Asian Inspired Hoisin and Scallion Chicken Wings

February 1, 2013 Leave a Comment

Now, just because I really do not completely follow superbowl does not mean, that I cannot Asian Style Ginger Hoisin Wingscook up a recipe for wings in time for the big game. I can cook it and if you try it, you will agree like me that it is pretty good. And let me tell you it is easy and not terribly unhealthy. So there! Now you have a super easy Asian Inspired recipe for Hoisin and Scallion Chicken Wings that you can surprise your friends with.

I have to confess, this recipe is getting out there really as a challenge to myself. For all my professions of seasonal eating, I never get posts up in time for the events. I have lofty ambitions for Valentine’s Day ( who knows, I just might make it this year!), Thankgiving and almost any other event that you can thing about.  This weekend I had tried these chicken wings and we all loved them.

It true predictable fasion, this has been one busy book. I have also been trying to fit some food writings, however looks I like this recipe so much that I did work through it in time for Sunday if you choose.

The magic ingredient here is hoisin sauce, yes, sticky sweet hoisin the peeking duck kind. Actually I seem to have a bottle of the stuff that I am not quite doing enough with, so you will see some of it show up in various dishes here and there over the next few weeks. I will warn you that this recipe has almost all of the ingredients in the title and they really are super simple.

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Asian Inspired Hoisin and Scallion Chicken Wings

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Yield: Serves 6 to 8

A simple sticky and spicy recipe for Asian Inspired Hoisin and Scallion Chicken Wings with a nice dose of ginger.

Ingredients

  • 6 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce (or any other chili garlic sauce
  • 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
  • 1/2 cup chinese cooking wine
  • 1/3 cup water
  • 2 pounds of chicken wings
  • 1/2 cup chopped scallions

Instructions

  1. In a mixing bowl mix together the hoisin sauce, sriracha sauce, grated ginger, chinese cooking wine and water.
  2. Place the mixture in a large wok and add in the chicken wings and brings to a simmer.
  3. Cover and cook for 20 minutes, until the chicken is soft.
  4. Remove the cover and cook on medium high heat until all the liquid evaporates and the sauce thickly coats the wings.
  5. Garnish with the scallions and serve.
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Filed Under Ginger, Slow Cooking Tagged With Appetizers, Asian Inspired, Chicken Wings, Ginger, Hoisin, Scallions, Spice, Super Simple, Superbowl, Tailgaiting

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

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

Stir Fried Beetroot with Ginger, Lime and Toasted Spices – Beetroot Sabji

September 22, 2012 Leave a Comment

 Beetroots and Carrots grace our backyard almost all the year round. Since, they stay under the soil, we have them through early winter too. My usual treatment with beetroots has been to roast them, and then enjoy them usually in a salad.

One of the main reasons I have not thought of cooking them, the way I would most other vegetables is really based on a predisposed idea that I have where I am convinced that beetroots are hard and take a long time to cook. This year, mostly, inspired by several of my friends from Southern India, I took the plunge of inviting this vegetable into the mainstream.

Well, one of the things that I did find, as with other vegetables, fresh dug from the soil beetroots are different from some of their other counterparts that I have found in the stores. They tend to slice and chop up easy. I have also learnt to love and enjoy  the many colors of this vegetable. They offer a beautiful contrast of reds.

I of course, love them in stews, which actually I have been using for a long time, so stet that first sentence where I tell you I do not cook them without roasting them. I do not cook them solo, without roasting them.

What I did with them as usual, is very simple, befitting the rush and run Saturday routine. Yes, we are back to school, with a gusto! I am grateful that the kids love their soccer coaches. Aadi is enthusiastic about going to games for reasons other than just meeting his friend Brian. I am also accepting of the fact, that all of this means a very packed fall. The pace at Anshul’s work has been rather hectic, he has been good about mandated Daddy duties but pretty much left all husband niceties on the table, since outside of the kids weekday routine, he has to catch up with work. So we have not had as much family time as I would like the past couple of weekends.

If your life sounds like it could use a quick fix dish, for any reason or just because, you might want to give this colorful, antioxidant rich stir fry a try.

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Stir Fried Beetroot with Ginger, Lime and Toasted Spices – Beetroot Sabji

Ingredients

  • 6 medium sized fresh beetroots (if your beetroots are larger you can use 4)
  • 3 tablespoons walnut or olive oil
  • 3/4 teaspoon whole black mustard seeds
  • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 shallot, very finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon fresh ginger paste
  • 1/2 teaspoon red chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon white sesame seeds
  • 1 lime
  • 11/2 teaspoons finely minced cilantro

Instructions

  1. Peel and cut the beetroot into sticks about 2 inches by 1/2 cm.
  2. Heat the oil on medium low heat for about 1 minute and add in the mustard and cumin seeds.
  3. When the mustard seed, begins to crackle add in the shallot and ginger paste and cook for about 4 minutes until the shallots are soft and wilted and the ginger is fragrant.
  4. Add in the chopped beets and the chili powder and sesame seeds and mix well.
  5. Cover and cook for about 8 minutes on medium low heat, until the beets are tender crisp.
  6. Cut the lime and squeeze in the juice and stir in the cilantro and mix well.
  7. Serve as a side to any meal of your choice.
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Filed Under Cilantro, Local and Backyard Cooking, Mustard, Regional Indian, Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Beetroots, Fall, Ginger, Indian, Lime, Sesame Seeds, Stir fries, Vegan, Vegetarian

Seared Scallops with a Ginger Blueberry Sauce

May 20, 2012 1 Comment

In the midst of these few crazy weeks, I ended up creating an interesting dish that will bring summer to your table. Life has been a little hectic and will likely continue this way for a few more weeks. Just too much going on, not all bad but a mixed bag.

On the family front, I received some more bad news from home. I realize that I have probably reached that stage in life, when a lot of the friends I grew up with have parents that are passing on. In my own family, it has been challenging with my own father and then this week my uncle passing on.

I did tell you that it was not all bad, the book project has reached a new milestone. Also, loosely adapted from my spicy Sunday on the blog, is a column called Spices and Seasons that I shall be doing for Small Bites. One of the first things that I have learnt from this exercise is how to plan for lulls in blogging and if I ever get caught up, I shall definitely try to apply my new found knowledge on Cooking inWestchester. I am excited to see how that turns and this Monday, I shall be supporting the library for their Books and Cooks event.

I am not sure where I picked up a pack of fresh and fruity organic blueberries. I used them for a sauce for some medium sized scallops that I had picked up. All of the dish was put together in a very short period of time. I baked the sauce, while I seared the scallops and then combined them together with some finely chopped basil. I have used medium sized scallops here, because that is what I found this weekend at the store. I would however highly recommend the large scallops if you can get a hold of them.

So, what has been cooking in your kitchen?

Sumac Seared Scallops in a Blueberry Ginger Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

For the scallops

1 pound of medium or large scallops

1 teaspoon sumac

½ teaspoon raw cane sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons olive oil

For the Blueberry Sauce

½ cup fresh blueberries

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

½ teaspoon raw cane sugar

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon ground coriander

To garnish

1 tablespoon finely chopped basil

Method of Preparation

1. To prepare the scallops, make sure that they are very dry, I was them and blot them out on a lot of paper towels. I shall definitely tell you that paper towels are one of my non-green vices, but they work.

2. Toss the scallops in the sumac and the sugar.

3. In an oven proof dish add the blueberries, ginger, cane sugar, salt and the ground coriander and toss lightly.

4. Heat the oven to 400 degrees and place the dish in the oven.

5. In a large flat skillet, heat the oil and the butter on medium heat for at least one minute.

6. Carefully place the scallops on one side in a single layer with some space between each scallop.

7. Cook for 3 minutes and turn and repeat on the other side for about 4 minutes on the other side. The scallops should turn golden and turn just a little golden on each side.

8. Check on the blueberries, which should have popped and have formed a bubbling sauce.

9. To serve spread the sauce on the place and place about 5 scallops per person. This should be about 3 to 4 scallops if using the large variety.

10. Sprinkle with basil leaves before serving.

 

Filed Under Ginger, Local and Backyard Cooking, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Basil, Blueberries, Ginger, Scallops, Sumac

Quick Spring Radish Pickle

April 26, 2012 Leave a Comment

On an evening when I am tired, yes like this one, I love to riff though pictures to tell you about some food that is colorful, spicy and simple. The last is important, someone my tired brain gets a pick up from thinking about food, but cannot quite handle something too complex.

There in my collections, waiting for me was this radish pickle that I have not yet shared with anyone, certainly not on this little space. This was my first spring creation, well almost, before the spring radished we had the wild garlic.

Indian pickles are yet another tradition, that I did not know much about I mean, most pickles at least the savory variety pack a generous amount of heat. I did not really care much for chilies as a child. Also, I did not really help much by way of real cooking in the kitchen, but I watched and watched and watched. So, what happened with pickles? Well, traditional pickles are not just about watching, they tend to be sun dried and mellowed into their state of spicy perfection.

For the longest time, I did not do much by way of pickles, but then it was the husband thing. He likes pickles with rice and lentils, and I love rice and lentils. It is my idea of ultimate and simple comfort. Sure, his mom sends pickles and makes them while she is here, but I could not help wishing that I could make some too! It was like, I can make pickles, I know I can…

Now, here in New York, the sun does not always co-operate. So, I have two recipes for adapted pickles. I par cook them, so that we are not quite reliant on the sun to complete the spice absorption process. The two pickles are adapted and inspired from very different sources.

The second one is made with cauliflowers and shall tell you about it, when its turn arrives.

Radishes, in our backyard are a harbinger of spring, they are the first to surface actually, right along side the asparagus and the not to forget the green garlic that we have been foraging this year.

The preferred Indian radish is the white daikon, but this lovely red and simple radish wooed and converted me a long time ago. It pretty red tones made quite a believer of this non-radish eating girl. This year in fact, the kids have been growing radishes in their little patch.

Quick Radish Pickle

Prep Time: 1 day (to let the pickle mature)

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Makes 1 and 1/2 cups (about 2 small jars)

Ingredients

20 red radishes, thinly sliced

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1/3 cup oil (preferably mustard)

1 teaspoon black mustard seeds

1 teaspoon panchphoron

2 limes

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon red chili powder

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

1 teaspoon sugar

Method of Preparation

1. Place the radishes and the salt in the colander for about 20 minutes.

2. Heat the mustard oil for about 1 and a 1/2 minutes until the oil is smoking.

3. Add in the mustard seeds and wait till they crackle.

4. Grind the panch phoran to a powder.

5. Add in the radishes and reduce the heat to low.

6. Cut the limes and squeeze the juice in a separate container.

7. Add in the turmeric, ginger and chili powder and toss to coat and cook for about 1 minute.

8. Add in the lime juice and the ground panchphoron and the sugar.

9. Add in the sesame seeds, stir well and turn off the heat.

10. Let the radish pickle cool thoroughly.

11. Store in small jars. They can be sealed or stored in the refrigerator for up to six months.

 

Filed Under Local and Backyard Cooking, Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Condiments, Ginger, Mustard, Panchphoron, Pickles, Radishes, Vegan

The Restless Chicken Koftas

April 17, 2012 Leave a Comment

It is often harder to relate to  someone’s sorrow, than their happiness. At least, this is often the case with me.

I am unsure of what to say, how to break the awkwardness and reach out, truly reach out to the person. I often feel that sorrow draws a heavy curtain around a person, and I am unsure how to pull it away and reach out to the person. I mentally visually this curtain and let it confuse me, I am left disturbed and restless.

I recently heard news of a death, of S’s father. S is a long term acquaintance.  We share a music teacher and often take classes together. We have done this for over 18 years, in a sense, S and I have grown up together. S is of course 7 years younger than me. I have shared this hour of space with her for a almost two decades, but, our conversations have never extended beyond the greetings of life, the comment on the new phone, examining the new highlights on each others hair. In short, we have stuck to the simple, observable facets of life.

Last Saturday, my music teacher left a message saying that she was cancelling the class because S’s father had passed away. I felt an immediate sense of anxiety and sadness. I lost my father less than a year ago, and can relate to the pain. Yet, I had never called her or spoken to her outside the class, I was not sure whether I could intrude and pull aside the curtain of sadness. The conflict of not knowing what to do filled me with an unusual sense of restlessness. I walked around, typed a few words on the computer aimlessly and finally realized that it was time to cook dinner. A welcome pause! I immersed myself in the ritual of cooking, preparing a simple and flavorful chicken meatball dish or koftas.

I chopped and stirred, but could not completely remove the twinge of uneasiness from the far corner of my mind. The onions turned softly brown and fragrant, but I needed to overcome the confusion, finally I called my teacher. I needed S’s number, I also ended up chatting with my teacher to some to let the general sense of anxiety ease out. I mentioned to her that I felt it was intrusive to interfere with the solitude of the person grieving, hoping that my teacher would agree and let me off the hook. But, she did not comment, as always, she never interfered or voiced strong opinions.

 Finally, I look at the food the curry was complete with smooth and saucy perfection. It was fragrant with the light and freshly ground spices. Before, serving dinner I went to the phone and called S. I was not sure what to say, so I simply asked her if she had some time off from work. She answered that she did and went on to tell me about how she was working through the rituals and helping her mother. I suddenly could relate. I mentioned to her that it was funny how archaic the rituals seemed out of context but they did help cope with the immediacy of the grief. We spoke comfortably for 10 minutes and then she thanked me for letting her talk without asking questions. She told me that she was tired to being asked how she felt for the umpteenth time, and with me she appreciated the opportunity of receiving simple silent support. I was about to tell her that I did not really know what to ask her but then decided to let the moment stand on its own. I had been able to do the right thing, I had reached out and I felt comforted and calm in the process. It was probably about empathy rather than sympathy that made the connection. I am finally at peace.

I complete our meal by cooking some steamed fragrant Basmati rice and Anshul and I eat our dinner in quiet companionship.

Murgh Koftas – Meatballs in a Lightly Seasoned Tomato Gravy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

1 pound of ground chicken

2 teaspoons freshly ground ginger

1 teaspoon freshly ground garlic

2 green chilies minced

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

1 tablespoon oil

For the curry

2 tablespoons oil

1 red onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon grated ginger

1 teaspoon powdered coriander

1 teaspoon powdered cumin

3 tomatoes, finely diced

2 pods cardamom

2-3 cloves

1 small piece cinnamon, broken

1 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.

2. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together and shape into small walnut sized balls.

3. Place them on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes.

4. In the meantime, heat the oil on medium heat for a minute.

5. Add in the onion and ginger and cook for 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.

6. Add in the cumin, coriander and cook for 2 minutes.

7. Add in the tomatoes, cardamom and cloves and cook on medium low heat, stirring the tomatoes occasionally to break them down to a smooth consistency for about 7 minutes.

8. Add in the chicken koftas and cook for 5 minutes.

9. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

 

 

 

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Murgh Koftas – Meatballs in a lightly Seasoned Tomato Gravy
Recipe type: Main
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 

Serves: 4-6
 

Ingredients
  • 1 pound of ground chicken
  • 2 teaspoons freshly ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon freshly ground garlic
  • 2 green chilies minced
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • ½ teaspoon sugar
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • For the curry
  • 2 tablespoons oil
  • 1 red onion, finely chopped
  • 1 tablespoon grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon powdered coriander
  • 1 teaspoon powdered cumin
  • 3 tomatoes, finely diced
  • 2 pods cardamom
  • 2-3 cloves
  • 1 small piece cinnamon, broken
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Instructions
  1. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees.
  2. Mix all the ingredients for the meatballs together and shape into small walnut sized balls.
  3. Place them on a baking sheet and cook for 10 minutes.
  4. In the meantime, heat the oil on medium heat for a minute.
  5. Add in the onion and ginger and cook for 2 to 3 minutes stirring frequently.
  6. Add in the cumin, coriander and cook for 2 minutes.
  7. Add in the tomatoes, cardamom and cloves and cook on medium low heat, stirring the tomatoes occasionally to break them down to a smooth consistency for about 7 minutes.
  8. Add in the chicken koftas and cook for 5 minutes.
  9. Stir in the cilantro and serve.

Filed Under Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Chicken, Curries, Ginger, Kofta, Meatballs, North India, Tomato

Noodles Tossed in Scallion and Red Chili Pepper Oil

February 5, 2012 Leave a Comment

 A lot of my cooking evolves around something left behind, something I had prepped and forgotten and of course, almost all my cooking is about simplicity and how to get practical everyday food on my table. The past month, I have been good about successful pre-prepping and getting a head start on the food. Think of prepping a spice infused sauce that can be happily tossed with noodles. The magic of the chili oil is that it works well as a seasoning or dipping sauce or even as a marinade.

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Filed Under Uncategorized, Weeknight Cooking Tagged With Ginger, noodles, Pasta Sauce, Rice and Pasta, Scallions, Sesame Oil, Vegan, Vegetarian

Gingersnaps

December 25, 2011 Leave a Comment

 My first Christmas in the US a little over two decades ago was an odd one. The small New England town, where my college campus was located was all snowed in. I was recovering from the pace of school coupled by with my first internship. I declined my aunt’s invitation to stay with her over the break.

As Christmas eve dawned, I was surprised to see the streets getting quiter and quieter and the roads were cold, white and lonely. Festivals in Kolkata, where I grew up are a noisy affair, even you you have nothing to do. I have since learnt that “holidays” in the US are family celebrations and time for catching up with friends and family. This is of course something I have learnt to enjoy and appreciate now that I have my own crazy family.

I looked at the scrap bag gifts, including the one from my roommate – a cookbook. A cookie cookbook to be precise. Ironically enough, this is one cookbook that has survived the test of time. It was a book named – Mrs Field’s Cookie Book. I leafed and marked some recipes. I have made some of these marked. My favorite from this is her Gingersnaps recipe, which for me does fall in to the amended category, but my variation is now somewhat modified from the original, especially since I add in a nice dose of fresh ginger. I had initially done this by accident however, looks like this variation is a keeper.

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Gingersnaps

Ingredients

  • 2 and 1/2 cups all purpose flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon powdered ginger
  • 1/4 teaspoon powdered allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
  • ¾ cup white sugar
  • 1 and 1/2 sticks butter, softened
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger paste
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup molasses

Instructions

  1. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt. Mix in the ginger, allspice, black pepper and sugar.
  2. In a separate bowl, mix in the butter, egg, ginger paste and molasses until well mixed.
  3. Gradually add in the dry ingredients and gently mix in until well mixed.
  4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 1 hour.
  5. Pre-heat the oven to 300 degrees and grease a cookie sheet.
  6. Shape into small balls and flatten and place on the sheet about 1 and 1/2 inches apart and bake for about 20 minutes, until the kitchen is fragrant and the cookies are done.
  7. Gently remove the cookies. This recipe yields a crisp cookie that is great for dunking with tea or coffee.
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Filed Under Cakes and Bakes Tagged With Christmas, Cookies, Easy Cookie Recipes, Ginger, Gingersnaps, Holidays

Red Greens and Mixed Vegetable Medley (Laal Saager Chorchori)

December 17, 2011 Leave a Comment

Last weekend, we harvested the last beets in our garden. Along with the beets came in a chockful of radishes and the last carrots. We still have some radishes left and then we shall be officially done for the year! Not bad for a New York garden.

I was amazed to see the vivid red colors of the beet leaves, in fact as my husband mentioned they really ought to be called Beet Purples instead of Beet Greens. This batch reminded me of the red delicate leaves we often get in the Kolkata markets, that we call Lal Shaag or Red Spinach. Most people who have been reading this blog, by now realize that if I can adapted a local vegetable to something Indian, it is done. These Beet Green were transformed into a classic Bengali vegetable medley called chorchori, much like the one that I have featured here. These simple medleys are an amazing powerhouse of nutrients and are perfect with almost any combination of vegetables. I was thilled with the beet green adaptation. The dark and vivid leaves stained the vegetables just like I remember the childhood dish doing and was perfect along with some rice, lentils and fish. 

 The recipe is almost too simple to write down, but since I did like this particular combination, it is worth jotting down for my own reference. If you do want ways to use up some winter vegetables, this is a nice and simple way to do just that!

Red Greens and Mixed Vegetable Medley (Lal Saager Chorchori)

Prep Time: 15-20 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Serves 3-4 (as a side dish)

Ingredients

1/4 cup oil (preferably mustard oil)

1 teaspoon panch phoron (Bengali 5-spice blend)

1 teaspoon ginger paste

a pinch of asafetida (optional)

2 dried red chilies

3/4 cup tender cubed eggplant

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon salt

1 red potato, cut into large cubes (with the skin on)

1/2 cup cubes winter squash

2 cups of fresh red spinach or winter beet greens

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil on medium heat for 1 minute and add in the panch phoron.

2. When this begins to crackle, add in the ginger paste, red chilies and the asafetida if using.

3. Spinkle the turmeric and salt over the eggplant and the potatoes and add into the oil and spice mixture.

4. Reduce the heat and cover the wok and let the eggplants cook for about 10 minutes on low heat.

5. Remove the cover and check to ensure that the eggplants are very soft.

6. Add in the squash and cover and cook for 5 minutes.

7. Add in the red beet greens or spinach with 2 tablespoons of water and stir well.

8. Let the leaves wilt, cover and cook for about 3-4 minutes until the leaves are soft and wilted. Stir well to mix in with the very soft eggplant, and the potatoes and squash.

9. Check the seasonings and serve.

 

Filed Under Bengali, Uncategorized Tagged With Beet Greens, Bengali, Eggplant, Ginger, Laal Saag, Laal Saager Chorchori, Panchphoron, Side Dishes, Vegan, Vegetarian
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