My Lunch - Spinach Soup, Fire Roasted Eggplants & Tomato, Pan Fried Cod

 Spinach Soup, Fire Roasted Eggplants & Tomato mashed, Pan Fried Cod

Sweet & Sour Tamarind Chutney

Tamarind - 3 tbsp
Jaggery - 1/4 cup (adjust the amount depending on how sour the tamarind is and how sweet you want the chutney to be)
Dates - a handful, chopped  (If dates are not available, increse the jaggery quantity)
Black Salt - a pinch
Water - 1/2 cup
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp

Soak the tamarind in water for at least an hour. Mash with your fingers to remove the juices. Discard the thick pulp and seeds.

Add jaggery, dates, salt, cumin and red chili powder. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer till it becomes thick.

Cool and mash a bit and use it as a chutney or a dressing for salad.

My Lunch - Kidney Beans, Shrimp & Cabbage

Sautted Cabbage with lentils, Kidney beans and Shrimp

Curd Rice

Soft Cooked Brown Rice / Leftover cooked brown rice - 2 cups
Greek Yogurt - 2 cups
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Urad Dal / Split Black Lentils - 1 tbsp
Green Chilies - 2, chopped
Dried Red Chili - 2, broken into pieces
Ginger - 1 inch, grated
Hing / Asafoetida - 2 pinches
Curry Leaves - 4
Salt

Mash the soft cooked brown rice coarsely. Add yogurt, salt to taste, mix well and keep aside.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add the mustard seeds and once they start popping, add the urad dal. Reduce heat and roast the dal till golden brown.

Add grated garlic, green chilies, dried red chili, curry leaves and hing. Saute for a couple of minutes.

Remove from heat and immediately add the rice yogurt mixture.

Mix well and serve.

My Lunch - Roasted Sweet Potato, Sauteed Spinach and Spicy Shrimp

Roasted Sweet Potato, Sauteed Spinach and Spicy Shrimp

Black and White Wednesday - Figs, Okra, Tomatoes from my Garden

This is my entry for Black and White Wednesdays Week#48 started by Susan of the Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted by Anusha of Tomato Blues.

Pina Colada Smoothie

Light Coconut Milk - 3/4 cup
Frozen Pineapple Chunks - 3/4 cup
Banana - 1 small, cut into chunks and frozen
Raw Honey - 1 tsp
Ground Flax Seeds - 1 tsp
Ice Cubes - 3

Serves one

Blend everything together in vitamix for 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

Raspberry and Mixed Fruit Smoothie

Frozen Raspberries - 1/2 cup
Whole Orange - 1
Whole Apple - 1
Kiwi - 1
Banana - 1
Homemade Cashew Milk / Almond Milk - 3/4 cup
A few cubes of Ice
Honey - 1 tbsp

Serves 2

Blend everything together in Vitamix for 30 seconds and serve immediately.

My Lunch - Sauteed Cabbage, Fresh Carrot Sticks and pan Fried Cod

Sauteed Cabbage, Fresh Carrot Sticks and pan Fried Cod

Chickpea Flour Dumplings in Yogurt Sauce / Kadhi Pakodi

To make dumplings :

Chickpea Flour / Besan / Gram flour - 3/4 cup
Red Onion - 1/2 cup, finely chopped
Boiled Potato - 1 small, grated
Green Chili - 2, finely chopped
Cumin Seeds - 1/4 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch (optional)
Red Chili Powder - 1/4 tsp (optional)
Baking Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Water - 1 cup


To make gravy :

Greek Yogurt - 1 cup
Water - 3 cups
Chickpea Flour / Besan / Gram flour - 2 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp + 1 tbsp
Cumin Seeds - 1/2 tsp + 1/2 tsp
Dried whole red chili - 1
Red Onion - 1/4 cup, finely chopped
Ginger - 1 inch, minced
Turmeric Powder - 1/2 tsp
Red Chili Powder / Cayenne Pepper / Paprika - 1/2 tsp
Salt
Cilantro / Parsley - a handful, chopped, for garnishing

Serves two.

To make dumplings, mix chickpea flour, chopped red onion, grated boiled potato, green chili, cumin seeds, hing, red chili powder, baking soda and salt. Slowly add around a cup of water. The mixture should be thick like a cake batter and not too runny.

Heat a cast iron aebleskiver pan over medium high heat. Add a few drops of oil in each slot. Using a tablespoon fill the batter upto three quarters full in each slot. Let the dumplings cook for a few minutes. When the bottom side has become golden brown, turn the dumplings, add a few drops of oil and cook till the other side is brown. . Remove and keep aside on a paper towel. Cook in batches till the batter is exhausted.

To make the gravy, whisk 1 cup yogurt, 2 cups water, salt, turmeric powder, chili powder and chickpea flour together to make a smooth batter. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a big pan. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds. Then add the finely chopped onion and ginger. Cook on low heat till the onion begins to caramelise.

Remove the pot from heat. Using your left hand, slowly add the yogurt mixture to the pan while whisking the mixture with the right hand.

Put the pan back on low heat and continue to cook for 10 minutes stirring frequently. If the gravy becomes too thick, add some more water.

Remove the gravy from heat and add the fried dumplings. Let the dumplings soak in the gravy for atleast half an hour before serving.

Heat 1 tbsp oil in a small skillet. Add 1/2 tsp cumin seeds and dried whole red chili. Once the cumin seeds begin to sizzle, pour the seasoning over the gravy. Sprinkle chopped cilantro on top and serve as a main dish with steamed brown rice.

Sending this post to the following event http://thewellseasonedcook.blogspot.com/2012/08/announcing-my-legume-love-affair-50.html

Banana Walnut Bread

Ripe Bananas - 3 big
Whole Wheat Flour - 11/2 cups
Butter - 1/3 cup, at room temperature
Egg - 1, at room temperature
Vanilla Extract - 1 tsp
Unrefined Raw Sugar (like Turbinado or Demerara) - 2/3 cup
Raw Whole Walnuts - 11/2 cup
Salt - a pinch
Baking Soda - 1 tsp

Preheat oven to 350F.

Chop the walnuts and keep aside.

Take a large bowl and mash the bananas well with a fork.

Add the soft butter and mix with a wooden spoon.

Add the sugar, beaten egg and vanilla and mix again.

Sieve the whole wheat flour with salt and baking soda and add to the mixture along with the chopped walnuts. Fold the mixture gently, do not over mix.

Pour mixture into a buttered 4x8 loaf pan. Bake for 45 minutes to an hour. Cool and slice to serve.

 

 

 

 

Sending this post to the following event http://daily-cuppa.blogspot.com/2012/07/bake-along-challenge-5.html

My Lunch - Pan Fried Fresh Sardines & Sauteed Spinach

 Pan Fried Fresh Sardines & Sauteed Spinach with Garlic

Black and White Wednesday - Savory Gramflour Dumplings

This is my entry for Black and White Wednesdays for the week of Aug 29 started by Susan of the Well-Seasoned Cook and hosted by Hema of Hema's Adujemane.

Spicy Black Chickpeas / Sukha Kala Chana

Black Chickpeas / Kala Chana - 1 cup
Oil - 1 tbsp
Mustard Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Hing / Asafoetida - a pinch
Turmeric - 1/4 tsp
Red Chili Powder / cayenne Pepper - 1/4 tsp
Roasted Coriander Powder - 1/2 tsp
Roasted Cumin Powder - 1/2 tsp
Aamchur / Dried Green Mango Powder - 1/4 tsp
Salt
Lemon Juice - 1 tsp
Cilantro - a few sprigs, chopped

Soak the kala chana in 3 cups of water overnight.

Drain the water and add 2 cups of fresh water. Cook in a rice cooker / pressure cooker / slow cooker till it is cooked and soft.

Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds. Once they begin to pop, add the cooked chana along with any remaining cooking liquid. Add all the spices and salt and mix well.

Cover and cook for 5 minutes till all the liquid has evaporated. Squeeze lemon juice on top and sprinkle chopped cilantro. Can be served warm or at room temperature.

My Lunch - Sauteed Lacinato Kale & Barramundi Fish Fry

Sauteed Lacinato Kale & Barramundi Fish Fry with Homemade Tomato Sauce