Spicy Okra Curry with Onion and Tomato

Tender Okra - 30
Oil - 2 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Green Chili - 3, finely chopped
Onion - 1/2 cup, chopped
Tomato - 1, chopped
Curry Powder / Roasted coriander cumin powder - 1/2 tsp
Turmeric Powder - a pinch
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Salt

Wash the okra and dry them completely. Cut into half inch roundels.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add the cut okra, turmeric and salt. Saute on medium flame. The okras pieces may become a little slimy in the beginning but as they begin to cook, the sliminess goes away. Saute till the okras are completely cooked and dry. Remove and keep aside.

Heat the remaining 1 tbsp oil Add mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the hing, chopped green chilies and chopped onion. Saute till the onion starts to caramelise.

Now add the chopped tomato, curry powder and red chili powder. Cook for a few minutes till the tomato begins to break down.

Add the cooked okra pieces and mix everything well. Cook for a few minutes more.

Serve hot with steamed brown rice and dal.

Guacamole

Ripe Avocados - 4
Fresh Lemon Juice - 2 tbsp
Red Onion - 1/2 cup, chopped
Cilantro - a handful, chopped
Tomato - 1 small, chopped
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Garlic - 1 clove, minced
Jalapeno - 1, finely chopped
Salt

Remove the pulp from the avocado and immediately add the lemon juice. Mash it coarsely with a fork.

Add chopped red onion, tomato, minced garlic, jalapeno, roasted cumin powder and salt. Mix well and leave aside for 15 minutes. Serve with whole grain corn chips or pita chips.

Yellow Split Peas Khichdi / Mator Dal Khichudi

Yellow Split Peas / Mator Dal - 3/4 cup
Red Lentils / Masoor Dal - 1/4 cup
Brown Rice - 3/4 cup
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Green Chili - 4, finely chopped
Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Frozen Green Peas - 1 cup
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Tomato - 1, chopped
Salt
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp

Wash the lentils and brown rice together and keep aside.

Heat oil in a pressure cooker pan. Add the cumin seeds. Once they begin to sizzle, add the chopped green chili and onion and saute till the onion gets soft.

Now add the lentil rice mix, chopped tomato, cumin coriander red chili powder and salt. Mix well and saute for a minute.

Add 4 cups of water and close the lid. Once full pressure is reached, reduce the heat and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

Once it cools down a little, remove the pressure and add the frozen peas. Close the lid again and let the khichdi sit aside for 10 minutes before serving. Serve with roasted papad.

Whole Grain Pasta in a mushroom thyme sauce

Whole Wheat Elbow Pasta / Brown Rice Pasta - 1 cup
Sliced Button Mushroom - 2 cups
Olive Oil - 1 tbsp
Shallot - 1, finely chopped
Garlic - 3 cloves, finely sliced
Fresh Thyme - a couple of sprigs, tear off the tiny leaves
Heavy Cream - 1/4 cup

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, heat olive oil in a big skillet. Add the shallots and garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook till they get soft. Now add the sliced mushroom and saute till the mushroom is cooked.

Add the heavy cream and thyme leaves. Cook till the sauce reaches desired consistency. Drain the pasta and add it directly to the sauce. Mix well and serve.

Chhoto Alur Dom / Baby Potato Curry, sans onion and garlic

Baby Potatoes - 1 lb
Frozen peas - 1/2 cup
Peanut Oil - 3 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1 tsp
Dried whole red chili - 3
Bay leaf - 1
Ginger - 2 inch, about 1 tbsp ginger paste
Tomatoes - 2
Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1 tsp
Salt
Turbinado Sugar - 1/2 tsp
Water - 3 cups

Scrub and wash the baby potatoes and dry them well. Pierce all over with a fork. Heat a tbsp of oil in a skillet and add the potatoes. Sprinkle a pinch of turmeric and salt. Mix well and cover and cook the potatoes for around 5 minutes (stirring frequently) till they are half cooked. Remove and keep aside.

In the same pan, add remaining 2 tbsp oil. Add the cumin seeds, bay leaf and dried red chili. Saute for a few seconds.

Now reduce the heat and add the ginger paste. Cut the tomatoes into half. Grate in a hand grater with the cut side down. Discard the peel. Add the grated tomato, turmeric, red chili powder, cumin coriander powder and mix well. Saute for around 5 minutes till the masala is all cooked and oil oozes out.

Now add the half cooked baby potatoes, frozen peas, salt, sugar and 3 cups of water. Bring it to boil and cover and simmer till the potatoes are very soft and the gravy has reached the desired consistency.

Serve with whole grain paratha or steamed brown rice.

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.