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Recipe: Diverse & Wonderful – Walnut Dip

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A recent visit to Kashmir reiterated for me how rich my country, India, is. Perhaps for that reason, we have been plundered many times, yet have held strong despite it. I have travelled the world, but to me there is nothing like home. In Kashmir, I experienced the beauty of nature and the hospitality of people in a way that reminded me of this fact. Returning to Chennai, I wanted to recreate something that would remind me of that holiday, and this wonderful walnut dip fulfilled that wish.

While travelling there, I was most thrilled when I saw walnut and almond trees, among many others, including nuts that I may not even be able to name. There was such a variety of fruit trees as well: apricots, peaches, plums and apples among them. Amidst the bounty of nature, there was also a sense of kinship and love. The experience of sitting beneath an almond tree and enjoying a live musical performance in someone’s home that they graciously opened up to us was more than just a treat or a pleasure, but really touched me.

That same welcoming gesture was also experienced when I visited a friend’s home, where she laid out an entire traditional Kashmiri feast for us. I got very excited even just seeing it. Needless to say, tasting it was sheer joy. There was one thing that wasn’t on the menu that day, but which she brought up in conversation: a walnut dip. This made me very curious, so I asked for her authentic recipe and also spent some time looking up other versions later. As I’ve shared often before on this blog, I think cooking is about adapting and innovating, and I wanted to create a version that would work well for me back home. The recipe I am sharing today is exactly that.

I was able to source the walnuts easily, and I think you should be able to as well. For some reason, while walnuts may be the healthiest option, I find that many seem to favour almonds or pistachios. I enjoy them all. I prefer buying whole walnuts, cracking them open myself, as I think the chances of them getting rancid sooner reduce by doing so.

I use this walnut dip as a spread on sourdough bread, and I think it will go nicely on a cheese platter too. Or else with sliced fruits, such as peaches, or rice or other kinds of crisps. I think it could also work as a meal condiment. I’m excited about trying out these variations. How will you use it? I’d love to know.

 

Walnut Dip

(Yield: 1 cup)

1 cup soaked walnuts

1 green chili

1 tablespoon grated red radish (optional)

Salt to taste

A pinch of pepper

2 tablespoons yoghurt

In a blender, add the soaked walnuts along with the green chilli. If you prefer, add some grated radish, along with salt and pepper to taste.

Blend well into a paste. Finally, add the yoghurt and whir gently.

Your walnut dip is now ready. You may wish to garnish it with a tablespoon of olive oil. Enjoy it as you please.

I certainly have been enjoying it, along with my memories of a special trip. If you can, I encourage you to visit Kashmir to explore its beauty and diversity. In the meanwhile, I hope this walnut dip gets you dreaming too, as I do of my own next visit!

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Recipe: Another Tasty Tradition – Bajra Ni Puri

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Bajra ni puri is a traditional Gujarati snack that is mostly eaten in the monsoons or when the climate is cooler. This is because bajra is heavy to digest, as I have shared in prior recipes that feature it, and also to coincide with the winter harvest of this particular millet. I often talk about how Nature tells us what we should be eating, and how and when; it was a wonderful science indeed that our ancestors followed. However, if consumed in moderation, bajra ni puri can of course be eaten year-round. Since this is the last stage before the summer heat sets in, and hence our last chance for a few months to gorge on this dish as per traditional logic, I thought it was the perfect time to share it.

Bajra, also known as pearl millet, is a millet rich in iron. You can infer this because of its darker colour, as I learned while studying Macrobiotics some years ago. Speaking of seasonal consumption, lighter grains are usually had in the summer. Funnily enough, cravings for heavy food are not often there in the hot season anyway. Our bodies naturally adapt to Nature, and we should become more conscious of these needs and put them first.

There are different methods of making bajra ni puri. I like this one as it has a bit of tanginess, created by the yoghurt that is added to it. It is also spiced up by ginger-green chilli paste.

My mother used to make the puris a bit bigger, and they would be fluffy – soft in the centre and crisp on the edges. My sister makes it this way too, and I love hers perhaps because it reminds me of our mother’s.

My version is a small and crispy one, which goes well with masala chai. To create this perfect pairing, you can check out my recipes both for the masala and the chai itself.

When my daughter who is away studying came home recently, she took back with her the entire batch of bajra ni puri that I had made then. She loved it that much. So even though my own favourite version is what my sister learned from my mother (which she must have learned from her own mother), my daughter’s is probably mine. I am happy to share with her not just this snack but also the traditions that come with it.

What I am reminded of in some way is of how when a Gujarati bride gets married and leaves her home, she is given a pot full of goodies to take back with her. My understanding is that she would need the sustenance as she left her village and crossed into her new one, be it by road or by train, and items that would provide energy (like millets) would be included. Today, the tradition is continued in the form of fancy silver trays laden with sweets and nuts.

My mother must have brought with her the pot that is now an heirloom of mine when she got married. It was the only thing that I asked from her before she passed on. It is a beautiful round brass pot with a small mouth and a small lid; I imagine this was to ensure that only a little air got in and the items within remained fresh. It adorns my kitchen, and maybe I’ll share a photo of it in future.

Bajra Ni Puri

(Yield: 40 tiny pieces)

 

¾ cup bajra flour

¼ cup wholewheat flour

2½ tablespoons curd (use lime juice – optional)

2 tablespoons oil

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon sesame seeds

¼ teaspoon asafoetida

½ teaspoon turmeric

2 teaspoons green chilli+ginger paste

½ cup finely chopped fresh methi leaves (optional)

2 tablespoons water (optional)

 

In a bowl, add the flours, salt, turmeric, asafoetida, curd, oil, sesame and green chili-ginger paste. Mix, then add the methi (fenugreek) leaves if you wish to. Now, gauging the quantity of water required, add it slowly – 1 tablespoon at a time – making sure the dough is thick.

In the mean time, heat the oil for deep frying. Once it has heated, gently add a few puris at a time and lower the flame. Turn them over frequently so that both sides cook well and become a golden colour. Fry on a low to medium flame.

Remove and drain on a paper. Once cooled, store in an airtight container. Enjoy with your chai. You’ll find it tangy, spicy and yummy.

I love how this bajra ni puri contains the significance of my mother’s wedding pot, and also the simplicity of an afternoon snack.

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Recipe: The Tasty Things In Life – Tomato Chutney

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If you are ever in any South Indian restaurant, you will notice that they will offer you an abundance of chutneys. Each restaurant will be famous for its own twist on ginger, coconut, mango and so many other variations and options. Whenever such a range is available, I usually want to lick and taste them all, until I find one that I love. Then, I’ll stick with that for that particular restaurant – at least for that particular day. Across many such meals, I have discovered that my favourite at many places is tomato chutney, so of course I decided to make my own version at home too – and to share it with you.

This tomato chutney can be kept in your fridge for about a week, and it goes well with anything – from main staples like dosas and idlys to assorted savoury snacks.

One thing I also like to do is to spread this chutney on the dosa itself, and it makes for an amazing flavour combination, along with the sesame oil used to fry the dosa and the ghee used as a topping. The dish looks so pleasing to the eye, is so appetizing, and is also healthy. Whenever I prepare a tomato chutney-laden dosa, it reminds me once again of the colourful plates at restaurants. Those red, green and white chutneys really change your perspective on just how delicious nutritious food can also look.

This in turn reminds me of a friend of mine whom I have learnt a lot from. She lives alone in a beautiful home, and at every single meal – whether or not she has visitors – she takes care to set a table properly. She places the crockery out along with crisp linen napkins and silverware. When one lives alone, one often takes things for granted. But not so with my friend, who pays attention to her meal and enjoys it the old-school way. No TV switched on, no carelessness. She cooks every single meal afresh and makes it a point to make it a pleasure.

Watching how she has chosen to live inspires me. We often rush through processes rather than pausing and being present. Yet what a difference it makes, especially as we get older, to truly enjoy and experience each moment.

Stop. Sit down. Look at the wonderful plate in front of you. See what the colours and flavours add to your life. If you plan to prepare such a plate soon, be sure to add this vibrant tomato chutney to it. I’m sure you’ll see and feel the difference it makes to the tastebuds, and to the mind.

Tomato Chutney

(Yield: 1 cup)

1 onion

2 tomatoes

3 dried red chilies

4-5 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons oil

1 piece ginger

1 teaspoon urad dal

Salt to taste

Water as required, enough to grind to a paste (I used 3-4 tablespoons)

Juice of ½ lemon

 

Heat a pan and add the oil. Add the garlic and urad dal and sauté.

Add the onions and dry red chilies. Sauté until the onions becomes translucent then add the tomatoes. Then, add the salt. Cook until the tomatoes are tender and their colour changes.

Now, add the water. Once the concoction cools considerably, blend with the lemon juice.

Store in a fridge for up to a week, using as an accompaniment to any dish of your choice. Enjoy!

For another tomato recipe that has multipurpose qualities, do check out my tomato purée recipe too!

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Recipe: Bites of Paradise – Ragi Paniyaram

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We talk about leftovers in all of our homes. How to store them, how to repurpose them and so on. You may have remembered from my Second Helpings series a while back that certain traditional dishes, like rotli na ladoo, are in fact innovations that deliberately use leftovers. This ragi paniyaram recipe is similar in nature. It basically uses up the leftover batter from ragi idly, and becomes a whole new savoury snack of its own.

You would already have learned the recipe for the batter used here, as linked above, so we can head straight into how to make paniyaram. They are amazing: pillowy soft on the inside and crisp on the outside. Dip one in chutney and it’s heavenly. I really feel like ragi paniyarams are bites of paradise!

The recipe below is my go-to. It is very easy to prepare and uses only readily available ingredients. You can add a flavouring of your choice as well. One special way that I like to make it is by dropping half the required batter in the paniyaram mould, adding a dollop of pickle in the centre, and then layering it with more batter. Mango or lemon pickle work perfectly for this, and add a piquant taste when you bite into the paniyaram. That’s the thing about many traditional staples – they are so flexible that you can add whatever you want within your reach. Be innovative, be creative, do you. Enjoy the process and the taste will come on its own.

I would describe paniyarams as being the South Indian version of Gujarati dhoklas, which are a quick fix for sudden guests. All you have to do is add some chopped veggies and seasoning to your regular idly batter and you have everything you need. They are a great snack at tea time and mid-morning, and I would say they are versatile even as dinner or breakfast items.

 

Ragi Paniyaram

(Yield: Serves 2-4)

 

1+½ cups ragi batter

1 small onion (finely chopped)

1 green chili (finely chopped)

1 tablespoon coriander leaves

1 teaspoon urad dal

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

¼ teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons sesame oil +oil for cooking

 

Pour the ragi batter into a bowl and set aside.

Heat a pan and add the oil. Once it’s hot, add the mustard seeds. When they splutter, add the cumin seeds. Now, add the urad dal and heat until golden. Next, add the onions, green chili, coriander leaves and curry leaves. Sauté for a minute.

Add all of this to the bowl of ragi batter. Mix well.

Prepare and heat the paniyaram plate (I use a seasoned iron grid for the same; you can use non-stick to be safe or if you’re new to the game). Add a few drops of oil to each mound (I like to use ghee for its flavour; since it’s no longer considered one of the evil fats, I’d suggest trying it out, or use either as you prefer). Once heated, add a tablespoon of batter into each mould. Cover, reduce the flame and allow to cook. In a few minutes, with the help of a sharp knife, turn each paniyaram over and allow to cook on the other side until golden.

Remove and serve. There you have it – ragi-rich bites of paradise! Paniyarams are best paired with chutney. I always have grated coconut at home from my trees in the backyard, and make a fresh chutney with it pretty much every day. I sometimes throw in some coriander leaves to make it green. This aside, there is an amazing tomato chutney that I feel works beautifully with ragi paniyarams, and that will be my next recipe on this blog. Stay tuned!

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Recipe: For A Spicy Concoction – Sambar Podi

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There are all kinds of powders, known as “podi”, and condiments in South Indian homes. Among them are: the coconut podi that we have talked about earlier, idly podi that is sprinkled over idly and eaten with ghee and makes for a great travel snack, podis using curry leaves or moringa leaves, and even gunpowder – presumably named this way by the British on account of its heat. This recipe is one such podi too. Last week, I shared the recipe for sambar using a readymade masala. Those of you who would like to use a homemade masala instead could use this sambar podi.

Traditionally, this sambar podi would be made fresh – ground, hand-pounded and added to the pot. Nowadays, with our busy lives, those of us who like having an entirely homemade podi make a jar of it and keep adding it to our sambar whenever we prepare it. It is more efficient, and greatly enhances the flavour of the sambar.

Of course, many readymades are equally good, and you know that I use them too. Still, we all also know that there’s nothing quite like homemade when it comes to certain ingredients, and of course when it comes to cooking itself.

Sambar Podi

(Yield: One small jar)

 

8-10 dry red chillies

2 tablespoons urad dal

1 teaspoon black pepper

¼ teaspoon methi seeds

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons coriander seeds

¼ teaspoon turmeric

1 pinch asafoetida

Salt to taste

1 teaspoon ghee

2 teaspoon desiccated coconut

 

Heat a pan. Add ½ teaspoon ghee. Once it has heated, add the urad dal and toast until pale golden. Set aside.

In the same pan, add black pepper, cumin, methi and coriander seeds. Roast well. Then, add turmeric and asafoetida. Set aside.

In the same pan, add a drop of ghee and roast a handful of dry red chillies. Next, roast the desiccated coconut. Allow all the ingredients to cool.

Then, add these to the blender: the urad dal, coriander seeds, methi, pepper, cumin and red chillies. Grind coarsely and add salt to taste, then all the remaining ingredients.  Blend until all the spices are mixed well. Allow to cool. Store in an airtight jar.

You can use this sambar podi in lieu of a store-bought one when you prepare sambar. The recipe for that is here. Enjoy with idlys, dosas or rice!

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Recipe: Another Sumptuous Staple – Sambar

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You may have heard the stories that idly came from Indonesia, and that sambar came from Maharashtra. Today, both of these are accepted as quintessentially South India food. When it comes to food, where much is often not recorded, it is very difficult to pinpoint where a dish came from. The way I see it: at the end of the day, it’s down to your creativity, your imagination, the ingredients that are available while you’re cooking, the ingredients that grow during that season and in that area – there are many variables. Similarly for this sambar, which may have originated anywhere but tastes good everywhere.

My version of sambar is influenced by the communities I grew up in. I know I must sound like a stuck record since I say this about so many dishes, but various communities do prepare it in their own ways. This is true for every kind of food, and there are variations between cooks as well. This is the sambar that my family likes and have grown accustomed to. My mother’s preparation was different, and my daughter will probably cook it differently as well.

Food is like Chinese whispers: by the time it trickles down to us, it may be a far cry from what the inventor of the dish made. Everything we know about authentic, traditional food is by word of mouth and trial and error. I doubt that much was ever written down, except perhaps recipes for temple offerings and so on. Additionally, traditional food was always defined by location – i.e. seasons and available produce, as mentioned earlier. Some of us do still try to follow this natural logic, such as through Macrobiotics. But overall, we have come a long way since then. Today, avocados, blueberries and strawberries grow in India. While they may not go into our sambars, they do go into our diets pretty regularly.

Coming back to sambar: it is a lentil-based dish that is enjoyed with dosas, idlys or rice. It is rich in protein, and is quite healthy for you. For the recipe below, I have used a readymade sambar masala, but I also have a homemade sambar powder recipe that I will share with you soon.

Sambar

(Yield: Serves 4)

 

1 cup toor dal (pigeon pea)

2 cups water (to cook the dal)

2 tablespoons sesame oil

Salt to taste

¼ teaspoon turmeric

½ teaspoon Kashmiri red chilli powder (adds colour)

1 heaped spoon sambar masala

½ teaspoon mustard seeds

½ teaspoon cumin seeds

¼ teaspoon asafoetida

5-8 curry leaves

1 dry red chilli

1 cup shallots

1 tomato – finely chopped

Juice of 1 lime-sized ball of tamarind

3 cups water

 

Cook the toor dal along with the water in a pressure cooker until tender. Set aside.

Heat a kadai and add the oil. Once the oil is heated, add mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, asafoetida, dry red chilli, and finally, the shallots.  Sauté until the shallots are tender.

Now, add the tomatoes.

Next, add the salt, turmeric, chilli powder and the sambar masala. Sauté and add the tamarind juice.

Cover with a lid and allow to cook on a low flame, until the raw smell of tamarind dissipates. This will take approximately 10-12 minutes. Blend the dal and add it to the kadai. Make the sambar to the consistency you prefer.

Allow to boil for a bit, then serve hot, garnished with fresh coriander leaves.

This sambar pairs perfectly with the ragi idly I shared last week. Why not try both out together and let me know what you think?

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Recipe: Millet-Enriched And Indispensable – Ragi Idly

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I believe that South Indian breakfasts are probably the healthiest ones prepared pan-India. I may be biased, of course, as I live here. But my belief comes from how they tend to contain some amount of protein and probiotics, and are centred on something as basic and easily digestible as rice. Rice is used in the batter for idlys and dosais, which are breakfast staples. If you travel across Tamil Nadu, especially by road, you’ll see just how prevalent these items are across all communities and economic backgrounds. Naturally, I grew up eating them too. Nowadays, I like to boost the protein quotient, as I get very hungry immediately after my morning workout and crave more of it. This is why I decided to substitute rice with ragi – finger millet – in my idlys. They are high in both protein and iron, and provide an even more nutritious start to the day.

We grow ragi on our farm, and making these idlys is a great way to put it to use. During harvests, I have quite an abundance of ragi in my kitchen, and versatile ways to consume it were introduced to me by my household staff, Vijaya. I was fortunate that she came into my family when my daughter was only a few months old. Now, my daughter is an adult, and whenever she visits, Vijaya is always so happy to see how she’s grown and how she looks after herself. It’s a joy to share these moments, as we raised her together. Over the years, we have also exchanged many recipes. Among them is this ragi idly.

I’m currently hooked to this dish, and have it at least twice a week. I alternate it with other protein-rich breakfasts such as overnight oats, quinoa porridge, moringa leaves omelette and so on. As far as eating preferences go, I tend to have a “flavour of the season”, and just as I was hooked for each of the prior recipes for a spell, the ragi idly is my current favourite breakfast. It is satisfying, filling and ticks all the boxes for a post-workout meal in a healthy and traditional way.

It’s also on-trend, as the United Nations has declared 2023 to be the International Year of Millets. I’ve been enthusiastic about millet usage for years, and have shared numerous recipes that are based on a variety of them before. I’ll be sure to share more in this category over this coming year. Please let me know if there are any millets or millet-based dishes you are curious about.

Coming back to this dish: all kinds of idlys are usually served either with a chutney, or a sambar. I will share the recipe for sambar, as well as for homemade sambar powder, in upcoming posts – so do stay tuned. The recipe below includes the traditional process of preparing and fermenting the batter.

As I said earlier, idlys are available anywhere in Tamil Nadu, but the difference when they are homemade is that they somehow feel lighter on the stomach. You can eat many idlys and not feel too full, yet you’ll have plenty of energy all the way into the afternoon. This is all the more true when it’s a millet idly, like this one.

Ragi Idly

(Yield: 20 pieces)

2 cups ragi (finger millet)

½ cup urad dal (split black gram)

¼ tsp methi (fenugreek)

½ cup water to grind dal

½ cup water to grind ragi

 

Soak the urad dal and the methi together. In a separate bowl, soak the ragi. Allow the grains to soak for between 4-10 hours, as required.

Then, grind the urad dal, adding the water only as needed, at approximately a ¼ cup at a time. Grind until it’s smooth between fingers. Set aside in a bowl.

Grind the ragi, along with water as required, until coarse. Add the ground ragi to the urad dal. Add salt to taste and mix with your hand. Set aside overnight and allow to ferment.

The following morning, the ragi batter would have risen for fermentation.

Prepare the idly mould by spreading a drop of ghee into each mould. This will help you remove the steamed idly with ease later. Set aside.

With a ladle, stir the batter gently and pour it into the prepared idly trays. Steam for 10-15 minutes. Remove from the cooker and allow to cool a little. Gently remove the idlys individually from the mould.

Serve topped with ghee, along with chutney and sambar, or both. There you have it: a traditional staple, superpowered by ragi!

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Recipe: Effortlessly Excellent – Easy Biryani

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When my children were growing up, they were really fond of biryani. Biryani is a speciality in India. It is basically a type of rice, loaded with flavours, aromas and vegetables and/or meat. The specific ingredients included will be based on what is locally available, as well as preferences unique to a community – and it is made by many different communities, each in their own styles. By and large, the authentic method of preparing a fragrant biryani loaded with spices came with the Mughals, and trickled into other cuisines. The dish may even have other names in some parts of the country. We are fluid here when it comes to biryani, and it is very much a pan-Indian dish or dish category. A real biryani takes time, effort and skill – but I’ve perfected the recipe for an easy biryani that tastes very good, smells just as lovely and requires the above three elements only minimally!

So here’s the truth: I never really did know how to make biryani when the kids were younger. So I always resorted to this easy and quick method. I feel that this is essentially a masala rice in preparation, but it comes close in flavour and scent to authentic biryani.

However, as my children grew and started eating around the world, they got smarter and were quick to spot when my masala rice was being passed off as a biryani. So I in turn learned how to make real biryani too. That, however, is a long process. The traditional method varies both in its ingredients as well as its cooking. Today, I have opted to share a simple method for an easy biryani instead. While I have kept it vegetarian, you can add meat at the same time in the method that I add the veggies. All else remains the same in the recipe.

When I began to share recipes on this blog some years ago, one of the essential ideas that went behind its conception was that it should appeal to young adults. Whether they were off at university, or were newly-wed and starting a family of their own, I wanted to offer recipes that they could pull off with ease. So I like to present dishes that require accessible ingredients, and simple methods. While I do enjoy sharing exotic or more complex fare here too, and I quite often throw in traditional recipes that keep my readers connected to their roots, I do keep adaptability and time-efficiency in mind most of the time. I know this particular easy biryani recipe fits the criteria because it’s the version that I myself still keep making when I visit my kids in other locations, and encourage them to cook when they’re on their own too.

So, now that I’ve shared one of the core motivations behind how I come up with my recipes, let me also say: I hope this blog has served many. Feel free to leave comments on what else you’d like to see here or what you would like to know about the culinary realm, especially if you’ve just started your journey in the kitchen.

Easy Biryani

(Yield: Serves 2)

2 tablespoons ghee

1 bay leaf

2 cloves

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cardamom

2-3 garlic cloves

½ cup chopped onions

2 cups chopped vegetables (beans, carrot, peas, potato)

1 tablespoon tomato purée

1½ cups water

1 cup rice

Salt to taste

2 teaspoons garam masala

2 teaspoons dhaniya/jeera powder

¼ teaspoon turmeric

Coriander and mint leaves (to garnish)

 

Rinse and pick the rice and set it aside.

Heat the ghee in a saucepan or pressure cooker. To this, add the bay leaf, cumin, cloves and cardamom. Once they have heated, add the garlic and sauté for a few seconds. Then, add the onions and the remaining vegetables. If you are using meat, add it now as well. Sauté on a medium or high flame.

Now, add the tomato purée. Stir for a few minutes.

Then, add the rice and the water. Add the remaining masala and close the lid of the pressure cooker or cover the saucepan. Allow to cook for no more than 2 whistles or until the rice is tender to the touch, but not too soft. Turn off the flame.

Once it has cooled, open the lid. Sprinkle with coriander leaves and mint leaves. Cover again for some time.

Serve while still hot. Biryani is usually accompanied with raita. Here is a fancier version of this curd side dish, if you’d like to try it out.

I hope you’ll enjoy this delicious, fragrant and flavourful biryani, and I also hope that you find it very easy to make!

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Recipe: Perfect For Your Resolutions – Quinoa Porridge

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Happy new year! Now that the festivities are over, this is usually the time when everyone decides to start eating more nutritiously and to set goals for ourselves in terms of fitness. With that in mind, I too chose to bring some healthy recipes into the picture, after a spree of indulgent ones. Hence, this quinoa porridge to kickstart the year.

You may know that I love my overnight oats as a breakfast dish, but oats contain a lot of carbs, as they are a grain. Many of you also know that cutting down on carbs has been one of my own big ongoing goals, as I’ve shared umpteen times. The use of quinoa as an alternative is something I wanted to explore.

Quinoa is also one of those trendy ingredients at this time, and I know that other people are just as keen to explore new ways to bring it into their diets. This is because it is packed with antioxidants, fibre, protein and other nutrients and is great for those who eat gluten-free. This dish is a simple and delicious way to consume more of it.

The beauty of a porridge is that it can be made with any grain or grain substitute. In South India, we have numerous varieties that use millets, such as ragi kanji. My mother-in-law would make some from Gujarati cuisine too, like bajra ghensh. The concept is traditional in many cuisines.

You can also dress up a porridge any way you want. For instance, you could prepare this quinoa porridge as a savoury dish – with dollops of Greek yoghurt, cumin powder and salt. However, I am sharing the sweet version today. I use cinnamon, either honey or maple syrup, and top it up with fruits and nuts for added flavour and a protein boost.

I love the fact that porridge can be used as a base and then built up any way you want. All options seem to work with the base. It’s such a great way to start the day, and indeed the year too.

Of course, my favourite porridge will always be the one I have whenever I visit my friend in Singapore. It’s a delicious local congee with rice, starch and other additions like onion, chicken, shrimp and so on. I don’t have the recipe for that, but I hope to learn it some day. Or maybe you know how to make it, and can share it with me?

 

Quinoa Porridge

(Yield: Serves 1)

Porridge

½ cup quinoa

½ cup water

1 cup milk of your choice

1 teaspoon honey/maple syrup

Topping

1 teaspoon seeds of your choice

Fruit of your choice

1 pinch cinnamon powder

 

In a saucepan, add the quinoa, water and part of the milk. Allow to boil. Once the quinoa is cooked and fluffy, add the remaining milk along with the honey or maple syrup. You can add or reduce the milk quantity to your taste.

Put the cooked quinoa into a bowl and top it up with fruit and seeds of your choice, and a sprinkling of cinnamon powder. Enjoy this delicious start to your day, knowing that it is full of nourishing goodness!

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Wishing You Good Health And Joy This New Year

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(above: re:store’s almond brittle)

(above: re:store’s date squares)

(above: re:store’s fig rolls)

(above: re:store’s chocolate cupcake)

Maintaining a standard of quality that is always up to the mark is very important to us at re:store.

Everything that is prepared in the re:store kitchen is exactly what my own family eats, and I put the same amount of care and effort into preparing it. In fact, when one of my kids comes home to visit, I always pack them a parcel of re:store goodies (sugar-free, as well as some with sugar) when they go back. The date squares, almond brittle and fig rolls are perfect for this, as they are travel-friendly and keep for a while. And when my kids are here at home, they regularly enjoy many of the re:store cake varieties too.

Before I introduce any new product, I put in a lot of research, conduct several trials, and get as much feedback as I can from friends and family. Only after that will I offer it to my clients. You can see the current product list here. I really look forward to your orders in the coming year and beyond.

As I said, quality is everything at re:store, as it is with everything else in life too. That’s the thought I am going into 2023 with.

My wish for us all is for good health. I can see that ever since the pandemic began, food has become a major focus for many. People have come to accept that what we consume can be the cause or the prevention of many illnesses. That said, let us not body-shame or take medications to change our bodies. Let us instead reflect on how food can be the source of our overall well-being. Let us also consider traditional and seasonal ways of eating, as passed down in one’s community or location. Let food be what helps us resolve issues.

I’m not denying that we need our indulgences, yet I believe – especially through the creation of my baked goods and confectionery at re:store – that even these can be nourishing and clean.

Wishing us all a healthy and delicious year ahead!

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