Onion and Kale Fritters – Mixed Up Piyanjee

April 26, 2013 2 Comments

Onion Pakoras with TeaI recently ended up as a part of a conversation somewhere in the facebook world on authenticity and after sort of supporting both sides of the arguement I am not really sure where I ended. Well, I am a Libra, I know when I was growing up following one’s zodiac was serious business. I will date myself even further and tell you that a popular book amongs me and the friendship clan was Linda Goodman’s Zodiac Signs, which it turns out was the first astrology book to make the New York Times Bestseller list, illustrating the fact that I had company in my silly reading. In case you are wondering, a the Libran symbol are the scales and they are supposed to always work towards balancing things. And whenever my equilibrium shifts a little I make some variation of onion fritters also called piyanjee in Bengali.

Well, while the bit on equilibrium is not entirely true, we do love these onion ring fritters in my house. My husband of course calls them pakoras. Actually, these classic naturally gluten-free and vegan-fritters are called different thing in different parts of India, but all tend to have the same lovely crisp and savory sweetness of red onions cloaked in nutritious and crispy chickpea batter.

Onion Pakoras or Piyanjees

 

 In fact, the line in our household is, you say pakora, I say piyanjee, lets call the whole thing off. Well, the interesting thing about these fritters is that they can take a whole assortment of variations, depending on the nuances of spices used. I have used some thyme from are garden in lieu of carom seeds to make this particular version. It is available in bounty and adds a nice and simple touch of freshness. I also added some curry leaves and tender kale leaves on a touch of whimsy. The kale was in lieu of spinach which is something that I normally add.

IMG_5637-horz

 

The only caution that I offer is to ensure that you are working with medium hot oil, ensure that the batter is not too thick, there should not be too much batter over the onions, as it will overpower the sweet crispiness of the onions.

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Onion and Kale Fritters – Mixed Up Piyanjee

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: about 20 fritters

An variation of classic Indian onion fritters with kale, onions, thyme and curry leaves. Perfect with a cup of tea!

Ingredients

  • 2 medium sized red onions, halved and thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup chopped baby kale leaves or spinach
    • For the batter
  • 1 cup of besan or chickpea flour
  • 15 curry leaves
  • 11/2 tablespoons thyme or 1/4 teaspoon carom seeds
  • 3/4 teaspoon red cayenne powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 tablespoon finely chopped cilantro
  • Oil for frying

Instructions

  1. Separate the pieces and layers of the onions and set aside with the kale or spinach.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk the besan, thyme, red cayenne powder, salt, turmeric and cilantro.
  3. Stir in about 1 cup of cold water, this should be done gradually to ensure a batter that is slightly thinner than pancake batter, but thick enough to coat.
  4. Stir in the onions and spinach.
  5. In a heavy bottom skillet add about 1 and 1/2 cups of canolla oil, about 11/2 inches deep. Heat the oil until a crumb when tested dances up to the surface.
  6. Add about 2 tablespoons of the batter, gently allowing the onions to fan out in strands.
  7. Fry on medium heat for about 2 to 3 minutes on each side, this should NOT be done on high heat.
  8. Turn and fry again, the color of the fritters should be a comfortable golden brown color.
  9. Remove from the fire, drain on paper towels and serve.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Curry Leaves, Fritters, Gluten Free, Kale, Onion Pakoras, Onions, Piyanjee, Spring, Vegan

Pindi Choley – Dark and Spicy Chickpeas

March 24, 2013 Leave a Comment

Pindi Chana- Dark and Spicy North Indian ChickpeasTechinically, today was the start of the spring break for the kids. It offers a break in pace since this weekend we did not have the usual childrens activities. It always helps to actually have a weekend.

I am however never very happy, when I cannot take the holiday week off. Although, travelling into work during a quite week has its advantages, one of them being quieter, emptier trains. This time anyway,  the kids are happy about a new program they are doing for a week. So, I am getting into work the next three days with Thursday and Friday off making it a long weekend.

Today, all things considered turned out to be a long day that brought in a mixed bag of activities and I spent the evening recharging myself in the kitchen as I always do when the spirits need a little bit of “pick up”.

I actually had chickpeas on my mind. Well, strictly speaking, chickpeas and kabocha just because I picked up my first kabocha squash this weekend. I realize it is a winter squash, but the weather does seem a little confused this year, with the cold temperature we are having despite the official start of spring.  Now back to the chickpeas,  they have been on my mind ever since I posted this recipe because my friend Chitra wanted a non slower cooker recipe. Slow cookers are ok and some of us tend to like having them around, but the reality is that the pressure cooker is what makes it to the kitchen as an essential. Most Indian cooks worth their salt have at least a couple in different sizes. So, when she told me that she did not not have a slow cooker, I was pretty sure that she had a pressure cooker and right I was.

There are many style of cooking chickpeas, however broadly speaking the north Indian styPC1medles fall into two broad categories, a soft gravy based variety and this drier variation usually enjoyed with flatbread. Quiet often the puffy deep fried sourdough bread called bhatura or soft leavened baked breads called kulcha. I did not quite have the interest to make either, but I did make the basic chapatis and we were all happy.

So, pindi chole, aparently originated in Rawalpindi, and the variation that I offer here is what my mother in law tends to prefer, except she makes this sans onions, since she does not eat onions. It certainly is starker and does not depend on onion and garlic for its sauce. The soft chicpeas here are coated with spices, finished off with toasted ginger and chrushed dried pomegranate seeds. As of the the dark color, this comes from a tea bag, which was rather difficult for me to find today because, I am a loose leaf tea drinker and the husband usually drinks what I make or tends to stick to green tea. But, ultimately I did find something stuck in a corner waiting to be used.

All good, so here is the recipe and one of these days you will see my other variation.

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Pindi Choley – Dark and Spicy Chickpeas

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 50 minutes

Total Time: 60 minutes

Yield: 6 servings

A recipe for dark spice crusted chickpeas, in the punjabi style of cooking.

Ingredients

    For boiling the Chickpeas
  • 3/4 cup chana (dried chickpeas) (soaked overnight
  • 2 cups of water
  • 1 black teabag (this is for color)
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 black cardamoms
  • 2 to 3 cloves
  • 2 green cardamoms
  • 1 large (about 2 inch stick) cinnamon
    • For the cooking base
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
  • 1 medium sized red onion, diced
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 3/4 teaspoon amchur (dried mango powder) (can be substituted with juice of a lime
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
    • To Finish
  • 1 teaspoon oil
  • 1 tablespoon very finely diced ginger (you can add in julienned pieces if desired)
  • 1 teaspoon dried pomegranate seeds (anardana)

Instructions

  1. Place the chickpeas in the pressure cooker, with the water, tea bag, salt, cinnamon, cloves and black and green cardamoms and cook for 35 to 40 minutes. The key to this dish is soft and well cooked chickpeas.
  2. Cool and remove the lid, strain the chickpeas and reserve the water after discarding the tea bag and whole spices.
  3. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and with the seeds begin to sizzle add in the onion and ginger.
  4. Cook the onion until the onion is soft and turning gently golden, add in the chickpeas and stir well.
  5. Add in the dried mango powder, black pepper and the red chili powder and add in the reserved spice water and simmer and cook until all the water is absorbed.
  6. To finish, heat the remaining teaspoon oil add in the ginger and saute for about 1 minute.
  7. Pour this over the chickpeas.
  8. Crush the chickpeas and pour over the chickpeas. Serve hot with sliced red onions if desired.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Amchur, Anardana, Chana, Chickpeas, Chitra, Dry Chickpeas, Gluten Free, Pindi Choley, Vegan

Super Simple Slow Cooker Chana Masala (chickpeas)

February 21, 2013 13 Comments

All right, so once you are done wincing at the title of my post, you will realize that I am trying, truly trying to get people (well, mostly one person) to take a shot at this chana masala.  This dish is an Indian style curried  chickpea dish that has lasted with me for a while.

In India, this dish actually has a super simple name  – chole or chickpeas, but let us not get sidetracked with names.

I am actually trying to sell this dish to my dear friend Julianna, who is not really very fond of cooking. However,  since she wanted to give the slow cooker a shot I thought this might be the one. 

In fact, given her love for Indian food she might just get as hooked on to this recipe as the rest of my family. This dish like her is reliable, comforting and totally unpretentious but never fails to hit the spot.

My behaviour  with this recipe actually reminds me of my seven year old. Aadi loves geography and is very good at it, actually much at the subject than can be expected from his relatively young years.

To compensate, I am just as bad at geography, this makes the little one keep trying fun ways to try to teach me the spread of the world. Yesterday, he even gave me a sticker for my efforts.

Well, back to the dish itself, it has a bit of a history.

Many moons ago, at graduate school I was invited to an international potluck and asked to bring something for thirty people. Those  days I did not quite have the ability to toss things together the way I do today, I also had a more frugal culinary budget and cooking for thirty people seemed like such a daunting number.

To allay my fears, my friend Lina offered me her slow cooker. Now, I was not sure what to do with it. I had seen her throw things Super Simple Slow Cooker Chana Masalainto it and actually serve herself and some of us some pretty decent creations, but this was nothing like any of mom’s pots and pans.

As for the chickpeas, I had become pretty reliant on them and possibly could tackle them for a crowd. I decided to give the slow cooker a try and actually got some scallions to dress up the dish. I did not realize that I was creating a dish that would work and stay with me for almost two decades.

Even my children love it without the chilies. The best part of it all is that it pretty much cooks by itself.

While I do add the onions and tomatoes later in the game, I finish the prepping in one fell swoop and enjoy this dish with or without a crowd.

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Super Simple Slow Cooker Chana Masala

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 6 hours

Total Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

An easy variation of curried chickpeas done in a slow cooker.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup dried chickpeas (garbanzo beans)
  • 2 and 1/2 cups water
  • salt to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 red onion, cut into a dice
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 2 teaspoons cumin-coriander powder
  • 3 tomatoes
  • 1 inch piece peeled fresh ginger
  • 2 green chilies
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • 3/4 cup chopped scallions
  • 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place the chickpeas, water, salt and turmeric in the slow cooker and set to a 6 hour cycle on high.
  2. After about 4 hours, add in the onions, oil and the cumin coriander powder.
  3. Grind the tomatoes, ginger and green chilies into a puree in a blender and place in the slow cooker and let this cook for the remaining two hours.
  4. The chickpeas should be very soft and the gravy thick, bright and saucy.
  5. Turn off the slow cooker and stir in the garam masala and let the mixture rest for 15 minutes.
  6. Cut the lime or lemon and squeeze in the juice. Stir in the scallions (reserving a little for garnish if desired) and the cilantro and serve.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Slow Cooking, Uncategorized Tagged With Chickpeas, Garam Masla, Gluten Free, Indian Cooking, Julianna, North Indian, Slow Cooker, Vegan

Forbidden Black Rice with Ginger and Coconut

January 16, 2013 2 Comments

Ironically enough, it is really when the weekend hits I am left with no doubts that the vacation is indeed over. For all its wonderful moments, the vacation left me with a bug that I am still recovering from leaving me mostly equipped for dealing with the ongoing this too barely.  So, the kitchen has been mostly relegated to anyone who chooses to cook in it through the week.

On Friday, however to shake myself out of the blues I went food shopping and came back with a bag of black rice among the essentials. I realize that this may sound strange, but it is in trying new ingredients that I feel happy and winter leaves a lot of room for all of this since the garden and its bounty does not keep me on my toes. 

Playing with colored rice is not typical in my kitchen, sure I do the occasional brown rice thing, I tend to prefer Quinoa to brown rice and for most practical purposes, the white snowy grains of Basmati is what makes the starch engine in our household run. An aged grain, it does work as a complex carbohydrate, but today is not about white basmati but about the shiny black grains of rice that I picked up.

It turns out Black rice is naturally black and of course an unpolished grain. I first cooked it up and we enjoyed it plain, it works nicely with curried slightly nutty and complex. 

Interestingly enough, a couple of days of the weekend Mommy shuttle, I was back to feeling low. I have been indulging in a little bit of extra sleep since Sunday and it has actually been great.  There are lots of good food thoughts, I want to share with you and lots of dishes that I want to cook, but, I will do it all once I feel stronger.  I have so far started the year on low key note in terms of food changes. I must be learning, my resolve for January and the rest of the months is to be very fastidious about getting in my five servings of fruits or vegetables a day and the past two weeks, I have been succeeding. Simple and attainable goal!

I did sneak in something simple but surprisingly flavorful with the black rice and that is what I will share with you today. I added a touch of ginger, hint of coconut and finished it off with lime. This dish was very simple and complimented the naturally sweet carrot stir-fry that I made with it perfectly. 

The grain cooks up slightly sticky and changes to a very deep and pretty shade of purple, so the rice is also called forbidden rice or purple rice.

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Forbidden Rice with Ginger and Coconut

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A simple and flavorful preparation with black or forbidden rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup of black or forbidden rice
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1/2 fresh lime or lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat the coconut oil on medium heat until the oil is nice and hot.
  2. Add in the ginger and saute lightly until fragrant.
  3. Add in the salt and the rice and stir well.
  4. Add in the water and bring to a simmer and cover and cook the rice for 40 minutes on medium low heat.
  5. The water should evaporate and the rice should be soft at this point.
  6. Let the rice rest for 5 minutes, remove the cover, fluff the rice, squeeze in the lime and serve.
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Forbidden Rice with Ginger and Coconut

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: Serves 4

A simple and flavorful preparation with black or forbidden rice.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 tablespoon finely minced ginger
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/2 cup of black or forbidden rice
  • 3 cups of water
  • 1/2 fresh lime or lemon

Instructions

  1. Heat the coconut oil on medium heat until the oil is nice and hot.
  2. Add in the ginger and saute lightly until fragrant.
  3. Add in the salt and the rice and stir well.
  4. Add in the water and bring to a simmer and cover and cook the rice for 40 minutes on medium low heat.
  5. The water should evaporate and the rice should be soft at this point.
  6. Let the rice rest for 5 minutes, remove the cover, fluff the rice, squeeze in the lime and serve.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Uncategorized Tagged With Black Rice, Coconut, Ginger, Gluten Free, Lime, Rice, Vegan

Tangy Lentils tempered with Curry Leaves and Red Chilies

January 5, 2013 4 Comments

 

If you are expecting the first post of the year to be reflective, this one probably will not disappoint terribly.  These lentils were one of the last meals that I had made for all of us. Simple, nourishing and full of the citrusy fragrance of curry leaves.

I did not think that I would post before I reached back to the US, on the 7th, but I guess I missed the space and was sorting through some pictures when this recipe called my name.

Chances are I would love have a steaming bowl of these lentils waiting for me once I return, but one of the downsides of being the houses resident chef is that nothing really waits for me until it is made.

This trip to India, was interesting for me since I actually did not stop in Kolkata, but rather was in Delhi and spent a lot of time travelling. I will share my travels with you over time as I do, in my own lop-sided way.  Landing at the airport still brought with me the tightening of my chest knowing that there was no Dad waiting in anticipation for my call letting him know that I had arrived. Some glimses of emotion will not go away.

  I did not really explore much of the food scene in Delhi, but did make stops at Nirula’s where I loved their ice-cream sunday and savored their chole bhatura but was rather disappointed by their chili chicken. Not surprisingly, Indo-Chinese remains a Kolkata speciality.

A meal at Sarawana Bhavan, left me almost returning for more the next day. Those flavors rocked in their finish and clean and pure simplicity. The kids loved their dosa so much they actually had one and a half each. I enjoyed my Thali, cannot help wondering why all restaurants do not have a thali concept. For those unfamiliar with a thali, it is the India version of a plated meal where all the course are served together in small bowls on a large plate called the Thali. I did some stops at Old Delhi, this one I will cover at a later point.

Now, that I have stimulated your senses do I really expect you to get excited about a simple dal recipe, actually I do. Lentils on the Indian table have a hallowed presence. They are both the simplest and the the deepest of meals, soulful and comforting. This recipe has notes of South India, in their simple flavors. It gets done almost effortlessly in the pressure cooker. This version is made with Tuvar Dal or Pigeon Pea lentils, also known as Arhar Dal.

 

 

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Tangy Lentils tempered with Curry Leaves and Red Chilies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 3 to 4 servings

A tangy creations with lentils, tomatoes and a simple South Indian style tempering.

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup tuvar dal (pigeon pea lentils)
  • 1 and 1/2 cups water
  • 1 medium sized onion, finely diced
  • 2 teaspoons fresh ginger paste
  • 2 tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1/3 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
  • Salt to taste
    • To temper and finish
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1/8 teaspoon asafetida
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 2 to 3 dried red chilies broken
  • 1 lemon or lime
  • Cilantro to garnish

Instructions

  1. Place the lentils in a pressure cooker, with the water, onion and ginger paste.
  2. Add in the tomatoes, turmeric, red cayenne pepper and salt and stir and cover and cook until pressure for 15 minutes.
  3. Cool and remove the cover and mix the lentils well.
  4. Heat the oil in a small pan for a couple of minutes.
  5. Add in the black mustard seeds and wait for them to crackle. Add in the asafetida followed by the curry leaves and dried red chilies and cook for a few seconds.
  6. Pour the oil into the lentils and mix well.
  7. Squeeze in the lemon juice and add some chopped cilantro.
  8. Serve with steamed rice.
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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Regional Indian, Uncategorized Tagged With Dal, Gluten Free, lemon, Lentils, Pigeon Pea Lentils, Tuvar Dal, Vegan, Vegetarian, Winter

Red Lentils with Cilantro and Tomatoes – Mooshurir Dal

December 1, 2012 Leave a Comment

 

Today is one of those Fridays, when I am glad this it is Friday. A cold evening, when I am ready for my favorite bowl of red lentils with steaming rice. The great thing about red lentils is that we all love it, especially the kids.

 I am hardly the first person who had referred to a book project as a baby, here is one of my favorite bloggers talking about her book baby. The irony is that this paper creature is a lot like the proverbial baby who induces pride but shortly after her birth (yes, my book is a she, I have a strong preference for girl babies, something that my daughter will proudly confirm). Anyhow I digress, the point is that like my other two babies, I was tired and exhausted in the early days.

These past two weeks have been fun, especially with the kick-off of the two by two event, here is a preview of what this Sunday’s round up will look like, so today I took a break and cooked up a comfort dish from my own book.

Yes, that is one advantage of the book, I can refer to my own favorite recipes. And, yes we have the first video for this blog…

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Filed Under Bengali, Bengali Five Spice, Grains and Lentils Tagged With Bengali Five Spice, Bengali Food, cilantro, Comfort Food, Cooking Video, Dal, Gluten Free, Indian Cooking, Red lentils, Side Dishes, tomatoes, Vegetarian

Stormy Night Lentils – Tuvar Ki Dal

October 29, 2012 1 Comment

Hurricane Sandy is blowing, blistering and making her way through New York. I have been winking, ok, closing my eyes through all the new since friday and listening to things getting bad to worse. Once upon a time, one could ignore weather warnings and it would go away. Things were not quite so precise a few years back and maybe this is my version of memory, the weatherman always seemed to exagerate and at the end of things it all worked out much better.

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Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Regional Indian Tagged With Dal, Dal Chaval, Dil, Ginger, Hurricanes, Mustard, North Indian, Pressure Cooker, Tuvar Dal

Summer Intertia – Eggplant and Purslane Pilaf

October 6, 2012 Leave a Comment

This time of year, I move into Fall, with anticipation and joy at the colorful translation of the landscapes. It is also the time of the year, when I do not want to lose sight of some of the good summer recipes that I did not have time to share with you. So, here is my Eggplant rice with Purslane. It is an adaptation of the classic Vangi Bhaat or South Indian style Eggplant Pilaf. The outside is slowing down, but we still get a steady supply of greens and enough lone vegetables to keep us going.

This week seems to have been all about the book, even though I had promised myself when the time came I would not lose focus. I guess, the book is much like a new baby that steals the show from everything else in the house. I remember how unprepared I was for the older one, anxious, nervous and hard on myself. My son Aadi, though more of a handful, had been easier just because I was more prepared and also more willing to be easier on myself.  Being a good learner most of the time, I have realized that the it is ok not to be perfect and also learnt to forgive myself for mistakes as a mom.

This has helped me make peace with the fact that I will not be great at promoting the book baby. This being said, it will be special to me.

Now, back to cooking, this time of the year I often have several residual summer dishes, that I have to decide whether to blog and share for posterity or just forget and let them meander into nothingness, this fresh and lively pilaf, a riff on the classic version called Vangi Bhat, was certainly worth bringing out and saving for next summer when both the eggplants and purslane will grow.

Purslane, grows on its own terms a colorful and nutritious weed. I was exceedingly surprised when I realized that it is quite popular in Southern India, and aparently was also liked and eaten by Gandhi. The taste of this plant varies with the time of the day, it is eaten and usually tends to be tarter in the mornings and more mellow and almost sweet in the evenings.

So, it was a happy and colorful marriage, when I paired it with eggplant and peanuts in this colorful rice dish. Given how much we all liked it, chances are this will be a long lasting late summer marriage. In that, we shall see the duo and welcome them again, next summer.

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Summer Intertia – Eggplant and Purslane Pilaf

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes

Yield: 4 to 6

A brightly colored light and nutritious one dish meal.

Ingredients

  • 1/3 cup raw shelled peanut
  • 2 tablespoons oil (olive or mustard)
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 small red onion, diced
  • 11/2 teaspoons ginger paste
  • 2 dried red chilies
  • 1 medium sized eggplant, diced
  • 1 cup of basmati rice, washed throughly
  • 2 cups of water
  • 3/4 teaspoon turmeric
  • Salt to taste
  • 1/2 cup finely chopped purslane

Instructions

  1. 1. In a skillet, dry roast the peanuts until they are a few shades darker and are fragrant, this will take about 5 minutes, and needs to be watched and shaken while cooking.
  2. 2. Set the peanuts aside.
  3. 3. In a cooking pot add the oil and heat on medium heat for about 45 seconds.
  4. 4. Add in the black mustard seeds and wait unitl the mustard seeds begin to pop.
  5. 5. Add in the red onion and the red chilies and stir well and saute for about 4 minutes until the onion melts and is transluscent.
  6. 6. Add in the eggplant and stir well. Cover and lower the heat and let the eggplant cook for about 4 minutes, it should be somewhat tender at this point.
  7. 6. Add in the rice and the water and mix well.
  8. 7. Add in the turmeric and the salt and when the water is simmering, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
  9. 8. Remove the cover, at this point the water should be almost absorbed and the rice fluffy and yellow.
  10. 9. Stir in the purslane and the peanuts and mix with the light hand.
  11. 10. Cover and cook for another 3 minutes and turn off the heat and let the rice rest for 5 minutes before serving.
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Filed Under Ginger, Grains and Lentils, Local and Backyard Cooking, Turmeric, Uncategorized Tagged With Eggplant, Mustard Seeds, One Dish meal, peanuts, Purslane, Rice, Summer, Vangi Bhaat, Vegan

White Bean Spread/Dip in a Slow Cooker

July 12, 2012 1 Comment

The truth of the matter is, I do not really function well when it is very hot. I tend to get tired, and even the kitchen which is my usual solace seems to become a rather unwelcome place. Well, that is when I turn to my slow cooker, this week it was to create a white bean dip. Grilling on a really hot day never quite made much sense to me. I am strange that way.

The kids have settled nicely into camp. They are finally enjoying it. I too have gotten into a routine. They get an extra half hour in the mornings since camp starts at9am. I get 15 minutes, extra since the dad drops them and I can avoid the bus drop off. To celebrate this new found quarter hour, we have been enjoying breakfast. Nothing elaborate, but I have been relishing the morning routine of scrambling eggs and toasting bread. I have been indulging myself with fruit smoothies. My latest is a frothy banana and fig creation. I shall tell you about it sometime.

Back to the rest of the day, I am totally back to slow cooking. I use my slow cooker happily and extensively all through the year. It is less about fixing and forgetting, since I do tend to supervise and nurture the dish, it is mostly about the quite cooking that does not generate a lot of heat.

A few days ago, I made this French inspired lovely white bean spread. It is surprisingly creamy, mostly the soft combination of white beans with olive oil and keeps fairly well in the refrigerator. The cherry tomatoes are out, so today we enjoyed this with whole grain crostini and tomatoes. I have revived and improved this fish curry that I made last year and of course made this mint and almond slow cooked chicken curry.

So how do you cook and survive when its hot?

Slow Cooked White Bean Spread

 

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 3 hours (in a slow cooker

Makes 1 cup spread

 Ingredients

¾ cup white beans ( I used northern  and cannelloni beans)

4 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

2 cups vegetable stock

Salt to taste

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

½ lime or lemon

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Toasted whole baguette slices

Cherry tomatoes

Method of Preparation

1. Place the beans, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes and vegetable stock and salt in a slow cooker.

2. Cook on high for 3 hours. The beans should be soft and the moisture mostly absorbed.

3. Cool the mixture slightly.

4. Place in a blender and add all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.

5. Squeeze in the lemon juice and blend until smooth.

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French Inspired Slow Cooked White Bean Spread/Dip
Recipe type: Appetiser
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 1 cup
 

A flavorful and easy french inspired white bean spread.
Ingredients
  • ¾ cup white beans ( I used northern and cannelloni beans)
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 1 tablespoon freshly chopped rosemary
  • 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • Salt to taste
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ lime or lemon
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
  • Toasted whole baguette slices
  • Cherry tomatoes

Instructions
  1. Place the beans, garlic, rosemary, red pepper flakes and vegetable stock and salt in a slow cooker.
  2. Cook on high for 3 hours. The beans should be soft and the moisture mostly absorbed.
  3. Cool the mixture slightly.
  4. Place in a blender and add all but 1 tablespoon of the oil.
  5. Squeeze in the lemon juice and blend until smooth.
  6. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil before serving with toasted whole grain baguette slices and cherry tomatoes.

6. Place in a serving bowl and sprinkle with parsley and drizzle the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil before serving with toasted whole grain baguette slices and cherry tomatoes.

Slow Cooked

 

So, how do you beat the heat?

 

 

Filed Under Grains and Lentils, Local and Backyard Cooking, Slow Cooking Tagged With French, Gluten Free, Parsley, Rosemary, Slow Cooker, Summer, Vegan, White Bean Dip

Homey Lentil and Quinoa Kichari and Routines

June 29, 2012 Leave a Comment

 Most days whether in the kitchen or outside, I like a sense of routine. This does not mean, I do not like to do things differently especially in terms of cooking, but I relish a general sense of control, of understanding what is happening in life. Most of all I love the window of quiet time, that I have built into my life through my morning commute.

My crazy quiet corner is a jogging, jostling and moving corner. An unlikely corner and yet it is a corner where I am left alone with a keyboard and my thoughts. There are so many who tell people to find a quiet spot to share their thoughts and find a designated spot to write and share their thoughts. I am not a writer and yet I like to write, I would hear these thoughts and then wonder about finding the time in the midst of the crazy work day, among all the hustle and bustle of work, home, dinner, homework and the day ending. I searched and looked for this quiet spot to write, my dedicated corner, but could never find it.

My weekday mornings start with a predictable routine, that I have come to love for its planned predictability. Many moons back, nine years ago when we were blessed with a lovely girl, and then two moons later my little boy, we agreed that the only thing that we could control was the routine of our house. To control the crazy chaos outside, we imposed a structure inside. This seemed alien at first, but now I love the idea of waking before the others, some days just by a few minutes. I almost always draw the curtains to look outside. It is this fleeting action that allows me to process the seasons, in winter the skies are still dark, in summer bring and now it is the right share of gentle light that brightens as I get organized. I move around to arrange breakfast, pack snack bags and get dressed and usually am greeted somewhere in the midst of this my smiling son. He is the only morning person in our house, he greets the morning with enthusiasm. Once settled and done with breakfast, I put him on the bus and head to work.

Heading to work consists of taking the train toNew York City. I usually get on the third platform and find a designated window seat. For those of us who do the same morning commute understand the unspoken ritual of the morning routine. People do not like others taking their designated seat. As with all things in life, my “designated seat” has a couple of possibilities. Usually ones that I keep designated tend to be ones which afford me the space to spread out just enough to look out at the seasons and fuss on my electronic toys as needed – laptop (no, I am not a tablet kind of girl), kindle and sometimes just the space to take in the golden sun dancing on the little rivulets that make their way in an out of the creeks that flow into the Bronx River

On occasion, I like to look up and take in the scene, and sometimes love to catch snatches of conversation. Yes, those people in Date Night, there are variations of them in real life. I am one of them. In fact, my husband used to be rather surprised at my eavesdropping in the early days, he is used to it now and even on occasion enjoys other people’s conversations through my ears. I hear about work issues, fights, childrens and get glipses of networking all that take place on a moving train. Today back home seemed prime for a simple wholesome comforting meal. I adapted a recipe for rice and lentils (khichari) using quinoa. This is my favorite childhood rice and lentil medley all grown up.  I usually do not make this on a warmer day, but there are exceptions to every rule. It worked perfectly and the added bonus was feeling somewhat virtous eating a nice bowl of comfort food.

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Homey Lentil and Quinoa Kichari and Routines

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup red split lentils (masur dal)
  • 1/3 cup white quinoa
  • 4 cups of water
  • 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 11/2 teaspoons fresh ginger paste
  • 2 green chilies minced
  • For the tempering
  • 3 tablespoons oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 red onion, finely diced
  • For the garnish
  • 1 lime
  • 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro

Instructions

  1. Place the red lentils and quinoa in a pressure cooker.
  2. Add in the water, salt, turmeric, ginger paste and the green chillies.
  3. Cook under pressure for about 25 minutes.
  4. While the mixture is cooling, heat the oil in a heavy pan over medium heat for about 1 minute.
  5. Add the cumin seeds and wait for 30 seconds for them to sizzle lightly.
  6. Add in the onions and cook on medium low heat for 10 minutes until the onions are a dark golden brown color.
  7. Remove the pressure cooker and mix the lentil mixture well, it should have a soft and creamy consistency.
  8. Add in the onion cumin mixture and stir well.
  9. Squeeze in the lime juice and garnish with the cilantro before serving
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Filed Under Bengali, Cilantro, Cumin, Grains and Lentils, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Bengali, cilantro, Cumin, Gluten Free, Khichari, Khichuri, Lentils, Lime, Mushoor Dal (Red Lentils), Pressure Cooker, Qunoa, Vegan, Vegetarian Main Dishes
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