It was a very vegetarian and eclecting Thanksgiving Dinner this year. Here is the menu:
Appetizer
Breaded eggplant with Thai Chili Aioli
Wontons with Piquant Dip
Soup
Hot and Sour Soup
En tree
Stuffed Bell pepper and tomatoes
Gemili Pasta with Chili pepper and Tomatoes
Rice noodles with coconut curry sauce
Baked Potatoes
Fried Rice
Dessert
Fruits
Madagascar Vanilla Ice cream
Cardamom Ice cream
I will post the recipes of some of these items shortly.
PV Dharan's Indian Vegetarian Cooking Blog
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Thursday, November 27, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Saturday, November 22, 2008
Za'atar recipe
Adapted From Mark Bittman's book.
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp ground sumac
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (toast in a pan for 5-10 mins)
salt and pepper to taste
optionally add red chilies for heat (perhaps 10 of them)
Grind all in a coffee grinder, put in a covered cup and keep in fridge. Otherwise sesame could get rancid.
Use it for spicing soups, adding to humus, on top of toasted pita, adding to yogurt to make a quick dip, etc.
2 tbsp dried thyme
2 tbsp ground sumac
1/2 cup toasted sesame seeds (toast in a pan for 5-10 mins)
salt and pepper to taste
optionally add red chilies for heat (perhaps 10 of them)
Grind all in a coffee grinder, put in a covered cup and keep in fridge. Otherwise sesame could get rancid.
Use it for spicing soups, adding to humus, on top of toasted pita, adding to yogurt to make a quick dip, etc.
North African Couscous Soup
Adapted from Mark Bittman's book
The soup is very comforting and spicy for the winter months. The basic idea is veg stock + tomato paste providing the base with cumin or zataar and couscous providing the comforting texture. it is very simple and takes only around 20 mins to make
o 3 tbsp olive oil
o 1 small red onion minced
o 1/2 cup chopped celery or fennel (or use other veggies if these are not at hand)
o 2 quarts veg stock (or water)
o 1 cup couscous
o 3 tbsp tomato paste
o spice: 1tbsp zataar or 2 tsp powdered cumin (if using cumin also use 1 tsp thyme if avail)
o heat: 5 red chilies minced or pepper according to taste
o Put olive oil in saucepan, add onions and celery and cook until soft covered.
o put chilies or pepper and then add spices and leave for 2 mins
o then add couscous and toast the grains for 2 mins
o then add tomato paste mixing it with couscous
o finally add stock and bring to boil
o then simmer and leave for 10-15 mins
The soup can be made watery by reducing couscous. But it makes a good meal with 1 cup couscous.
The soup is very comforting and spicy for the winter months. The basic idea is veg stock + tomato paste providing the base with cumin or zataar and couscous providing the comforting texture. it is very simple and takes only around 20 mins to make
o 3 tbsp olive oil
o 1 small red onion minced
o 1/2 cup chopped celery or fennel (or use other veggies if these are not at hand)
o 2 quarts veg stock (or water)
o 1 cup couscous
o 3 tbsp tomato paste
o spice: 1tbsp zataar or 2 tsp powdered cumin (if using cumin also use 1 tsp thyme if avail)
o heat: 5 red chilies minced or pepper according to taste
o Put olive oil in saucepan, add onions and celery and cook until soft covered.
o put chilies or pepper and then add spices and leave for 2 mins
o then add couscous and toast the grains for 2 mins
o then add tomato paste mixing it with couscous
o finally add stock and bring to boil
o then simmer and leave for 10-15 mins
The soup can be made watery by reducing couscous. But it makes a good meal with 1 cup couscous.
Saturday, November 01, 2008
Pad Thai - No Garlic, No Eggs, Vegetarian Version
This recipe is adapted from Mark Bittman's book.
Basic idea of Pad Thai is this:
o It is a dish made with flat rice noodles.
o When made with eggs it has eggs scrambled and cut into thin strips added to it. But this can be optional.
o It has tangy flavor that come from Thai sauces (like fish sauce). But the tanginess can be added through other means.
o It has beansprouts stir fried as well as added as garnish, which can provide the protein in lieu of eggs. Additionally Firm Tofu can also provide the protein.
o It has lime juice added to give the acid and the zing.
o The crumpled peanuts give the characteristic peanutty flavor for the dish.
Despite the long list, this is a very simple dish to make.
Recipe:
o 1 box (12 oz) dried flat rice noodles (wide cut)
o 2-5 tbsp oil
o 2 scallions minced
o 1 tbsp ginger (opt)
o 3 thai chilies, deseeded
o 1 cup bean sprouts
o 1/2 tub firm (or extra firm) tofu cut into cubes
o Seasoning Sauce: 2tbsp Soy sauce + 2 limes squeezed + lime zests + 2 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery
o 2 tbsp tamarind paste + 1 tbsp ketchup
o 2 tsp brown sugar
o 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
o 1/4 cup cilantro
o 1 lime cut to wedges
o Put noodles in boiling water until they are covered. soak for 15 mins and then drain them
o put oil in the wok, add scallions, tofu, ginger, chilies and 1/2 beansprouts and cook for 5 mins. transfer to a plate.
o heat oil again, add tamarind paste (+ ketchup), add noodles. After it is coated well, add seasoning sauce and cook for 2 mins.
o finally add tofu scallions, etc. to this noodles.
o mix well. garnish with rest of bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, etc. and serve.
Basic idea of Pad Thai is this:
o It is a dish made with flat rice noodles.
o When made with eggs it has eggs scrambled and cut into thin strips added to it. But this can be optional.
o It has tangy flavor that come from Thai sauces (like fish sauce). But the tanginess can be added through other means.
o It has beansprouts stir fried as well as added as garnish, which can provide the protein in lieu of eggs. Additionally Firm Tofu can also provide the protein.
o It has lime juice added to give the acid and the zing.
o The crumpled peanuts give the characteristic peanutty flavor for the dish.
Despite the long list, this is a very simple dish to make.
Recipe:
o 1 box (12 oz) dried flat rice noodles (wide cut)
o 2-5 tbsp oil
o 2 scallions minced
o 1 tbsp ginger (opt)
o 3 thai chilies, deseeded
o 1 cup bean sprouts
o 1/2 tub firm (or extra firm) tofu cut into cubes
o Seasoning Sauce: 2tbsp Soy sauce + 2 limes squeezed + lime zests + 2 tbsp brown sugar or jaggery
o 2 tbsp tamarind paste + 1 tbsp ketchup
o 2 tsp brown sugar
o 1/4 cup chopped peanuts
o 1/4 cup cilantro
o 1 lime cut to wedges
o Put noodles in boiling water until they are covered. soak for 15 mins and then drain them
o put oil in the wok, add scallions, tofu, ginger, chilies and 1/2 beansprouts and cook for 5 mins. transfer to a plate.
o heat oil again, add tamarind paste (+ ketchup), add noodles. After it is coated well, add seasoning sauce and cook for 2 mins.
o finally add tofu scallions, etc. to this noodles.
o mix well. garnish with rest of bean sprouts, cilantro, peanuts, etc. and serve.
Curried Coconut Soup with Lemongrass
I made several Thai dishes using recipes adapted from Mark Bittman's How to cook Everything Vegetarian book. I am happy to report that all of them came very well.
2 tbsp oil
1 large chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic (opt)
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3-4 thai chilies, deseeded (dont mince it or it could get too spicy)
3 stalks lemon grass, peeled trimmed and minced
1 tbsp curry powder (MTR all purpose curry powder worked great for me)
1 quart veg stock (from store or homemade)
2 cups coconut milk (from 3/4 can of canned coconut milk)
2 tbsp soy sauce
Fresh Squeezed lime juice
Cilantro for garnish
o Peel skin, chop woody parts of lemongrass and mince the soft parts
o Put oil, add ginger, garlic, chilies, onion and sautee until soft; Then add lemongrass cook 2 mins, finally add curry powder and cook for 3 mins
o Then add stock and boil until raw flavor goes away
o Finally add coconut milk cook atleast 5 mins and until raw coconut flavor goes away
o You can strain the lemongrass stuff to get a smooth soup
o Before serving add soy sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper etc. and garnish with cilantro
This can be made quite spicy to clear your sinus. It is a great soup for the winter days. You can use low cholesterol coconut milk to make it healthy. This is quite easy to make and comes out flawless.
2 tbsp oil
1 large chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic (opt)
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3-4 thai chilies, deseeded (dont mince it or it could get too spicy)
3 stalks lemon grass, peeled trimmed and minced
1 tbsp curry powder (MTR all purpose curry powder worked great for me)
1 quart veg stock (from store or homemade)
2 cups coconut milk (from 3/4 can of canned coconut milk)
2 tbsp soy sauce
Fresh Squeezed lime juice
Cilantro for garnish
o Peel skin, chop woody parts of lemongrass and mince the soft parts
o Put oil, add ginger, garlic, chilies, onion and sautee until soft; Then add lemongrass cook 2 mins, finally add curry powder and cook for 3 mins
o Then add stock and boil until raw flavor goes away
o Finally add coconut milk cook atleast 5 mins and until raw coconut flavor goes away
o You can strain the lemongrass stuff to get a smooth soup
o Before serving add soy sauce, lime juice, salt, pepper etc. and garnish with cilantro
This can be made quite spicy to clear your sinus. It is a great soup for the winter days. You can use low cholesterol coconut milk to make it healthy. This is quite easy to make and comes out flawless.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Quick Stir-Fried Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas - From Mark Bittman
Quick Stir-Fried Snow Peas or Sugar Snap Peas
There's nothing to this, but if your peas are fesh, it's sensational.
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons peanut, canola, or other oil
- About 1 1/2 pounds snow or sugar snap peas, washed and trimmed
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark sesame oil (optional)
Method:
1. Place the oil in a large in a large, deep skillet or wok and turn the heat to high. When the oil begins to smoke, toss in the peas and cook, stirring almost constantly, until they are glossy, bright green and begin to show a few brown spots, about 5 minutes.
2. Turn off the heat and remove to a platter. Drizzle with soy sauce and sesame oil, if you like, and serve.
Saturday, October 11, 2008
Lentil Soup
Makes 4 servings, takes 1 hour
1 cup dried lentils, washed and picked (Lentils = Masoori Dal in Indian Grocery Stores)
1 bay leaf
several sprigs fresh thyme or a few pinches dried
1 carrot (dice to 1/2 inches)
1 celery stalk (dice to 1/2 inches)
6 cups vegetable stock or water
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp EV Olive Oil
1 onion chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
o put lentils, bay leaf, thyme carrot, celery and stock in sauce/stock pan; sprinkle salt pepper, etc. Bring to boil then cook at low heat for 30 mins until lentils are tender; later fish out bay and thyme leaves
o put olive oil in a small skillet, add onions cook until soft for 5 mins then add garlic
o add the sauteed onions to soup
Pureed Lentil Soup can be made by using immersion blender after the soup cools; then the soup can be gently reheated
Italian Lentil Soup can be made by adding 1/2 cup short grain rice (arborio if avail) while the soup is cooking for 15 mins. then add 1 cup chopped tomatoes while sauteing onion
1 cup dried lentils, washed and picked (Lentils = Masoori Dal in Indian Grocery Stores)
1 bay leaf
several sprigs fresh thyme or a few pinches dried
1 carrot (dice to 1/2 inches)
1 celery stalk (dice to 1/2 inches)
6 cups vegetable stock or water
Salt and fresh ground pepper
2 tbsp EV Olive Oil
1 onion chopped
1 tsp minced garlic
o put lentils, bay leaf, thyme carrot, celery and stock in sauce/stock pan; sprinkle salt pepper, etc. Bring to boil then cook at low heat for 30 mins until lentils are tender; later fish out bay and thyme leaves
o put olive oil in a small skillet, add onions cook until soft for 5 mins then add garlic
o add the sauteed onions to soup
Pureed Lentil Soup can be made by using immersion blender after the soup cools; then the soup can be gently reheated
Italian Lentil Soup can be made by adding 1/2 cup short grain rice (arborio if avail) while the soup is cooking for 15 mins. then add 1 cup chopped tomatoes while sauteing onion
Vegetable Stock Recipes - From Mark Bittman's book
Here is a summary of the different stock recipes in the wonderful book from Mark Bittman
Simple and Easy Stock - 40 mins
2 carrots (chunks)
1 onion (quartered)
1 potato (chunks)
1 celery stalk chopped
2 or 3 garlic cloves
10 or 20 parsley stems
2 tbsp EV olive oil
6 cup water
o put everything into water and boil for 30 mins; then strain
1 Hour stock
o Ingredients same as above but you can add 5 to 10 sliced mushrooms
o first heat oil, put veggies (except parsley) for 5 mins then add water, parsley and boil for 1 hour
o finally add soy sauce (2 tbsp or more) and other seasonings like pepper, salt etc. as needed
Mushroom Stock
2 tbsp oil (grapeseed, corn, etc)
1 small onion, 2 shallots or 1 leek
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
salt, pepper
1 lb white mushrooms chopped
1 oz dried shiitake, porcini or chinese mushrooms or combo
10 - 20 parsley stems
2 bay leaves (opt)
o cook onions until soft then veggies for 10 mins or so in oil
o then sautee mushroom for 10 mins
o put water (2 quarts) with parsley and bay leaves, bring to boil then med heat cook for 30 mins
Simple and Easy Stock - 40 mins
2 carrots (chunks)
1 onion (quartered)
1 potato (chunks)
1 celery stalk chopped
2 or 3 garlic cloves
10 or 20 parsley stems
2 tbsp EV olive oil
6 cup water
o put everything into water and boil for 30 mins; then strain
1 Hour stock
o Ingredients same as above but you can add 5 to 10 sliced mushrooms
o first heat oil, put veggies (except parsley) for 5 mins then add water, parsley and boil for 1 hour
o finally add soy sauce (2 tbsp or more) and other seasonings like pepper, salt etc. as needed
Mushroom Stock
2 tbsp oil (grapeseed, corn, etc)
1 small onion, 2 shallots or 1 leek
2 carrots chopped
2 celery stalks chopped
salt, pepper
1 lb white mushrooms chopped
1 oz dried shiitake, porcini or chinese mushrooms or combo
10 - 20 parsley stems
2 bay leaves (opt)
o cook onions until soft then veggies for 10 mins or so in oil
o then sautee mushroom for 10 mins
o put water (2 quarts) with parsley and bay leaves, bring to boil then med heat cook for 30 mins
Saturday, May 10, 2008
Semia pulao
Adapted from the above link.
Ingredients:
Vermicelli – 1 ½ cup
Veggies:
Green beans- ½ cup
Med size carrot- 1
Peas and lima beans – ½ cup together
Small potatoe-1
Masala:
Med green chilies- 4 to 5
Large onion-1
Bay leaves -3
spices to dry grind:
Cinnamon sticks-2
Cloves-5
Cardamom-3
Cilantro
Lemon
Few cashews (optional)
3 cup stock or water to cook
Procedure:
o Fry vermicelli in oil and set aside
o Fry onions, chilies, ginger, bay leaves
o Add spices, veggies, fry and cook for 10 mins till veggies are crisp
o Add 1 cup water and cook veggies for 5 mins
o add vermicelli and stock or water and cook for another 5-10 mins
o you can modify the recipe using pulao masala or adjusting spices.
Friday, May 09, 2008
Monday, April 28, 2008
recipes from hare krishna website
This site has a number of clean recipes. Im going to try them out and post comments.
http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/rice15.htm
http://www.harekrsna.com/practice/prasadam/recipes/rice15.htm
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Hearty Homemade Ministrone Soup
Key to making a hearty ministrone soup is:
Recipe:
You can really adjust this based on your needs and taste but here is the general outline
- lots of veggies
- tomato base (you can make it or buy pasta tomato sauce/ marinara sauce)
- little pasta or rice for carbs
- beans (cannelini or other beans) for protein
Recipe:
You can really adjust this based on your needs and taste but here is the general outline
- Cut your veggies, whatever you have in the fridge frozen or otherwise. you could use for example: 1 potato, 1 cup frozen corn, 1 cup spinach, 1 head brocolli, 1 cup beans, red or green peppers, etc.
- Make Miropoix, [50% onions, 25% Carrots, 25% Celery] first, may be with 1 large onion, 1 celery, 4 carrots all chopped in a chunky way and sauted in EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) after adding some garlic for flavoring
- Then sautee the veggies adding a batch at a time as the veggies cook. Put hard veggies first (like beans, potato etc.) and then the softer ones (spinach, corn).
- Add seasoning (italian seasoning 2-3 tsp or oregano or parsley etc.). it is good to have oregano in the mix so you get a punchy souplike flavor
- Add some water (1-2 cups) and then the pasta. Pasta needs about 5-10 mins to cook. Other carbs could take less time. But they are cooking with the veggies and later with tomatos when the sauce is added.
- Then add tomato sauce. You could use marinara sauce like the one above or any other tomato or tomato basil sauce. You can use up leftover sauces in the fridge as well. Add as needed, for example 1 jar full of sauce will be good. You could also make yours with tomato paste and raw tomatos.
- Leave it to set in and cook for about 20 minutes in medium to high heat. Stir occasionally so it doesnt burn.
- You could top it with some fresh tomatoes and fresh herbs like basil.
Making Indian Filter Coffee in the US
If you go about making authentic Indian Filter coffee in the US, you are sure to stumble into some roadblocks. I have searched the net many times to get practical and specific advice but with no luck. So far, i have tried the Coffee Makers, French Press, etc. None of them come with the same flavor as making coffee with the Filter brought from India.
I was told that the nearest approximation can be achieved by using Columbian coffee (Columbian Supremo from Costco or Columbian Narino Supremo from Starbucks, etc.) and grinding the beans to "Turkish" setting. There are also blends available from Wholefoods (Cauveri, Mysore, etc.)
The problem as i found out is not so much in the beans. The columbian coffees are darker roasts than the ones you find in south india. I grew up drinking Narasu's coffee, specifically the Peaberry blend (PB) as in here: (narasu's coffee website)
Narasu's PB blend is made from Peaberry's which are much more expensive (as only a fraction of the coffee plant output apparently yields pea sized berries and the rest are bigger berries). But the Columbian beans will do reasonably well. Kumud Groceries in Cupertino was actually selling this same coffee for $5.99 for about 1/2 a pound, which is actually a bargain.
The only problem is they often run out of stock and if you are a coffee lover you will know that once coffee is roasted it starts losing flavor from then on, even if the coffee is sealed airtight. Powdered coffee loses flavor even faster.
So as i was saying, the problem is not in the beans, it is in the grind.
Rule #1: do not use the coffee grinder in the store if you expect any reasonable drink out of the coffee you are buying.
The store grinders often are used for flavored coffees despite having separate grinders. The actual grind almost always do not match the setting in the grinder. So if you use them, and you will have one of the 2 results:
o Decoction doesn't percolate. All the water stays up in the top compartment.
o Docoction runs through very quickly resulting in watery coffee with no strength.
The following procedure worked for me:
o Buy columbian beans or something else with a lighter roast.
o In Peet's coffee grind it in the 3 setting (1 point finer than the grind they use for espresso which is 4)
o In Starbucks grind it in the same setting as espresso or ask them 1 level finer than that.
Turkish grind makes the coffee into superpowder. This will not work well in the Filter.
I am continuing to experiment with the coffees and the grinds. I am planning to buy a Burr grinder and will blog my future Indian Coffee experience.
I was told that the nearest approximation can be achieved by using Columbian coffee (Columbian Supremo from Costco or Columbian Narino Supremo from Starbucks, etc.) and grinding the beans to "Turkish" setting. There are also blends available from Wholefoods (Cauveri, Mysore, etc.)
The problem as i found out is not so much in the beans. The columbian coffees are darker roasts than the ones you find in south india. I grew up drinking Narasu's coffee, specifically the Peaberry blend (PB) as in here: (narasu's coffee website)
Narasu's PB blend is made from Peaberry's which are much more expensive (as only a fraction of the coffee plant output apparently yields pea sized berries and the rest are bigger berries). But the Columbian beans will do reasonably well. Kumud Groceries in Cupertino was actually selling this same coffee for $5.99 for about 1/2 a pound, which is actually a bargain.
The only problem is they often run out of stock and if you are a coffee lover you will know that once coffee is roasted it starts losing flavor from then on, even if the coffee is sealed airtight. Powdered coffee loses flavor even faster.
So as i was saying, the problem is not in the beans, it is in the grind.
Rule #1: do not use the coffee grinder in the store if you expect any reasonable drink out of the coffee you are buying.
The store grinders often are used for flavored coffees despite having separate grinders. The actual grind almost always do not match the setting in the grinder. So if you use them, and you will have one of the 2 results:
o Decoction doesn't percolate. All the water stays up in the top compartment.
o Docoction runs through very quickly resulting in watery coffee with no strength.
The following procedure worked for me:
o Buy columbian beans or something else with a lighter roast.
o In Peet's coffee grind it in the 3 setting (1 point finer than the grind they use for espresso which is 4)
o In Starbucks grind it in the same setting as espresso or ask them 1 level finer than that.
Turkish grind makes the coffee into superpowder. This will not work well in the Filter.
I am continuing to experiment with the coffees and the grinds. I am planning to buy a Burr grinder and will blog my future Indian Coffee experience.
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