peanuts - 1/2 cup
Virgin Coconut Oil - 1 tbsp
Panch Phoron / Five Spice Mix - 1 tsp (a mix of fennel, mustard, cumin, nigella, fenugreek seeds)
Dry Red Chili - 2
Hing / Asafoetida - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Ginger - 1/2 inch, grated
Turmeric - a pinch
Dessicated Coconut - 2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 2 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cilantro / Parsley - a handful, chopped

Heat oil in a cast iron skillet. Add the five spice mix, hing and dry red chili and saute for a few seconds.

Now add the cubed butternut squash, peanuts, grated ginger, coconut, turmeric and salt. Mix well with the spices. Cover and cook on low heat for a few minutes.

Remove the cover, sprinkle a little water and add the roasted cumin powder and cayenne pepper. Cover and cook for a few minutes more till the squash is soft and cooked.

Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and serve.

Roasted Cauliflower with Warm Spices

Organic Cauliflower - 1 medium size
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Salt
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp

Preheat oven to 400F.

Wash the cauliflower and dry completely. Cut it into small 1.5" florets. Try to keep the florets of the same size so that they cook evenly.

Sprinkle salt, turmeric, cayenne and cumin powder on the florets. Drizzle olive oil on top. Toss the florets well so that each of them get coated with the olive oil and spices.

Line a baking tray with aluminium foil. Place the florets in a single layer. Roast for 30 to 45 minutes till the cauliflower florets are cooked and slightly caramelised.

Remove from the oven, drizzle lemon juice on top and serve.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Peanut Stew

Sweet Potatoes - 2 big ( Here I used locally grown white sweet potatoes)
Olive Oil - 1 tsp
Water - 1 cup

For Peanut Stew :
Unsalted Peanut Butter - 3 tbsp
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Garlic - 5 fat cloves, minced
Water - 3 cups
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Cumin seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Curry leaves - 1
Green chilies - 3, finely chopped
Turmeric - a pinch
Salt
Preheat oven to 400F. Cut each sweet potato into 2 pieces from the middle, lengthwise. Apply olive oil all over. Place on a foil wrapped baking sheet. Add a cup of water to the baking sheet. Roast in the oven for around 45 minutes or till they are soft and fully cooked.

Heat oil in a cast iron pan. Add mustard seeds. Once they start popping, add cumin seeds, asafoetida, green chilies and curry leaves. Saute for a few seconds.

Then add the ginger and garlic paste and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the peanut butter, salt and turmeric and mix well with the spices till it becomes a paste.

Add about 3 cups of water and bring it to boil. Cook for about 5 minutes till the desired consistency is reached. The gravy should not be too thick, the consistency should be like soup. Serve hot with roasted sweet potatoes.

Silent Sunday - Pop's Ice Cream and Soda bar

Chickpea Fajita

Dried Chickpeas - 1 cup
Green Bell Pepper - 1 big, cut into thin long slices
Red Bell Pepper - 1 big, cut into thin long slices
Red Onion - 1/2, sliced
Garlic Cloves - 4, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1/2 inch, thinly sliced
Red Chilies - 2, chopped
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Salt
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Soak the chickpeas overnight in plenty of water. Drain and rinse and add 2 cups of water. Cook in the pressure cooker for 5 whistles after full pressure is reached. Remove and drain the excess liquid.

Heat a big skillet. Add olive oil, sliced ginger, garlic, chopped red chilies. Saute on low heat for a minute.

Then increase the heat and add onion, peppers, salt. Saute on high heat for a couple of minutes. The vegetables should be cooked but crisp.

Then add the cooked chickpeas, cumin coriander powder, cayenne and adjust salt. Toss everything together for a minute more. Remove from heat, add lemon juice on top and serve immediately on corn tortillas.

Sweet Potato Hash with Poppy Seeds

White Sweet Potato / Japanese Yam - 2 big
Olive Oil - 1 tsp + 1 tbsp
Salt
Coarsely Ground Fresh Black pepper
Poppy Seeds - 2 tsp
Water - 1 cup

Preheat oven to 400F.

Wash the sweet potatoes well and cut into half lengthwise from the middle along with the skin. Rub a tsp of olive oil all over.

Line a baking sheet with foil and place the sweet potatoes with skin side down. Pour a cup of water in the baking sheet. Roast the potatoes for around 45 minutes till they are soft and cooked. Remove and cool a little. Cut into small cubes.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the cubed potatoes. Add salt, pepper and poppy seeds. Saute till the potatoes are slightly brown and crisp. Serve hot.

Sauteed Turnip Greens with Mustard

Turnip Greens - 1 lb
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Black Mustard Seeds - 1 tsp
Green Chili / Jalapeno - 1, finely chopped
Roasted Garlic Cloves - 4,
Dijon mustard - 1 tsp
Salt

Wash the turnip greens and chop them, along with the stems, into small pieces.

Heat a large skillet and add a tbsp of olive oil. Add the mustard seeds and once they begin to pop, add the chopped jalapeno and roasted garlic cloves. If using roasted garlic, saute for a few seconds only otherwise if using raw garlic cloves, saute for a minute on low flame.

Then add the chopped greens and salt. Mix well and cover the pan with a tight lid. Reduce the flame and cook for 10 minutes. In between remove the cover once and toss.

Now remove the cover and cook on high heat till most of the liquid evaporates. Add a tsp of Dijon mustard, mix well and remove from heat. Serve immediately.

Sweet Brown Rice and Lentil Fritters

Adapted from http://www.cookingandme.com/2011/10/vella-cheedai-seedai-festival-sweets.html

Brown Rice Flour - 3/4 cup
Urad Dal / Black Lentil Flour - 2 tbsp
Shredded Coconut - 3 tbsp
Jaggery / Solid Date Molasses - 1 cup
Cardamom Powder - a pinch
Fennel Seeds - 1 tsp
Salt - a pinch
Water - 1/2 cup
Peanut Oil for deep frying

Take the jaggery in a pan and add water just enough to cover the jaggery pieces. Bring it to boil and simmer for a few minutes to thicken the syrup.

Add brown rice flour, urad dal flour, coconut, cardamom, salt and fennel seeds and mix together. Add the jaggery syrup little by little to make a soft dough.

Make small balls of the dough (keep the shape of the balls with a little rough edges and not too smooth). Deep fry on medium heat till golden brown. Remove on paper towel to soak excess oil. Store in air-tight container.

My Lunch - Veg Fried Rice, Red Chard & Boiled Egg

Veg Fried Rice, Sauteed Red Chard & Fried Boiled Egg

Walnut Pesto Pasta

Whole Wheat / Brown Rice Elbow pasta - 1 cup
Walnuts - 1/2 cup
Mint leaves - a handful, chopped
Basil - a handful, chopped
Garlic Cloves - 4, grated
Lemon Juice - 2 tsp
Green Chili - 1
Salt
Parmesan Cheese - 1 tbsp
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Boil 8 cups of water in a big pan. Once water starts boiling, add 3 tsp salt and drop the pasta.
While the pasta is cooking, lightly toast the walnuts in a cast iron skillet. Add basil, cilantro, garlic, walnuts, green chili, cheese and olive oil together and make a paste in the food processor or the grinder.

Cook the pasta to desired softness. Drain water and immediately add the pesto. Toss everything together to coat the pasta with the sauce. If it feels dry, add a little bit of the reserved pasta water. Add some shredded fresh basil leaves on top and serve.

Red Kidney Beans Salsa

Dried Red Kidney Beans - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Red Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Cucumber - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Jalapeno - 1, finely chopped
Cilantro - a handful, chopped
Tomato - 1, chopped
Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Olive Oil - 1/2 tbsp
Salt
Pepper

Soak the kidney beans in plenty of water ovenight. Drain, add 2 cups of fresh water, a little salt and cook in the pressure cooker for 7 whistles after full pressure is reached. Remove and drain any liquid.

Mix chopped onion, tomato, cucumber, jalapeno, cilantro together. Add the cooked beans. Make a simple vinaigrette of lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Drizzle it over the salsa. Sprinkle some fresh black pepper on top and serve.

Nalen Gurer Sandesh / Fresh Cheese Balls with Date Molasses

Whole Milk - 1/2 gallon
Lemon - 1 big, or Organic White Vinegar - 1/4 cup mixed with 1/4 cup water
Nalen Gur / Date Molasses - 10 tbsp

Squeeze juice out of the lemon and sieve the lemon juice so that it has no solid particles. Mix it with half cup 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 or vinegar gradually and stir the milk gently. When the cheese 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 handkerchief.

Wrap the cheese in the cloth, and rinse under cold water for at least 3 minutes, and squeeze well to remove as much liquid as possible.

Once it is drained, place on a dry, clean plate and knead the cheese by dragging the palm of your hand hard for at least 20 minutes until the cheese almost rolls into smooth soft dough.

Add the gur and knead for a few minutes more.

Take this mix in a nonstick pan and cook on very low heat for around 10 minutes till all the moisture is removed.  Remove from heat, knead once more, cool a little and make small flat balls of the mixture.

Adapted from http://ahomemakersdiary.blogspot.com/2011/01/nolen-gurer-sandesh-bengali-cottage.html


Sending this recipe to the event Cook.Eat.Delicious - Desserts happening @ Sensible Vegetarian