Steamed Modak

Rice Flour - 1 cup
Water - 2 cups
Ghee - 2 tbsp
Salt - a pinch

For filling :
Fresh Coconut - 1, grated
Gur / Jaggery - around 1/2 cup, depending on how sweet you want
Poppy Seeds - 1 tsp
Ghee - 1 tbsp
Water - 1 tbsp

Roast the poppy seeds in a heavy bottomed pan for a couple of minutes. Add jaggery and a tbsp of water and let it melt.

Now add the grated coconut and 1 tbsp of ghee and cook on medium low till the mixture comes together, around 10 to 15 minutes. Check for sweetness and add more jaggery if required.

Remove from heat and cool the filling.

Bring 2 cups of water to boil. Add salt and 2 tbsp of ghee. Add the rice powder and mix well. Remove from heat and transfer to a plate. Immediately knead to make a soft ball. Do not let the mix cool down.

Make small balls, flatten them, fill about a tbsp of coconut filling and close the cover and shape them.

Steam in a steamer / rice cooker for 15 minutes.

Serve immediately with dollops of ghee on top.

Mushroom, Arugula & Gruyere Omelette

Organic Eggs - 4
Water - 2 tsp
Olive Oil / Butter - 1 tbsp.
Salt
Pepper
Green Chili - 2 (optional), finely minced
Baby Arugula - a handful
Gruyere Cheese - a few pieces
Cooked Mushrooms - 1/4 cup (optional)

Break the eggs in a bowl. Add 2 tsp water, salt and pepper and beat until just fluffy. Do not overbeat. If using green chili, add it to the mix.

Heat a cast iron skillet. Add the olive oil and pour the beaten eggs and cook on low flame.

Once the eggs are no longer runny, spread mushrooms, baby arugula and gruyere cheese on top and fold into half. Remove from heat and serve immediately.

Shrimp Pad Thai

 

Brown Rice Pad Thai - a handful (can reduce the quantity of noodles and add more cabbage)
Olive Oil - 2 tbsp
Sweet Onion - 1 small, sliced
Garlic - 4 cloves, thinly sliced
Ginger - 1 inch, thinly chopped
Green Chili - 2, finely chopped
Vegetables - 2 cups (a mix of cabbage, red peppers, bean sprouts, carrots)

Shrimp - 8 oz, cooked
Eggs - 2, scrambled

For sauce:
Soy Sauce - 1 tbsp
Tamarind - 1 tsp, soak in 1 tbsp warm water for 15 minutes
Palm Sugar / Jaggery - 1 tbsp, grated
Rice Wine Vinegar - 1/2 tbsp.
Fish Sauce - 1 tsp

Coarsely ground roasted peanuts - 1/4 cup

Cook the noodles according to directions on the box. 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 soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine vinegar, grated palm sugar. Taste the sauce, it should taste sour first and then sweet.

Heat oil in a wok. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, green chili and saute for a minute. Then increase the heat and add chopped vegetables. Cook only for a couple of minutes on high flame. Do not overcook as the vegetables should remain crisp.

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

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

Vegetable Fried Rice, the easy recipe

Cooked Rice - 2 cups, rice should be cooked just till done and at least a few hours before making the                                         fried rice so that it is completely cooled
Clarified Butter / Olive Oil - 1 tbsp.
Sweet Onion - 1/3 cup, finely chopped
Mixed Vegetables - finely chopped - green peas, carrots, green beans, bell peppers
Roasted Unsalted Cashewnuts - a handful
Pulao Masala - 1/2 tsp, optional, if you want spicy Indian flavor or alternatively can add a tbsp of soy sauce for Chinese flavor
Melted Butter - 1 tbsp
Salt and fresh ground black pepper

Heat Olive oil /butter is a large heavy bottomed pot.

Add the chopped onions and cook on medium heat till the onion begins to caramelize.

Then add all the vegetables and cashewnuts and increase the heat. Mix salt and fresh black pepper cook for 5 to 10 minutes on high flame till the vegetables are done but still crisp. Sprinkle pulao masala of soy sauce, if using.

Mix rice, toss well and adjust seasoning. Cook for a couple of minutes more. Adjust seasoning, add a tbsp of melted butter on top and serve hot.

For chicken fried rice - add roasted chopped chicken breasts and scrambled eggs after the vegetables are cooked.

Beetroot and Quinoa Burger

Quinoa - 1/4 cup
Water - 1/2 cup
Beetroot - 1, small
Carrots 1
Potato - 1, small
Black Salt
Oil - 1 tbsp
Onions -1 big, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tbsp
Whole Wheat Bread Crumbs - 1/2 cup
Cornstarch / Arrowroot - 1/4 cup
Roasted Peanuts (coarsely ground) - 2 tbsp
Oil for shallow frying
 
Wash the quinoa and cook with half cup water till done. Fluff with fork and keep aside.

Steam the beetroot, carrot, potato in a steamer and let them cool, Mash the vegetables coarsely and add salt to taste.

Heat oil in a big skillet and add the chopped onions. Fry the onions till golden brown. Add grated ginger and cook for a minute more.

Now add the mashed vegetables and cooked quinoa. Add cumin powder, red chili powder, mix well and cook for a few minutes. Turn off the flame and add roasted peanuts to the above.

Once it is cool, make small balls out of this mixture. Now mix the cornstarch with some water to make a batter. Dip each of the above-made balls in the batter. Afterwards coat each ball with the bread crumbs, press to make like patties and place onto a plate.

Repeat the process for all the balls and then place them in the refrigerator for 1 hour to firm up.

Heat the oil in a skillet and shallow fry each patty on both sides till golden brown. Serve with salad and ketchup.

Spicy Carrot Soup

Carrots - 3, chopped
Grape / Cherry Tomatoes - a handful
Water - 3 cups
White Onion - 1/3 cup, chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, sliced
Garlic Cloves - 3, chopped
Black Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt
For serving:
Butter
Fresh Ground Black Pepper

Mix all the above ingredients together and cook in a pressure cooker on medium low heat. Once full pressure is reached, reduce and cook for a few minutes more.

Remove and cool. Using a high speed blender like vitamix, blend into a smooth paste.

Bring it to boil and check for seasoning. Add water, if required, to bring to desired consistency. Add butter and freshly ground black pepper and serve hot.