Category: salad

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Curry Daal Gluten-free Healthy foods Indian Lentils Low carb Maharashtrian Protein salad Vegan Vegetarian

Pendpala- a dry masoor daal curry

Daal or lentils are an integral part of the Indian cuisine. Its used in many forms, with skin, without skin, powdered, roasted, raw and so much more. In parts of India where the water is scarce, not enough fresh vegetables, you will see a predominant part of region’s cuisine. If you visit Rajasthan, the western state of India, you will see so many dishes that made with Chick pea flour, like Gatte ki kadhi, Kachori etc.

Hearty Solapuri meal

Solapur, the town I come from is situated in the middle of state Maharashtra. There are no rivers or water bodies near Solapur and the summers are brutal. All of this means that the cuisine relies on shelf stable ingredients more than the fresh vegetables or fish. You will see use of Jowar and Bajra more than the wheat and rice. Jowar and Bajra and drought tolerant and need much less water than growing wheat or rice.

Millets like Jowar or Sorghum and Bajra or pearl Millet are excellent source of nutrients. They provide lots of essential nutrients not only to the human beings but it’s also gentle on the soil

Typically farmer, or those who do lot of physical labor, and come from neighboring villages for work, often pack a hearty lunch of Jowar Bhakri, peanut chutney and some dry subji. The subji is dry which prevents it from getting soiled in the hot weather of solapur. Often times it has lentils or chickpea flour

One such preparation is Pendpala. I don’t know how the name came about but I can guarantee you, it’s plain delicious. Full of protein, it’s is a a great compliment to the bhakri and completes the meal

I love that all of the ingredients needed to make this are shelf stable and easily available.

What makes it absolutely delicious is the Kala Tikhat, a special spice mix from Solapur. It’s a combination of many whole spices, along with onion and garlic. I will share that recipe soon. It’s made a few times a year and can be used in many recipes.

I learnt this from Anusaya. Anusaya is help at home but she is much more than that. She is family. She has been coming to our house for the last 45 years. I have rarely seen even family members as loyal as she is 🙂

Kala Tikhat

Some people call it Daal Kanda, which translates to Lentil Onion, and some also make it with toor daal. I make the Pendpala with Masoor daal and serve it with sorghum bhakri, peanut chutney, Green Tomato chutney and raw onion. A complete, balanced, wholesome, protein packed, gluten-free vegan meal 🙂

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Masoor Pendpala Solapur style

Spicy, delicious lip smacking daal recipe, easy to make

Course Appetizer, Side Dish
Cuisine Indian, Maharashtrian, vegan, vegetarian
Keyword daal, lentils, vegan, vegetarian

Ingredients

  • 1 Cup Split masoor daal
  • 1 Onion Chopped
  • 2 Garlic cloves
  • 2 Tbsp Oil
  • 1 Tsp Turmeric Powder
  • 1 Tsp Salt
  • 4 Tbsp Roasted peanut powder
  • 1 Tbsp Chopped cilantro
  • 1 Tbsp Kala Tikhat
  • 1/2 Tsp Red chili powder optional

Instructions

Prep

  1. Soak the daal for 20-30 mins

  2. Drain the water

Cook

  1. Heat the oil in a wok. Add turmeric, and chopped onion and garlic.

  2. Cook the onions and garlic till soft, ensure that its not too burnt

  3. Add the drained daal, salt and stir to mix

  4. Cover and cook till the daal is soft on low-medium flame . We dont want it to be mushy. It should be cooked but hold its shape. It takes about 8-10 mins

  5. Add kala tikhat and red chili to taste

  6. Add peanut powder , cilantro and mix well

  7. Serve with Bhakri

Categories
Indian salad Side dish Vegetarian

Nepalese Fiddlehead Ferns

I love going to the farmers market no matter where I go. So when I walked to the ferry building in San Francisco yesterday, I decided to swing by the market and pick up something for dinner. I picked up some kumquats and Lisbon lemons. I went inside the building. That building is one of my favorite places to visit, yummy baked goods, flavorful olive oils, natural soap, ice-cream, so many fun things to try. 

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There is a shop that is  my favorite shop, they carry different kinds of mushroom among other interesting things. I visit them every time I go there.  Today I saw some morels, ramps and fiddlehead ferns. I was so excited because I have never cooked ramps or fiddlehead before. I bought them and planned my dinner around it.
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Today I saw some morels, ramps and fiddlehead ferns. I was so excited because I have never cooked ramps or fiddlehead before. I bought them and planned my dinner around it.
When I started reading about it I found out that even though Fiddlehead ferns are not common across India, the northern states of India use it when in season. In Kashmir region, these are pickled as well. You cook it with some dry spices with potatoes.
In Nepal it is used as well.  I remembered that when I visited Nepal in Feb 2015, I had eaten ‘ Neuro ko Tarkari’ and I had loved it . So today I decided to make a Nepalese recipe with these fiddleheads.
Like all other Nepalese recipe, it is very easy to make and quite simple.
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Ingredients

  •  3-4 cups Fiddlehead ferns
  • 2-3 tbsp Clarified butter/ Ghee
  • 1/4 tsp Fenugreek Seeds
  • 1/4 tsp cumin seeds
  • 1/8 tsp turmeric powder
  • 1 green chili chopped
  • 2-3 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1/2 tsp Cumin powder ( optional)
  • 1/2 tsp coriander powder (optional)

Method

  • With a soft brush remove the brown fuzzy part from the ferns
  • Cut off the fat, tough stems ( just like asparagus)
  • Boil a pot of salted water and blanch the ferns
  • Chop roughly or leave it whole. I left mine whole since they were baby size
  • Heat ghee, when hot add fenugreek seeds, cumin seeds chili and turmeric
  • Add chopped garlic and saute lightly. Dont let the garlic burn
  • Add the blanched ferns
  • Saute for a couple of mins, add the ground spices
  • Serve as a side dish

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Categories
Healthy foods Not sure salad Side dish

Roasted Cauliflower salad with lentils & dates

Many times we just keep getting different magazines and don’t even bother reading it. I get a couple of food magazines, I scanned through, plan to make a couple of recipes but very rarely get to it. It was different this time. When I got​ this issue of Food and Wine, I was in love with this recipe. I had to make it. So a friend of mine was coming over for lunch and I decided to try this recipe on her. She is not a hard-core vegan but prefers not having dairy products. This recipe was perfect. Cauliflower Salad 1 I made a few changes and the result was great. I  like making this since it  does not need me to stand over the stove and cook forever. Especially when my friends are visiting I like to make meals that are easy to make so I can spend more time with my friends.

 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup raw almonds
  • 1 cup beluga or green lentils, rinsed
  • 1 head of cauliflower, cut into 1- to 1 1/2-inch florets
  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
  • Pinch of cayenne
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons tahini
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1 teaspoon honey
  • 10 dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
  • 2 cups loosely packed spinach
  • 2 cups loosely packed arugula

METHOD

Preheat the oven to 350°. Spread the almonds in a pie plate and toast for 3 to 4 minutes, until golden. Let cool, then coarsely chop. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the lentils with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, 20 minutes. Drain well and let cool. These lentils are called Beluga lentils since they resemble the ‘beluga caviar’. 🙂 On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss the cauliflower with the 1/4 cup of olive oil and the cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne; season with salt and pepper. Roast for 20 minutes, turning, until the cauliflower is tender and golden brown. I must warn you this cauliflower is addictive. I always make one extra since I finish half of the roasted cauliflower before it makes it to the salad. 🙂

In a large bowl, whisk the tahini with the lemon juice, honey, the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth.  If you want to make it vegan, you can use Agave in place of the honey.

Very often found in the Lebanese cuisine, tahini is a power food. It is a fine paste made from sesame seeds which are rich in protein, calcium and minerals. Sesame seeds are used very commonly in the southern and western regions of India. It has a beautiful nutty flavor. You can now mix in the lentil and cauliflower to the dressing if you want or you can leave the dressing on the side. Add the lentils and season with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Scrape the roasted cauliflower into the bowl and add the toasted almonds, dates, onion and spinach. Toss the salad, transfer to a platter and serve.

Cauliflower salad 2
Cauliflower salad 2

Categories
BBQ Healthy foods Middle eastern salad Side dish Tunisia whole grain

Grilled Harissa shrimps

I love spicy food. When I go the farmers market, I am always looking for the spiciest chili. So in summer when we get the fresh red thai chili in the market, I make at least a couple of batches of Harissa. It can perk up any dish pretty quickly.

I like to make these shrimps using Harissa, the dish comes together very quickly and can be served as a main dish or a salad.

Shrimps don’t need a lot of marination so this dish can be made in 20 minutes.


Although Harissa is Tunisian I feel that the Mediterranean flavors compliment it well. So I decide to bring those along.I also brought in some more Mediterranean flavors with a quick salad. I took some yellow and Red cherry tomatoes, chopped Persian cucumbers and mix them with fresh chopped mint and topped with feta cheese.

Here is the recipe.

Ingredients

  • 20 large shrimps
  • 1 large clove of garlic crushed
  • 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
  • 1 tbsp Harissa
  • 1 tbsp oil

Method

Mix all the ingredients except to form a paste. Now add shrimps and mix well. Make sure all the shrimps are coated evenly with the paste.

Let them marinate for 20 mins or so.

Pomegranate molasses not only provides the sweetness to balance the heat from Harissa but also add a tangy flavor & color to the shrimps.


Grill on a grill plate or bbq. Brush the shrimps with some oil of needed to prevent them from sticking to the grill.

I like to thread some tomatoes or large zucchini pieces along with the shrimps, I feel it adds a Pop of color and texture.


You can serve the shrimps as a side with brown rice and some grilled fruit. Today I grilled some nectarines, the sweetness of the grilled fruit complimented the spice of harissa.

You can mix them with a lot of chopped herbs like basil and cilantro and serve as an appetizer.  I love making this version in summer when the herbs are in abundance in the market.

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I use Harissa in many dishes, like Pumpkin Shrimp curry, or Cheddar Muffins. Enjoy!

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