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Nandi Shah

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I love the flavour of lemongrass. I find it very versatile: it shines in dishes like this vegan whole corn and lemongrass soup, in my early morning tea and even as a semi-decorative element in kachoris. This ginger lemongrass rice is just one of many ways that this wonderfully aromatic herb is used in my home.

Indeed, not only is it used in my home but it is also grown in my home, which means that I have access to fresh green lemongrass leaves whenever I desire them. I currently have this plant on my terrace so that it gets direct sunlight. It sits alongside my jasmines, which I am very proud of. Not only is the visual of them growing together very pleasing, but the natural fragrances that waft there in summer – with the flowers in full bloom giving off a heady scent, alongside the lemongrass – are really so beautiful.

Despite being a long-term fan of lemongrass, this ginger lemongrass rice is a new addition to my repertoire. My daughter is visiting and she loves to cook Thai food, which is what inspired me to bring the ingredient into a lightly stir-fried rice. The method for doing so is a little different, and you can see how to prepare it in the recipe below.

This rice is meant to be accompanied by a side dish, and you can experiment with a variety of cuisines. If I am serving this alongside an Indian dish, fresh coriander or a bit of cumin in the preparation will bring out complementary flavours. If I am pairing it with a Continental dish like a baked spinach (by the way, I will share the recipe for this soon), I may add mint instead. The lemongrass and the ginger remain constants. However you choose to accompany it, the rice itself will be quite flavourful, as well as fragrant.

I have shared quite a few rice recipes here over the years, from biryani to porridge to dessert. In South India, rice grows abundantly, and I’ve also discussed before how the regeneration of native varieties is important. I recently heard the environmental scholar Vandana Shiva speak in Chennai, and I feel moved to share her message. She spoke about how India must maintain our rich agricultural heritage, that farmers should have their own seeds and distribution network and not allow big companies to patent them (this is quite controversial – Monsanto currently has a monopoly on the world’s seeds). She also encouraged farmers to go pesticide-free and focus on seasonal produce, and said that organic food will become more affordable as more farmers choose these methods. It was a very enlightening talk, and these thoughts were on my mind as I prepared this dish. I hope that you too will explore more about these subjects. After all, they relate to our everyday lives and choices.

All said and done, rice is a staple in India, and while it contains sugars and starch, in the right quantities it does more good than harm. I hope we can all come together to be more mindful about our consumption. We can do good, too – even as we indulge.

 

Ginger Lemongrass Rice

(Serves 2)

1 cup rice

5 cups water

2 tablespoons grated ginger

A bunch of fresh lemongrass leaves

Salt to taste

1 tablespoon sesame oil

Finely chopped coriander leaves (for garnishing)

I have used basmati for this dish, but I would recommend using any good South Indian or Asian rice variety. Do keep in mind my prior suggestions for additional ingredients depending on the side dishes you prepare to serve this with.

Rinse and soak the rice in a pot. Add the five cups of water. Add the lemongrass leaves and cook until the rice is tender. Strain and set aside. Remove the lemongrass leaves and discard them.

In a heated pan, add the oil. Now, add the ginger and sauté for a few minutes. Add the cooked, fragrant lemongrass rice along with the salt. Mix gently, allowing the flavours to spread into the rice.

Garnish and serve, along with any other dish. This ginger lemongrass rice will certainly elevate the flavours of its accompaniment, and vice versa. Enjoy!

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Recipe: Cool & Refreshing – Cucumber Raita

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Yoghurt, curd, dahi – whatever you want to call it, this essential dairy product is a staple at home with every single meal. It has been this way for many years. When I was growing up, my family would tease me about my love for dahi. It was often joked, “She will even have dahi with bread!” It’s true: I loved it so much that I would eat it in any form. Nowadays, I am equally happy just having it plain, without accompaniments. Sometimes, it’s nice to dress the dahi up and enjoy its versatility, and that’s when a recipe like this cucumber raita gets made.

Later, once I moved into my marital home, I discovered that curd was not a big part of their meals. It began to be included because of me, and gradually it became a staple here as well. So much so that my entire extended family on both sides have another running joke about how dahi should be kept ready whenever I’m about to visit.

Truly, it’s a lifelong love. I have shared in the past that my love for curd is the key reason why the vegan lifestyle is a challenge for me, and for those of you who have mastered it, I hope you’ll explore the many vegan recipes I’ve shared.

Plain homemade curd is my go-to. Greek yoghurt and so on were unknown to me while I was growing up, although I have explored it since. I’m happy to say that my simple, traditional homemade curd literally travels the world. There is a Spanish family whom we are close with, and they visit us every year. Each time, they take back a little bit of curd culture from my kitchen so that they can make their own Indian dahi when they are back home. My friend used to ask me for the recipe each time to jog her memory, but over the last five years, I’ve been able to simply direct her to the method that I published here. You can make it too, and the technique is right here.

Coming to the raita, I’ve made mine a little more exciting. Traditional cucumber raita is a two-ingredient dish, but I’ve added some spices, some mint and some garlic. This brings out a medley of flavours. You may want to try your own variations. For instance, why not replace cucumber with beetroot and watch the dish change colour? It will add quite a bit of novelty, especially when you are entertaining.

Cucumber Raita

(Serves 2-4)

 

1 cup grated cucumber

2 cups thick yoghurt

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons oil

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

A few curry leaves

2-3 pods garlic (cut lengthwise)

2-3 dried red chilies

Mint leaves (for garnishing)

Finely chopped coriander leaves (for garnishing)

 

A point to be noted is that you must be certain that the yoghurt is not sour. If you’re making it at home, follow the technique carefully to ensure this. If you are using it store-bought and find it slightly sour, adding a splash of milk will fix this.

In a bowl, grate the cucumber. Discard a little bit of the released water. Add the yoghurt and salt. Mix well.

In a hot pan, pour the oil to prepare the tempering. Add the cumin seeds to it. Then add the sliced garlic and allow these to turn golden. Once this is done, add the curry leaves.

Pour this tempering over the yoghurt. Garnish and allow to cool in the refrigerator.

As with all other raitas, this is meant to be served cold. It beautifully accompanies certain kinds of rice, such as biryanis, as well as Indian breads. I’ve also served it in a Lebanese spread, alongside pita bread and hummus. It’s quite versatile as a dip or side dish. If you enjoy this raita, why not try my banana-mustard raita too?

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Recipe: The Greatness Of Green Mung – Green Mung Chilla

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I recently travelled to see my son, and spending time with him reminded me of a conversation that we had a few years ago. He manages his own home and kitchen – as all my kids do, now that they have all stepped out to live their own lives as adults. Around five years ago, I had brought some grains along on one such visit and kept them in this son’s home. Subsequently, he told me, “Ma, these are very old. I’m going to throw them out.” I was not happy about this. I explained to him how every seed has a life of its own. Even a thousand years later, you could plant it and it would grow, and you could cook the pulses or dals. Seeds and grains have a power that is ingrained – pardon the pun – in every aspect of our life. From metaphors of sustenance and growth, as I have spoken of earlier to giving us our staple nutrition, they offer us so much. These thoughts inspired me to share another dal-based dish with you. This is a moong dal chilla, rich with the nutrients of green mung.

I’ve shared a recipe for chilla on this blog before, which you may have tried out. A chilla is a kind of Indian crepe, known by different names. I first encountered green mung chilla in Andhra Pradesh, when I was visiting cousins in Vijayawada as a child. There, it was known as pesarattu, and was eaten with upma or onions within its fold. When I think about it, the fact that this dal is a native of South India means that it has many different uses across the cuisines of this region. I take pride in the many wonderful ingredients, including rice and turmeric, that have been cultivated here through history.

Now of course, green mung sits on the world map as a superfood. Not only is it high in protein and iron, but it also has numerous healing properties and other benefits. When you’re recovering from a sickness, boiled mung water consumed in sips can help. It’s easy to digest. It doesn’t create a heaviness in the stomach, which makes it great for light meals.

More often than not, there’s sprouted mung as well as raw mung dal in my home. I sometimes sauté the sprouts for breakfast. At other times, I just grind the raw, soaked dal and have chilla for dinner – especially on evenings when I just want something light. Which brings us back to this recipe. You can make a chilla out of anything. Chickpea flour is an easy base and a quick fix. Green mung chilla takes longer as you have to soak it and grind it. I feel it is worth the extra time as due to the many health benefits described above. It also tastes great, as I think you’ll find out when you try it out yourself.

Green Mung Chilla

(Yield: 6-8 pieces)

1 cup raw green mung

Water for soaking

Salt to taste

1 inch piece of ginger

2 green chilies

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

Oil for frying

¾ cup water (approximately)

 

Soak the green mung overnight in sufficient water for 8 hours.

When ready to prepare the chillas, drain the green mung.

In a blender, add the soaked mung, ginger, green chili, cumin seeds and two tablespoons of water. Grind coarsely.

Remove the batter into a bowl. Add salt and add enough water so that it still remains a thick batter. Let this batter sit at room temperature for an hour.

Then, heat a griddle, and splash a few drops of water to test that it’s hot enough. If it sizzles, the griddle is ready.

Mix the batter gently and drop a ladle-full onto the centre of the griddle. Using the back of the ladle, spread the mixture in a circular motion such that it spreads evenly. This is just like how you would make a dosa or a crepe.

Drop some oil to help the chilla fry up. Cook well on a medium flame until slightly golden. Flip it and allow it to cool for a few seconds. Then flip back, fold into halves and take it off the griddle.

Enjoy your green mung chilla hot, and serve it along with chutney or sambar. You may also want to add some toppings or vegetables, to round the meal out more and increase the nutrient and taste quotients. While it requires some prep, the green mung chilla is a simple and satisfying dish. I hope you’ll try it out!

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Recipe: Based On The Best – Broccoli Sourdough Toast

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I believe that there is nothing like a homemade bread, and this especially true if it’s a sourdough. I happen to bake sourdough at home, as you may know either from my Instagram or from previous sharings on this blog. When the sourdough is fresh, I have it either plain or dipped in olive oil as a meal accompaniment. When it’s a day or two old, I like to have it toasted, with different toppings. This broccoli toast is one of them.

As I always say and often repeat, you can make your own version of a dish like this. You may have enjoyed some of my earlier variations, such as: cheesy garlic toast and pesto-parmesan toastie. You can play around with the individual ingredients that go over the toast base too. I have used a local cheddar cheese, for instance. If you want to go even more local, and you’re in India like me, you can add crumbled paneer on top. If you are vegan, crumbled tofu works well instead.

It’s good to have some protein with your carbs and your veggies, so even a simple toast can become a fully nourishing dish. You may have noticed that after a long battle with carbs, I don’t like to diss them anymore. I now think that they are best had in controlled portions, alongside proteins and vegetables. That’s the trick not just to a healthy meal, but to fulfilling your cravings too!

I like to have this broccoli toast as an in-between snack, a filler when I know my dinner is going to be late. At times, it is my dinner itself, along with a bowl of soup. I occasionally even have it as a breakfast. Like any toast, it’s for any time.

Broccoli Sourdough Toast

(Serves 2)

1 big sourdough slice

2 cups broccoli (cut into small florets)

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon chili flakes

½ cup grated cheese

1 teaspoon olive oil

2 tablespoons finely chopped spring onions

 

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Roast the broccoli in the oven along with a sprinkle of salt and a drizzle of olive oil. If you want to take it up a notch, you can caramelise it with a pinch or two of sugar. This really elevates the flavour. Once slightly charred, set aside.

Take a slice of sourdough and spread the roasted broccoli over it. If you like, you can lay the roasted broccoli on a bed of Greek yoghurt over the toast (if yoghurt on toast is something you’re interested in, do check out this cherry tomato yoghurt toast recipe).

Drizzle a little olive oil on top. Now, sprinkle some cheese and toast in the oven until the base of the bread slice is browned.

Remove from the oven and sprinkle some of the spring onions for garnishing. Cut the toast into 2 pieces. Serve hot.

I hope you’ll enjoy this broccoli sourdough toast. It’s one of the many ways in which I enjoy my literal “daily bread”!

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Recipe: Perfectly Essential – Gujarati Poha

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When people say Gujaratis are synonymous with dhoklas, I often think about how it is probably actually poha that’s a better symbol of our eating habits. Even though it is originally a Maharashtrian dish, Gujarati-style poha has been tweaked to suit our palates and makes such a frequent appearance at our meals that it is also quintessential to us. At any Gujarati home – including mine – on literally seven days of any given week, you are very likely to get to see, and of course taste, poha.

The Gujarati palate likes a bit of sweetness and a bit of tanginess in every dish, which is the tweak that this recipe contains. There is some sugar, of course. There is also a squeeze of lime and some green chilli paste. These additions bring in a perfect combination of three flavours: sweet, tangy and spicy.

Poha is, as established already, a staple. It is flattened rice prepared in a savoury way. It is a reliable dish, and made with easily accessible ingredients. It is basic, simple and nourishing. It is healthy and light on the system. It is versatile: good to serve to guests, good to have when unwell or recuperating, and even good at certain celebrations (such as the morning functions of weddings). It is mainly a morning dish, and it is ideal for an everyday breakfast too.

For me, poha is so essential that if it is served every day in my home, I must also have it at least on three days of the week when I travel abroad. Be it London or New York, I must have poha. I carry the ingredients with me and prepare it wherever I am. When I’m travelling, I like to make it in my own special way, by topping it with lots of vegetables. I do know that some people add green peas during pea season, but otherwise this isn’t typically Gujarati. I add the vegetables to suit my health and lifestyle requirements. In this recipe, I have used corn along with a handful of peanuts, to bring in more of the nutrition quotient that I strongly prefer.

Gujarati Poha

(Serves 2-3 people)

2 cups poha

1 medium size onion (finely chopped)

1 medium sized potato (finely cut)

½ cup corn niblets

1 tablespoon peanuts

1 green chilli

A handful of curry leaves

3 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon turmeric powder

1 tablespoon sugar

Juice of 1 large lime

You may want to use the red rice variety of flattened or beaten rice to prepare this dish, but I like to use the thinner white rice variety. The advantage of it is that you don’t have to soak it for fifteen minutes to half an hour beforehand. You only have to rinse it. Do keep this in mind; if you use the thicker variety, you must soak and drain it.

Rinse the poha under running water and allow to drain, half an hour before cooking. Set aside.

Heat a kadai, and add the oil. Add the cumin and mustard seeds. Once they splutter, add the peanuts and then the onions, curry leaves and green chilli. Sauté until the onions are tender and then add the potatoes. Now, cover the kadai with a lid and allow the potatoes to cook on a low flame. Sprinkle a little water if required.

Next, add the corn and sauté until all the vegetables are tender.

Add the salt, turmeric powder, sugar and lemon juice and mix. Add the poha and mix gently. Sprinkle a little water and cover again for a few minutes.

Mix again gently and serve. You can garnish this dish with grated coconut and coriander leaves. As I mentioned, you can also top with vegetables for a greater nutritional boost. This will give you a re:store-tweaked, Gujarati-style poha!

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Recipe: Lusciously Local – Lychee Kheer

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I wanted to make a panna cotta recently but didn’t have the time, which is when I decided that something like a kheer would be the next best thing. Isn’t it lovely when we can almost match our cravings with something equally delightful, although different? This dish is all the more special because it uses lychees, which have a really short season. This lychee kheer is simply perfect as a cold dessert for the summer.

I really love Indian lychees, even though I know that they originate in East and South East Asia. The flavours of each variant depends on the location, and the Indian-grown ones are my favourite. Perhaps it’s just that I am used to that taste. Similarly, mangoes grow all over the world but there is nothing like an Indian mango to me, the ones we find in our own neighbourhoods. Incidentally, lychees are at their own best during a short time during mango season. They are also more suited to the heat, as they are definitely more cooling than mangoes. Since lychees have a short season, I want to add that you can use tinned ones too – the kheer will taste just as good.

In fact, the memory of some very cool lychees were what inspired this dish. I had visited a friend a while ago, during another lychee season, and she had peeled and frozen the fruit. We enjoyed these after a lazy afternoon lunch, and they tasted like ice cream. I will never forget how that day was: gossip, food, laughter and the delicious frozen lychees melting in the mouth.

I have shared below a very basic recipe that focuses on the flavour of this fruit, but I have found that it pairs quite well with coconut and/or rose too. As I have so much of it on hand from the trees at home, I’ve added some grated coconut, which is optional. I’ve also found that saffron and almond, despite being typical kheer flavourings, don’t quite match. Still, go with your gut instinct and choose to add what you’d like to. Or else just stick to the simplest version, for it really is quite wonderful as it is.

Lychee Kheer

(Yield: 6 cups)

1 litre milk

½ cup broken rice (washed and soaked)

½ cup sugar

1 cup lychees

2 tablespoons grated coconut (optional)

 

Boil the milk until it reduces a little, then add the soaked broken rice. Substitute with whole grain if you prefer.

Allow the rice to cook in the milk. You will notice when the rice cooks and the milk reduces further. Once cooked, the rice becomes tender. Now, add the sugar.

I used a hand blender to gently whip the mixture so the rice breaks down further.

Remove from the flame and cover. Allow to cool to room temperature, then refrigerate.

Meanwhile, peel the lychees and chop finely. Add them to the kheer along with the grated coconut, if you are using it, and stir well. Refrigerate again and serve cold.

The main thing that gets in the way of making this dish properly is that you will have to be careful as you peel the lychees not to pop them into your mouth! I hope you have a nice big bunch around, as you’ll find it very tempting to do so. Trust me, putting them in the kheer is well worth it – try it out, and you’ll see.

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Recipe: The Marvel Of The Season – Mango Tart

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Since we are still bang in the middle of summer, when mangoes are abundant, I simply must share yet another mango recipe. I had been longing to make a tart for ages, but was held back by the worry that I would not be very good at it. However, I reminded myself that when you come down to it, baking is very simple. There are different methods, but it’s about following one method to a tee (for my beginner’s intro to baking, do check out this post). So you could say I went back to my own basics, and made myself this very marvellous mango tart.

When I say that mangoes are abundant, I mean both in the market as well as in my back garden. It’s funny how I actually take them for granted. There are just so many hanging on my three different varieties of mango trees – each of which yield very sweet fruit. I know that one is the killimooku, and one is the sindoora. As for the last one, I’m uncertain of the species but it tastes great just the same. I give away lots of the harvest, but the fruits are so flourishing at this time of year that I sometimes just have to leave them on the trees. There are monkeys, squirrels and parrots in the neighbourhood that enjoy them too, and more often that not, I let Nature do its thing. The birds and animals eat the fruit, drop the seeds somewhere in the yard, and now and then I find a young mango shoot emerging from the soil. These little discoveries remind me of how amazing life itself is.

Besides which, look at the beautiful colours of this sindoora. I enjoy even just admiring the fruit on the tree (though of course, I probably enjoy eating it all the more).

Not needing to buy mangoes has many perks, including that I know that the ones at home are naturally ripened and grown. I’m aware that many store-bought mangoes are either sweetened or advanced through chemical processes, and am grateful that I can avoid these.

When I do eat mangoes from beyond my own backyard, they are usually the ones in friends’ backyards. There is a lot of exchange that happens this season. That’s how I got my hands on some luscious Alphonso mangoes. They are delicious and the flesh is a lovely orange colour that makes the tart altogether very pretty. Any sweet mango variety, available all over the subcontinent now, will work perfectly for this dish.

Mango Tart

(Yield: 9’ tart)

1¾ cups flour
¼ cup almond flour
½ cup powdered sugar
½ cup cold butter
½ teaspoon salt
1 egg

Filling:
½ cup mango pulp
1 cup milk
¼ cup powdered sugar
3 tablespoons cornflour
1 teaspoon agar agar

Preheat the oven at 160°C for 20 minutes.

Add all the ingredients for the filling in a bowl. Set aside.Crumble the butter with your fingers along with the flour and the egg. Gently bring it all together until you get a smooth dough. Cover with cling film and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

Remove the dough from the fridge. Using parchment papers, roll the dough gently into a 12’ roll and place carefully over the tart pan. Using your hands, press the sides down. With the help of a fork, pierce the tart base so that it does not fluff, and cover with foil (you can use lentils to weigh down the foil). Bake until golden, which will take about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool a little.

Meanwhile, add the milk, mango pulp, sugar, cornflour and agar agar in a pan. Stir well. Now place on a medium flame and stir constantly until it thickens. Set aside.

Once the filling cools down a little, and the tart base is at room temperature, pour the custard over the tart. Refrigerate for 30 minutes. Decorate the top of the tart with sliced mangoes and any other garnishing of your choice. Refrigerate for at least thirty minutes before serving.

I know many people use biscuit crumbs as a tart base, but I like making it from scratch this way. Now that I’ve done so and gained confidence in my tart-making skills, I’ll certainly try making it with other kinds of fruit too. For now, here is a lovely mango tart. I hope you’ll be inspired to try it out too!

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Recipe: Keeping Cool And Colourful – Summer Buddha Bowl

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The summer heat is very strong right now where I live in India, so lighter meals are preferred and favoured. This often means fewer carbs, as they feel heavier at this time of year and just sit in the body. I find myself preparing Buddha bowls very often. While I’ve shared a number of different variations of them, this particular one is especially good for this season.

For my summer Buddha bowl, I have used quinoa as my grain base, adding proteins and vegetables. You can replace any of my choices with those of your own. A good Buddha bowl should feel personalised. Use ingredients that go with your mood of the day, but try and reach out for ones that are readily available and seasonal – both for convenience’s sake, as well as for the health benefits of eating according to Nature’s logic.

As I am getting older, I often feel the need to be more conscious of what I eat. Many recipes on this blog attest to this too, and I know that many of you feel the same way. Eating consciously isn’t about losing weight. You come to realise that beauty does not lie in how thin you are as much as how healthy you are. Eating right so that you stay fit at any size and making sure that your bloodwork is clean are better goals.

I recently watched a performance – the premiere of a show by Jyoti Dogra presented by Prakriti Foundation. It is call “Maas”, which translates to “meat” in Hindi. It is a must-see for all of us today, and the artist reminds us of exactly these musings: that beauty is not about weight and other expectations. Prakriti Foundation is travelling with the show to four cities; hopefully many of you will get to see it and be moved by it too.

Sometimes we need these reminders, even if they are about things we are already aware of. Feeling good about yourself is so important, and I believe that eating well goes a long way in bringing about this feeling. That brings us back to Buddha bowls. Another thing I love about them is that they let you get creative. You can play around with a variety of vegetables, grains and proteins. Don’t forget the use of colour too – one of the secrets to making a Buddha bowl work is to incorporate a few different hues. This one gets that vibrant pop from capsicum. How will you liven your bowl up?

Summer Buddha Bowl

(Yield: Serves 1)

¾ cup cooked chickpeas

1 cup sliced cucumber

½ sliced onion

1 cup cooled quinoa or any other grains

1 boiled egg or tofu / chicken / fish (optional)

½ cup colourful bell peppers

A few lettuce leaves of choice

 

Dressing

Salt to taste

Juice of 1½ lemons

½ teaspoon chilli powder

2 teaspoons olive oil + 1 teaspoon for chickpeas

 

In a pan, add 1 teaspoon of olive oil and sauté the cooked chickpeas. Add 2 teaspoons of the dressing. Sauté on a medium to high flame. Set aside.

Clean and cook the quinoa and strain.

Now, assemble all the ingredients in the bowl in any way you prefer or as in the images I’ve shared.

Pour the remaining dressing over the cut vegetables individually and plate, topping with the sliced boiled egg or other protein of your choice.

You can garnish the bowl as you wish.

Serve at room temperature or cold. Enjoy this light, nourishing dish that will replenish your body in this summer heat!

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Recipe: Another Delicious Staple – Adai

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As you may know, I straddle the worlds of being Gujarati and having been raised in Chennai. I believe that I’m more of a Tamilian than a Gujarati in many ways, or at least I feel that way at times (especially while I’m preparing or sharing certain recipes, like this one). Adai is a very traditional dish from Tamil Nadu, similar to the dosa. I didn’t grow up with it, but once I discovered it, it became a regular on my dining table. I like it a lot as it ticks all the boxes for me in terms of nutrition and taste. It is rich in protein but makes you feel like you’re eating carbs, which it in fact has very little of. It is very satisfying, in the ways that simple dishes can be.

I learnt this recipe from a friend, a few decades ago, and it has been a staple in my home for decades, so I was a little surprised myself that I hadn’t shared it yet. The story of how I got this recipe is that when my son was in kindergarten, there were a bunch of anxious moms waiting outside the school on Day 1 and Day 2 to make sure the kids settled in well. We got around to talking, and as many young mothers do, wound up exchanging recipes. That was how I learnt this adai recipe, and I still think of the friend I made way back when my son started school every single time I use it. I’ve been to her home many times over the years and eaten it there too.

Traditionally, adai is had with fresh butter and jaggery. That is still my favourite combination, even though I also prepare it with a variety of chutneys, a number of which you can explore on the blog. I suspect the traditional accompaniment is my preferred one as it’s sweet, so the Gujju in me kicks in!

I make different versions of adai, in the sense that I may pour it into a waffle maker for novelty, make a big one for dinner or a small one for a starter. Sometimes I even prepare it with a filling – for this, I’ve found that paneer works well. I also make the batter thick and make it like a pancake with raw, finely chopped vegetables, which gives it a different taste and improves the healthiness quotient. Adai in and of itself is quite nutritious, as long as you go easy on the oil. In the version below, I share the recipe for smaller adais topped with the goodness of vegetables.

Adai

(Yield: 10-15 pieces)

1 cup boiled rice

¼ cup tuvar dal

¼ cup yellow moong dal

¼ cup channa dal

¼ cup urad dal

1 onion

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fennel

2-3 cloves garlic

2-3 dried red chilli

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon fennel seeds

Salt to taste

½ teaspoon turmeric

 

Tempering:

1 tablespoon oil

½ teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

1 onion (finely chopped)

½ teaspoon asafoetida

Coriander leaves

 

Sesame oil for cooking

Finely chopped vegetables (onions, carrots and coriander leaves) for topping

 

 

Soak the dals and rice for 6-8 hours in enough water to cover them.

Grind the soaked dals and rice in a blender along with garlic, cumin, fennel seeds and red chilli until coarse. Set aside.

In a kadai, add the oil. Then, add mustard seeds, cumin, asafoetida, curry leaves and finely chopped onion. Sauté on a high flame for 2 minutes and add to the coarse batter. Add the turmeric and coriander leaves to the batter. Mix gently. Your batter is now ready for making the adai.

To cook the adai, the method is as follows. On a heated flat pan, make small discs of the batter, spreading them a little. Add the sesame oil as required to cook. About 1-2 teaspoons will do.

Once the adai is golden brown on one side, flip gently and allow to cook on the other. Then, turn back to the previous side, and add the finely chopped vegetables as an optional topping. Serve with a chutney of your choice. If you decide to serve it with butter or jaggery, you can skip adding the vegetables.

I hope you’ll enjoy this adai, especially if you were already familiar with dosas and wanted to explore a variation on the same!

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Recipes

Recipe: All Things Tropical: A Cake To Come Home To – Vanilla Coconut Bundt

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After many travels, I have finally been back home and quite gladly too. It has been lovely to just relax, and be right where I want to be. I was recently struck by something that Michelle Obama said in The Light We Carry, her interview with Oprah Winfrey: “Home is where Barack is”. These words were so sweet, and in some ways resonated for me too. I realised when I heard this line that I had been missing my husband while I was away. He may not be the president of a country, but he is certainly the president of this house. We were watching the interview together on a Sunday evening, and with those loving thoughts in my mind I set about baking for us as I often do on weekends – and the result that day was this vanilla coconut bundt.

A cake like this goes so well with this hot summer weather. It is extremely flavourful, and all the ingredients are easily available. The coconut grows in my own backyard, as I’ve said umpteen times before, and I thought it would be great not just seasonally but also as a fitting finish to this All Things Tropical recipe series I’ve recently shared.

A bundt is a kind of sponge cake or tea cake, and keeps for a bit longer. That’s one of the good things about it. We try to control ourselves by not eating half the cake in one go, and these days it’s keeping us happy over a few days for sure. I must admit that this may be because the kids are away, which is a bit of a sore topic for me. I never actually felt that empty nest problem when they went off to study. But I feel it now, now that they are in their late 20s and have their own lives as adults, their own worlds of friends and family. It is similar for my husband too. So small things like this vanilla coconut bundt cake cheer us up.

Speaking of our children’s generation and ours, and to return to Michelle Obama’s very impressive accomplishments and sentiments – I suppose it also has to do with age. When you are younger, you want to do everything – you want to achieve so much, you want to build empires, you want to make a name for yourself. But there comes a time in your life when all you really want, once you have met all your ambitions, is to spend time with your loved ones. Your partner first and foremost, and then the rest of your family. My husband and I now feel able to make time for each other despite our busy schedules. We come home to each other, and to treats like this recipe. This vanilla coconut bundt can pep up any evening and in my opinion can impress the president too – of a country, or at any rate of a home!

Vanilla Coconut Bundt

(Yield: Serves 6-8)

 

250 grams soft unsalted butter

225 grams granulated sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 whole eggs

250 grams all purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

1½ teaspoons baking powder

¼ teaspoon salt

¾ cup desiccated coconut

1 cup coconut cream

½ cup fresh cream

 

Preheat the oven to 160°C.

Grease and dust the bundt pan well. Set aside.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and sieve. Set aside.

In a bowl, add the butter, sugar and vanilla extract. Blend well until fluffy.

Now, add the eggs and beat well until incorporated. Next, add the flour mixture and fold gently. Then, add the coconut cream and desiccated coconut. Fold until it all comes together.

Spoon the mixture into the bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Then, remove from the oven and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Upturn the bundt pan and tap gently. Remove the pan. Allow the cake to cool completely before you drizzle the fresh cream on top. Your beautiful vanilla coconut bundt is now ready to serve.

The bundt has made a couple of appearances on this blog before, such as this citrus bundt cake and this lemon poppy bundt cake. If you enjoy this style of cake, you may want to explore those recipes too.

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