Tag: INDIAN COOKING

QUINOA MASALA KHITCHDI

I love this Khitchdi so much I now only make it with quinoa and not rice. The health benefits of quinoa are immense- low glycemic especially when compared to white rice, high in protein and fibre and a delicious nutty flavour and texture. You can add a variety of vegetables to this dish. I generally make it with leftover veggies to empty out the fridge. Serve it with homemade yogurt, some roasted papads and if you’re allowing yourself an indulgence a nice sweet and spicy pickle. This dish satisfies your tastes buds, nutritional needs, time constraints and truth be told quells my cravings for dessert after!

Ingredients Serves 3-4

50 grams white quinoa washed and soaked

50 grams moong dal or yellow mung beans washed and soaked

50 grams lal masoor or red lentil washed and soaked

2 tbspns vegetable oil

1 tbspns ghee or vegetable oil

1 dried bay leaf

1 inch piece of cinnamon

2 green cardamom

1 black cardamom

4 whole cloves

4 whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

75 grams finely chopped red onion

150 grams chopped plum tomatoes

1 heaped teaspoon garlic and ginger paste

3/4 tsp turmeric powder

1 teaspoon fresh good quality garam masala

2 whole Indian green chillies or jalapeños stalks removed

100 grams cauliflower florets about 3/4 inch pieces

50 grams carrots diced

50 grams of shelled corn

50 grams shelled green peas

lime wedges and cilantro/coriander leaves to garnish

jaggery and salt to taste

yogurt, pickle and roasted papad as accompaniments

Quinoa Masala khichdi

Quinoa Masala Khichdi

METHOD

Drain both the lentils and quinoa in a sieve and reserve.

Heat ghee and oil in a pressure cooker or Dutch oven on high heat and add green and black cardamom, cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns and bay leaf and sauce 1 minute until fragrant. With slotted spoon remove all the spices except bay leaf and discard. Now add the cumin and cook one minute till it sizzles.

Add onions and saute till soft. Add tomatoes and a teaspoon of salt and cook 3-4 minutes until tomatoes are soft, pulpy and begin to release oil. Add the garlic and ginger and cook 1-2 minutes stirring to prevent burning.

Add lentils, quinoa, garam masala and turmeric and saute 2 minutes. Add enough hot water to cover the lentils and cook 5 minutes on high until it begins to dry.

Stir in veggies, jaggery, 1/2 teaspoon salt and enough water to cover the veggies. Close the pressure cooker, lower heat to medium and cook for 1 whistle or until tender and ready to eat.

Release steam and open cooker. If veggies are still firm and another cup of hot water and pressure cook until tender.

Add more salt, jaggery to taste.

Squeeze lime juice just before you serve the khitchdi.

Garnish with chopped coriander leaves .

Quinoa masala khichri with vegetables

KALAN KERALA STYLE VEGETABLE, FRUIT AND BEAN STEW

KALA KERALA STYLE VEGETABLE STEW PHOTO:NIKHIL

Kalan is always prepared for onam sadya but its a great dish for anyday.mine is adapted because i put in several veggies and legumes to to make it a dish that can be a complete meal. you can substitute some of these items. LEAVE OUT THE DRUMSTICKS if you prefer AND USE doodhi instead of ash gourd, red peas instead of black eyed peas.

For VegETABLES

  • 200 grams raw banana peeled and diced into 1/2 inch pieces
  • 250 grams peeled and diced ash gourd in 1 inch pieces
  • 10 2 inch long pieces of drumsticks, moringa or shevya che shenga
  • 1 cup black eyed peas soaked in water overnight

For Coconut Paste

  •  stalks removed
  • ½ teaspoon mustard or cumin seeds
  • ¼ to ⅓ cup water – for grinding

Other Ingredients

  • 1 cup sour curd
  • ¼ cup water to be added later – add only if required and if the gravy is very thick

 

For Tempering Kalan

  • 1/2
  • 1  tablespoon vegetable oil
  •  lightly crushed
  •  2 dried red chilies
  • 10 to 12 fresh green curry leaves

Method

Put  5 cups of water in a pressure cooker and add the black eyed peas, drumsticks, turmeric, 1 tsp salt and black pepper. Cook on medium heat for 2 whistles. Add remaining veggies and more water if required and pressure cooker for another whistle.

While vegetables are cooking grind ingredients for coconut paste and whisk the yogurt to a smooth consistency

Put the coconut paste and yogurt in a skillet on medium heat. keep stirring or it will split. Cook  until it comes to a rapid heat then pour over the veggies and stir. . Add more water if required and cook 5 minutes stirring from time to time. Add salt and jaggery if required to balance flavours.

Heat oil in a heatproof pan on high hear. Add all the spices and cook till they sizzle.

Pour over Kalan and mix well. Serve with boiled rice or chapatis.

EASY PANEER KORMA WITH PEAS

 

250 GRAM ANEER CUT IN SMALL CUBES

200 ML CREAM

10-12 UNSALTED CASHEWS, HALVED TOASTED LIGHTLY

1/4 CUP VEGETABLE OIL

1 DRIED BAY LEAF

1 BLACK CARDAMOM

1 INCH PIECE OF CINNAMON

100 GRAMS ONION FINELY CHOPPED

2 GREEN CHILLIES SLIT

150 GRAMS TOMATO PUREE

2 TBSPNS GARLIC AND GINGER PUREE

1 TBSP FRESH GOOD QUALITY GARAM MASALA

1 CUP FROZEN PEAS

RED CHILLI POWDER AND SALT TO TASTE

METHOD

HEAT OIL ON A MEDIUM FLAME AND SAUTE THE DRIED SPICES FOR A MINUTE. REMOVE AND DISCARD WITH A SLOTTED SPOON.

ADD ONIONS AND GREEN CHILLIES COOK TILL SOFT.

ADD GARLIC GINGER PASTE AND SAUTE AGAIN ABOUT 1 MINUTE.

ADD TOMATOES AND COOK UNTIL SOFT AND PULPY.

ADD GARAM MASALA AND STIR WELL. COOK UNTIL OOIL L;EAVES THE SIDES OF THE MASALA.

ADD A 1/4 TEASPOON CHILLI POWDER. COOK UNTIL PEAS ARE TENDER. DISCARD GREEN CHILLIES. COOL AND PUREE. STIR IN CREAM AND SALT AND RETURN TO A LOW FLAME.

ADD THE PANEER  AND STIR WELL.

ADD MORE CHILLI POWDER AND SALT TO TASTE. LET SIMMER ON A LOW FLAME ABOUT 3-4 MINUTES.

GARNISH WITH CASHEWS.

SERVE WITH BREADS SUCH AS PARATHA, ROTI OR KULCHA.

 

EGG SALAD WITH VINEGARED ONIONS AND TOMATOES

Egg Salads can be spiced and flavoured in many ways. This is a recipe I make at home when I want a quick lunch.

 

INGREDIENTS FOR 4

8 SLICES GOOD QUALITY SANDWICH BREAD THICKLY SLICED OR CRACKERS OF YOUR CHOICE

SOFTENED UNSALTED BUTTER (OPTIONAL)

LETTUCE LEAVE SOF YOUR CHOICE

1 CUP HOME-MADE MAYONNAISE (REFER RECIPE) OR GOOD QUALITY STORE BROUGHT EGG BASED MAYO

8 SOFT BOILED EGGS PEELED AND QUARTERED (REFER HOW TO BOIL AN EGG)

1/2 CUP RED ONION FINELY CHOPPED AND SOAK IN A TEASPOON OF WHITE VINEGAR

7-8  FIRM CHERRY TOMATOES QUARTERED OR 2 SMALL FIRM PLUM TOMATO CHOPPED FINELY, LIQUIDS DISCARDED

1 TSP TOMATO PASTE OR KETCHUP

CAYENNE PEPPER OR RED CHILLI POWDER

1/4 CUP FINELY CHOPPED CURLY PARSLEY OR FRESH CORIANDER LEAVES

METHOD

 

COMBINE THE MAYONNAISE, TOMATO PASTE OR KETCHUP, 1/2 TSP CAYENNE PEPPER, 1 TEASPOON SALT, CORIANDER OR PARSLEY, TOMATOES AND ONIONS AND STIR WELL. ADD THE EGGS AND MASH CORASELY.

ADJUST FOR SEASONINGS.

BUTTER BREAD OF YOUR CHOICE. PLACE THE SALAD LEAVES OVER THE BREAD AND THEN SPREAD THE EGG SALAD OVER IT. GARNISH WITH CORIANDER OR PARSLEY LEAVES AND SPRINKLE LIGHTLY WITH CAYENNE.

 

BRINJAL/EGGPLANT/AUBERGINE BADENEKAYI GOJJU

This is a style of roasted and mashed eggplant from the  southern state of Karnataka.

It differs a fair bit from Maharashtra’s Vaangi Bharit and Punjab’s Baigan Bharta recipes which you will also find on the website.

You can watch the video on my Instagram feed @deshpandetara

SERVES 4

2 400 GRAM FIRM, PURPLE BRINJAL OR ITALIAN EGGPLANTS

1/2 TSP URAD OR WHITE BENGAL GRAM

1/2 TSP MUSTARD SEEDS

1/4 TSP FENUGREEK SEEDS (OPTIONAL)

PINCH ASAFETIDA

1 TSP TAMARIND EXTRACT OR TO TASTE

1 TABLESPOON CASHEW PIECES UNSALTED

1 TABLESPOON CASHEW POWDER ROASTED AND UNSALTED

1-2 iNDIAN GREEN CHILIES CHOPPED COARSELY (TO TASTE)

1/2 TSP JAGGERY (TO TASTE)

1/2 TBSP PEELED AND CHOPPED GINGER ROOT

1/2 TSP TURMERIC POWDER

3 TABLESPOONS VEGETABLE OIL

CHOPPED CILANTRO OR CORIANDER LEAVES FOR GARNISH

 

METHOD-

Slow roast the whole eggplants on an open flame or over a charcoal grill until they turn soft and fall apart. Cool them then slowly peel off the charred skin. Lightly wash them, remove larger seeds and puree ion a blender with tamarind.

Heat half the vegetable oil on a high flame.Add onions, green chillies and ginger and sauce well. Add to the brinjal puree and blend again.

Heat remaining oil in the same skillet. Add urad dal, then mustard and fenugreek seeds and asafoetida and sauce 1 minute. Add onions and cashew pieces and saute 1 minute.

Add turmeric and saute quickly. Immediately add eggplant puree and stir well. Stir I cashew or peanut powder. Add salt to taste. Adjust tamarind and jaggery.

Garnish with fresh chopped coriander leaves.

Serve hot with rice or flatbreads such as chapatis or rotis or with idlis.