Cilantro Pilaf (HarDaniya Pulao/Kothamali Pulao)

Happy Happy NAVARATHRI to all my friends and followers. Wish you much prosperity in health, happiness and of course wealth. So Golu is up and the first of the Sundals I made was a green split moong dal (pacha paasiparuppu sundal) and it was a happy success with all. I will blog this soon. But today I present to you my cilantro pulao which I made several weeks ago and has been languishing in my notes waiting for its turn to be blogged. I had to make some Kothamali chutney the wet thick kind and steamed some veggies and sauteed them like a curry. I added paneer to make it more "fancy" then made some steaming hot basmati rice and mixed in the chutney and the veggies and sauteed once more with onions and cashews. This is a one-pot meal and is a perfect Sunday brunch idea. You can avoid the onions and still have it taste amazing during this festival time.

Ingredients

• 2 cups of basmati rice (rice cooker cooked)
• your choice of veggies
• 1 cup of cubed paneer
• 3tbsp cilantro chutney

Method

1. Add chutney to rice and mix in well with a fork
2. Cook the veggies with desired spice and salt in a separate wok
3. Add to the rice and chutney mix
4. Garnish with cashews or more fresh cilantro

Cilantro Chutney recipe
Ingredients

• 2-3 lbs of cilantro fresh washed thoroughly, ends of stalks trimmed
• 5-8 red chilies (depending on how spicy your red chilies are)
• Urad Dal 1/4 cup
• 1tsp asafetida
• 1tsp soft tamarind paste
• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• Salt

Method 

1. Heat oil add the urad dal, chilies, asafetida and tamarind paste
2. Then add the cilantro and stir until cilantro softens and the urad is roasted brown.
3. Cool and grind coarse in a food processor

Mix the rice with the chutney

The veggies with paneer

In a bowl

In a cool copper pot

on your plate

Roasted Garlic & Cherry Tomatoes

September 7, 2012 | Filed under: Curries and Veggies, Entree, Entrees, Recipes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian and tagged with: Baked,Cherry tomato recipe, Entrees, Italian, Low Fat recipes, recipes, Salad, Sun Gold Tomatoes, Vegan, vegetarian | Edit

They are small, beautiful, and perfectly round. They are sun kissed, thin-skinned and utterly juicy. They can be eaten like grapes and are a perfect addition to a green salad. So those were pretty much the two ways in which we were eating these beautiful tomatoes, a bumper crop in my friend’s veggie garden. She and I have bartered veggies from each other’s gardens, although hers is twice as big as mine – I got figs, sun-gold tomatoes, delicious cucumbers, basil and now spicy chilies (yes!) and I gave her some of my okra eggplant and earlier on some cilantro, lettuce.

The last time she gave me some of these, I had them unused in my fridge and she suggested this preparation to me. Thanks Fla! It was amazing!

Now this is a post for a special blogger friend, Radhika who is celebrating her birthday today. She has been appreciating recipes from my garden all through the summer and I thought it would be befitting to post something fresh for her.

I also take this opportunity to announce that I am joining Radhika and the stellar bunch of bloggers on their Avant Garde Cookies, Epicurean Voyage. I am thrilled and excited to be doing this with Radhika, a versatile and energetic woman who constantly organizes wonderful new ways of enhancing our culinary creativity and her own. Priya Sreeram, whom I’ve considered a soul sister from the get-go who writes from her heart and cooks that way too. Kavitha, a young lady who has impressed me as an enterprising “cookie” juggling a blog where she is so active and university, hats off to her! I am looking forward to getting to know my other cookies over the course of this voyage; Jay, Veena, Roshni & Anusha  – First impressions however…

When I visited Anusha’s Blog, the picture of her Vegetable Fried Rice bowled me over – I would have liked that bowl all to myself!

The Tamarind Ginger Pickle that I saw when I visited Roshni’s blog had my tongue in a tickle for a lick of that delish pickle

The Eggless Double chocolate cookies on Veena’s blog seem like the perfect post dinner munch for me as I write this

Jayanthy’s blog is a visual treat with amazing pictures…

My voyage with the group begins soon…

Back to the recipe with homegrown deliciousness – but for the garlic all else was grown in my garden – The tomatoes are of course courtesy my pal.

Ingredients

• 1 lbs of Sun Gold Tomatoes washed
• A Handful of  Red & Purple Cherry Tomatoes
• 3 small-medium red onions
• 2 pods of garlic
• Spices
• Rosemary & Oregano
• Ground Pepper
• Sea Salt
• Olive Oil Spray

Angel Hair pasta (as much as needed)

Method

1. Set the Oven at 350 degrees F
2. Spray a baking pan with olive oil
3. Layer with tomatoes
4. Place garlic pods in the pan
5. Chop the onions and find room for them as well on the pan
6. Add fresh oregano & rosemary
7. Bake for 45 minutes
8. In the mean time, boil your pasta, drain over cold water.
9. Drizzle a small quantity of olive oil along with some salt and toss
10. Remove veggies from oven and serve over the pasta.
11. Eat with gusto.
    

This is a perfect post for my blog event FAST FOOD not FAT FOOD guest-hosted this time by my sweet friend, Archana of The Mad Scientist's Kitchen - Do send you entries to her if you have a healthy recipe you've made - 

Other ladies wishing Radhika a happy birthday with a virtual treat are Priya, Roshni, Kavi

A couple of links to visit
Priya: http://eq-myblog.blogspot.in/2012/09/chilled-nutty-choco-bites-virtual.html
Roshni: http://arusuvai-kurippu.blogspot.co.uk/2012/09/baingan-bharta.html
Kavitha:http://foodomania.com/quick-birthday-chocolate-cake/comment-page-1/#comment-1431

Paella Primavera

Paella Primavera 

A paella? I thought that too although I knew it was a "famous" spanish dish and I sensed it was pretty "fishy" - So I never bothered to venture into that area at all - Until I got a recipe from Vegetarian the magazine and I must tell you, this was an extreme surprise and an uncontrollable delight - It was a veggie version of the Paella - that's right folks, no squid, octopus or any other sea creature in it - my heart danced, really - and i was thinking if I am describing this dish to a person who has no clue what a paella is, what would I equate it to? In Indian terms, I would say a flavorful biryani or pulao/pilaf -

We all know Spain is the capitol of Saffron, that exclusive and amazing spice which we Indians have verily adopted into our cuisine - Or perhaps Saffron has also been a spice that was used widely in India - whatever the case, it is in fact the essence of this flavorful rice dish.  As my luck would have it, my beautiful onion chives have these violet blossoms on them right now. Not too long ago, I read that these blossoms can be used as a pretty and edible garnish - And this is exactly what I did. I LOVED the colors of the paella and cannot wait to make it again, when my family visits me - MIGHT I ADD That the flowers carry the same fragrance as the onion and have the same sharp, glorious sting on the palate that the onion has! 

It will be my "showoff" dish for sure :)

Here is the recipe

Ingredients

2 cups of broccoli florets

1 diced zucchini

1/2 red onion finely chopped (optional)

1/2 each of orange and yellow peppers (you can sub with red and green too)

1 cup of spanish rice (I subbed with basmati) essentially, you need a short grain white rice.

1.5 tsp of crushed saffron

10 green olives, pitted and chopped

10 red olives, pitted and chopped

cherry tomatoes (about 10 if available) OR

2 finely chopped romas

3 big cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of finely chopped onion chives

2 tsp of olive oil

2 tsp parsely

1 tsp of patatas bravas mix or essentially paprika (cannot help it - need a bit of spice)

salt and pepper after cooking and before serving

Water - about a cup (use discretion as different rice cook differently)

Preparation

• In a wide mouthed pan (banali) which is the traditional utensil to cook a paella in,  add the oil, onion, broccoli, garlic, Zucchini and peppers and cook for 2-3 minutes - At this time throw in half the parsley too.
• Add 3/4 cup of water along with the washed rice
• To this, add the saffron and allow to cook covered on medium low flame for 10 minutes
• Add the olives, chives and tomatoes and cook for another 5 minutes covered.
• Remove from flame. Transfer into a serving dish  and garnish with the remainder of parsley, salt, pepper and onion flowers if you can find them :)

Congratulations! you've just made yourself a fine Spanish dish :) PLEASE try it and let me know!

Thought for the Day - Keep expanding your horizons whether in your culinary department of any other. 

Love until the next post

Behtareen Biryani

One of the fanciest and most exotic rice preparations with rice is the oh-so flavorful and aromatic Biryani. Behtareen means "Perfect" in Urdu and Hindi. I have never really attempted a Biryani in the past, but inspiration got the better of me last month and I did attempt it and it turned out fabulous - Felt a huge sense of achievement that I managed to make something which we order rather longingly in a restaurant right here in my kitchen!! I was also happy in the knowledge that i used the healthiest and best ingredients to make it.

I was going to make a dhum biryani  - the kind you get at Cream Centre for those of you familiar with that restaurant chain in India. I did not make the atta- chappati covering to cook it, but instead used my rice cooker. But I layered it the same way and the more it stayed the better it tasted. The house was filled with the warm spell of spices and the naturally aromatic basmati.

Here is my version of this exotic rice preparation

The pictures are pretty self-explanatory and the masala for biryani has been approached in different ways depending on what tastes you prefer to be more predominant. 

NOTE: The ONE ingredient I did not photograph since I added it last is coconut - 1/4 cup of grated coconut for the masala.

For the Masala

The veggies, Paneer, (Raisins & Almonds) for sauteing
Peas, Beans,Carrots, Onions, Cauliflower, & Paneer. Saute and cook with olive oil/butter and salt - I added a 2 tsp of curry powder to cook the veggies -
Saute Paneer with 1 tsp of curry powder
Next, saute rice with butter and add the masala paste to it along with salt. Cook in rice cooker

Secret Ingredient 4-5 strands crushed lightly - Saffron - Zafrani (cook with the rice)

Once the rice is cooked, layer veggies and rice finishing preferably with rice layer on top. Once you serve it can be mixed up on the plate or in the copper vessel that I have presented it in. Enjoy HOT with raita & pappad.

Ta-Dah!

Colorful Multi-Pepper Pulao

This is my entry for the previous Blog Hop Wednesday, a wonderful interactive event started by Radhika of Tickling Palates. I was in a house full of "colds and coughs" and there was not much time to browse my partner's blog and cook - Last week I was paired with Rudra of Mom's Corner and sifting through her recipes to find one to blog, I decided upon this rice. I liked the idea but decided to make it with my own recipe and variations therein.

So here we go
Ingredients
1/2 each of Red, Yellow, Orange & Green bell peppers
1/2 medium sized Red/ purple Onion
3-4 green chilies sliced thin and long
1 tsp Urad Dal
1tbsp curryma powder (if you are using store bought curry-powder, would not recommend more than 1/2 tsp)
1.5 cups of basmati rice
2-3 tsp of oil

Preparation
Dice into little cubes all the veggies
Heat a frying pan with the oil and saute the veggies with the salt, curry powder urad dal and chilies
Add the raw rice to the mix (wash and dab dry before you do this)
Stir in and roast for a minute or 2
The rice is fully seasoned at this point.

Either in a pressure cooker or in a rice cooker,  steam/pressure cook them using appropriate amounts of water - for a rice cooker 1/5 cups of rice will require 3 cups of water
Serve warm with a cilantro garnish

Enjoy this simple yet completely healthy and wholesome one pot meal anytime!

Red Rice & Quinoa Ah-pums & Idlis

Attended a wonderful Remembrance day for 9/11 where my daughter sang as part of a choir - a wonderful show of patriotism and unity was presented and what's more parking was free :)

Of Up-pums and Ah-pums

After the first one, my daughter declares, “Ma, ah-pums are dosais with an idli in the middle J” I would not have put it that bluntly, but this is true – those who have the ah-pum pans will know that this is indeed true – I have made this for 2 reasons – one because I am hosting the Cooking for seeds and was experimenting with Quinoa and second, this was my humble tribute to Onam (: - I make the distinction by spelling it thus so that we do not confuse it with up-pums, the sweet delicacy that is also popular in the south. – I have made those as well and have yet to blog them :(

But I am putting few pictures of the up-pums as well

Here is my recipe

Ingredients

2 cups of Red Rice flour

½ Cup of Quinoa flakes

½ cup of Urad Dal

Preparation

Soak and grind urad dal

Soak the red rice powder in water

Mix both add salt and let it ferment

The beauty about this is you could make your ah-pums as soon as you grind the urad and mix the batters

However, an overnight ferment also yields the softest idlis

Before you are ready to make the crepes or dosais, add the half-cup of Quinoa and mix it in well.

The Up-pum – These I made another day with left over Idlima –or batter of regular idlis – I just added jiggery and cardamom powder to the old idli batter and made them in my awesome up-pum pan

Hope you enjoy the pictures :D

Linking this to the event I am guest hosting - cooking with seeds - Quinoa
Also linking this to Magpie Recipes' Kerala Kitchen

Guest Hosting COOKING WITH SEEDS -QUINOA or Millet For Friends in india

Today, it is my pleasure to announce that I am guest hosting another seed event, initiated by star blogger Priya Suresh of Priyas Easy n Tasty Recipes. This event is simply called Cooking with Seeds and I have chosen Quinoa. Please see the rules of entry and use the linky tool given to submit your recipes :)
Quinoa has commonly been mistaken for a grain, but it is indeed a seed and now a popular one with various health benefits. I was blown away by how nutritional it is and this is also the reason I decided to go with this seed - we should all try and make that switch from rice to quinoa for many of our preparations. It tastes SO good and comes in 2 colors RED and YELLOW! Read more about this Wonderful grain here 

Rules of Entry
Vegetarian recipes only please :) (this include no eggs either-ty :)
Entries can be linked via Linky tool given below
Linky will be open from today until Sept 30
Please add event logo to the entered recipe on your website
Link back to this announcement and to Priya's blog
Multiple entries welcome
Archived entries are allowed to if you repost them on your blog :)
Non bloggers can email me their entries with the names and a photo
A running round-up is posting via the link tool on this page
Look forward to your participation on both seed events going on on my blog

Dear friends,  I had previously announced the event Cooking with Whole Foods -Subsegment With seeds and the seed of choice was Fenugreek - This event is a brainchild of Kiran of Sumadhura please click here to view that event.This event is ongoing until October. So please send in your entries to this event as well. Thanks and Love <3

Getting Saucy, Going Nutty :)

No, no – don’t get me wrong - I am still the sweet person you know and if you look closer you will see that halo (lol)

Be it pizza or pasta, it’s all about the sauces.  I had yellow tomatoes, and red tomatoes ripening on the vine and there were finally enough for a few good sassy, nutty sauces – These ones were purely inspirational like when you stand at the door of an empty room (or a cluttered one) and you get these bulbs flashing brightly ––fresh chilies, fresh chives, fresh herbs, fresh tomatoes, fresh plums (store bought) I am in heaven yo!

Got my thoughts together and knew exactly what to club with what & shazam! I was on my way to making 4 sauces; two with yellow tomatoes, one with red, and an exotic pesto with cilantro. Really simple, quick, recipes that you can throw together in under 30 -45 minutes – that is like the icing on the cake, if you will.

With the sauces, I made the a variety of pizzas & a pasta. The toppings were also pretty exotic – my patty pan male flowers, paneer, spinach, and of course the usual suspects – bell pepper, onions and shrooms.

Without further ado, I present my sauces and the dishes I prepared with them

There are some pizza pictorials to feast your eyes on J

Yellow Tomato Sauce #1

Yellow tomatoes

Green chilies (very un-Italian, my friend would say)

Basil

Garlic and onion chives

Olive oil

Simple Yellow Sauce #1

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Yellow Tomato Sauce #2

Yellow Tomatoes

Handful of Pistachios

Red chilies

Basil

Garlic

Olive oil

Mouse over to see which sauce is which :)

Sauce #3

Pesto With Cilantro

1 bunch thoroughly washed cilantro with the tip of the stems chopped off

Handful of Pine Nuts

Garlic

Olive Oil

Green Chillies (Optional)

Black Pepper (Optional)

Sauce #4

Plum & Walnut Sauce

Plums

Handful of Walnuts

1 clove of crushed Garlic

1 Green Chili (Optional)

1 1/2 inch thick circle of Ginger

Olive Oil

 

                                 

Sauce #5

Regular Red Sauce

Vine Ripened Tomatoes

Hot Green Peppers

Basil

Garlic

Olive Oil

(I made this a couple weeks afo like the yellow sauce #1)

Here is a collage :)