Cucumber Sweet & Sour Pachchadi

As I was browsing through my food pictures to see what I want to post today, I came across this one from a couple of years back. Now that we are also getting a lot of cucumbers from the CSA work-share I am doing this summer, its time to revisit this easy recipe. This recipe is adapted from the book Cooking with Pedatha - A cookbook of vegetarian recipes from Andhra. 

Ingredients: Cucumber - 2 medium - chopped; Tamarind paste - 2 tbsp; Turmeric Powder - 1/4 tsp; Sambhar powder - 1 tsp; Sesame seeds - 1 tsp; Jaggery - 1 tbsp; Curry leaves & Coriander leaves - 2 tbsp; Green Chili - 1 diced;  mustard seeds & cumin & lentils - 1/2 tsp

• In a pot, add olive oil and once hot, temper the mustard & cumin seeds, lentils, green chili , curry leaves and saute till translucent
• Dry roast the sesame seeds and blend into a coarse powder
• Add the chopped cucumber, tamarind paste, sambhar powder, sesame seeds, jaggery and turmeric. 
• Add salt, adjust seasoning. Let it cook for about 5 minutes
• Garnish with cilantro & serve!

I am also sending this dish to ONLY Cookbooks Event hosted by Runner Girl in the Kitchen and started by Pari. 

Turkish Fried Carrots

Posting a recipe from the archives today! I think this picture below is my first ever food picture of something I cooked :) The recipe for this is adapted from The Reader's Digest Vegetables & Desserts cookbook. I have made these carrots a few times and this picture is from when I made dinner at my friend Sujju's home a few years back, when I was still a grad student.

Ingredients: Carrots- 1 pound - sliced (at an angle); flour- 1 -2 tbsp (I used a mixture of salt, pepper & dried herbs); Yogurt - 1 cup; Olive oil - 2 tbsp; Salt & Pepper - to taste; Mint - garnish.

• In a pot of boiling water, cook the carrots till they are a little tender.
• Drain them, and toss the carrots in seasoned flour.
• Heat the oil in a pan and fry the carrots till golden brown.
• Season with salt & pepper.
• Whisk the yogurt in a separate bowl, season if needed.
• Serve the carrots in a bowl with the yogurt spooned over them. 
• Garnish with chopped mint!

New Spoils

I finally splurged on a few books that I have been borrowing from the library quite a few times! Now they are my precious :) I love all three of these books for the simple reason that they are pictorial -- I seem to learn and pick up the stitches a lot more easily by looking at the visual representation than the written instructions. Can't wait to get started on a few projects, and use some of the amazing yarn I have been accumulating recently!

Jamaican Sweet Potato Curry

For the last few months, things have been pretty busy and its been a while since I have written about a dish I made for my Cooking the World Challenge. That doesn't mean I haven't been cooking :) I just need to catch up on writing! Here is a recipe that I made last year, adapted from Fork Fingers Chopsticks. This Jamaican curry is loaded with yummy spices and we loved it. I served it with my Brazilian Rice. The combination of this curry with the rice was delish! 

Ingredients: Japanese White Sweet Potatoes - 2 diced; Green Beans - 1/4 pound chopped; Coconut milk - 1/2 cup; Onion - 1/2 diced; Ginger & Garlic - 1tsp minced; A mixture of the following spices - whole or ground: Cardamom pods, Cinnamon, Cloves. Ground: Cumin, Coriander - 2 tsps; Cayenne pepper - 1/2 tsp; Salt - according to taste; Bay leaf -1; Cilantro - for garnish.

• Saute the cardamom pods, cloves and cinnamon stick in a tsp of butter, to release the aroma.
• Add the onion, ginger, garlic and saute till the onions are soft.
• Add the ground spices - cumin, coriander, pepper, salt. 
• Once the spices are a little heated, add the sweet potatoes, beans and the coconut milk. Add water as needed.
• Add the bay leaf, bring the pot to a boil, and simmer till the vegetables are tender. Adjust seasoning.
• Garnish with cilantro and serve over rice!

I think an easy version of this dish would be using pre-mixed spices like Garam Masala or Kitchen King. but then the Jamaican-ness might be lost :)

*********************************************

I am catching up on my reading too, the two books I am currently keeping busy with are: In hard-copy, picked up from Goodwill Stores: A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah. And in my Kindle: Fatal System Error: The Hunt for the New Crime Lords Who Are Bringing Down the Internet by Joseph Menn. Whats on your reading list?

Banana - Rum Torte

I love cookbooks. I generally tend to borrow them from the library and avoid buying new cookbooks. I don't however mind buying used cookbooks, and sometimes find good ones at the Goodwill store --one of the most unlikely places to find cookbooks :). I once bought a barely-used copy of the Sundays @ Moosewood Restaurant cookbook for 6 dollars! One of my regrets is not buying the entire collection of 20 series of cookbooks for 15dollars at a Salvation Army store when I was a student. And in my odd-collection is a book published in 1976 called the Southern Living - Desserts Cookbook. I really like this  book as it is mostly a collection of recipes sent in by various folk. And they are simple. Most recipes are like 6-7 lines of instruction. For example - a Charlotte cake - one of my favorites - is like 2 pages of instruction by Julia Child. In this book - it is exactly 6 lines. Even complicated desserts look much less intimidating. 

One of the first few recipes I tried from this book is a Banana - Rum Torte. Make two layers of rum cake and an easy filling & you get a party pleaser! Here is how I made it:

Rum Cakes: Sugar - 1 cup; flour - 2 cups; butter - softened 3/4 cup; eggs -3; baking soda - 1 tsp; vanilla infused Rum - 2 tbsp; salt - 1/4 tsp;

• Cream the butter and sugar in a mixing bowl.
• Sift in the baking soda, flour and salt.
• Stir in the rum and the eggs (one at a time). Mix well.
• Pour into 2 greased and floured 9-inch round cake pans.
• Bake at 375F till the cakes are done. 

Making the Torte: Bananas - 3 large; Lime Juice - 1 tbsp; Rum (vanilla) - 3 tbsp; Whipping Cream 1 1/2 cups; sugar 3 tbsp; Instant Coffee -1/2 tsp; Pirouette cookies - pepperidge farm - 8 or more;

• Peel and slice the bananas - 1/4 inch thick
• Combine 1 tbsp rum + lime juice and pour over the bananas
• Beat the whipping cream, sugar, coffee and remaining rum till stiff peaks form.
• Place cake layers together with half of the whipped cream, and half the banana slices.
• I also added the syrup from the banana slices on the top layer of the cake before spreading the remaining half of the whipped cream. 
• Refrigerate for about about 30 minutes.
• Top with the remaining banana slices; arrange the pirouettes. 

I am not a big fan of frosting on cakes and hence love this whipped cream topping! This cake was very textural and we loved it :)

Shakshouka from Israel

Cooking through a few of the middle eastern countries for dinner last week, I put together a mezze with hummus, pita, eggplant in a yogurt sauce, shakshouka and baklava for dessert. This dish was pretty interesting  and is adapted from the book Food of Israel - Authentic recipes from the land of milk and honey. The author mentions traveling to Jaffa to learn how to make this dish perfect - fried peppers and tomatoes and eggs. I don't think mine turned out to be perfect, but it was really good. I am not sure how to fold in egg whites and let it cook without  them being visible! 

I fried 3 chopped green chilies in oil, added 3 cloves of minced garlic, 2 roasted red peppers (diced) and 2 small diced tomatoes. The mixture was then seasoned with salt, pepper and 1/2 tsp of paprika. Once the vegetables were cooked, I added first the egg whites and folded it in, then slid the yolks on top. I did let the yolks cook well too, though the recipe called for them to be soft. Another way of having tomatoes & eggs, cooked fast. I am sure this one is going to be a regular at our home!

Quick dish from Congo - Moambe with Eggplant

The latest book from which I have been cooking is the Ethnic Vegetarian by Angela Shelf Medearis. I used the last two eggplants from my garden this year for this stew and served it with rice. Here is my slightly modified version.

Heat olive oil+butter in a pan, and saute 1 sliced onion. Add the cubed eggplants (2 rosa bianca) and 2 minced cloves of garlic. Once the eggplant has cooked, add 1 tbsp tomato puree, season with salt & 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper. I also added 1/4 tsp cumin+coriander powder. Add 3 tbsp of peanut butter, let the sauce simmer for a few more minutes. Add a little water if the sauce is too thick. Season with freshly grated nutmeg. The stew was creamy & flavorful. 

Samoan Coconut Rice with Ginger Pesto

This was a simple yet flavorful dish I made when I was in St. Louis a few months back. These recipes were adapted from the book Sam Choy's Polynesian Kitchen. The coconut rice was super easy to make - the rice is cooked in a mixture of water + coconut milk - I used about 1/2 a can and a couple of pinches of salt. I also sprinkled a pinch of nutmeg when the rice was cooking. For the ginger pesto, I ground together the following: 1/4 cup of cilantro and mint leaves, 1 inch thick piece of ginger, a handful of walnuts, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 small shallot - chopped, a tsp of olive oil, salt and pepper and some water. We had this as a side dish with our dinner.

Samoan Coconut Rice with Ginger Pesto

Playing with Yarn

Though I learnt to crochet years back, I hadn't been working diligently on any projects or finishing the one Afghan I started. Recently, with the inspiration from the fund raiser, I have been working with the yarn I have accumulated and making neck warmer/ scarfs. The rose colored one is the neck warmer I am sending to one of my friends. I also added three buttons to it and it is made from a wool / acrylic blend yarn. The middle lavender with silver strand one is more lengthier and made of a acrylic/rayon/nylon yarn. The most recent one in awesome gold/orange is actually made with two different skeins of yarn - I just pulled them together through the hook. 

The first two have the same 'Dew drops' pattern and the last one has a 'Tipsy cluster' pattern. The stitches are from the book "The complete photo guide to crochet" by Margaret Hubert. I have loaned this book from the library, but it is so good, especially with pictorial representation on the stitches that the book is making it to my wishlist! I might have made more progress on my crocheting if I had come across this book before. But right now, I seriously wish I could pick up skills with MATLAB as fast as I can with yarns & hooks :)

Purkouri from Cyprus

Here is my last entry for Blog bites #4: Whats lurking in the kitchen? This time, it is half a jar of cracked wheat that has been wanting to be used. Well, I didn't use all of it, but at least it is a start! This recipe is also adapted from Pille's blog Nami-Nami and is from the book Falling Cloudberries: A world of family recipes by Tessa Kiros.

This is a very simple recipe similar to the upma from South India. I heated some olive oil in a pan, and sauteed 1/2 a chopped onion and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Then added 1/2 a can of diced tomatoes which was also lurking in the pantry. Once the tomatoes were cooked, I added 1 cup of cracked wheat. Seasoned with salt, pepper and chili powder. Added 2 cups of water, let it boil, reduced the heat and let the wheat cook for a few minutes. Once the water was all absorbed, turned off the heat, and let it sit for a few minutes. Served it with yogurt and some walnuts, along with the Sauerkraut soup for dinner. Very filling! 

Chilean Charquicán

Charquicán is a simple stew made with potatoes and squash and served with a fried egg. This version is without the charqui :) (meat). I also skipped the broth part and instead of making it as a stew, cooked it a little dry and served as a side dish. In a pan, add olive oil, sauté a small chopped onion, a couple cloves of garlic, one chopped small serrano pepper, one chopped tomato and season with salt, pepper. I also added a 1/4 tsp of dried herbs (oregano, mint and thyme). I added two chopped potatoes, one grated garnet yam and a can of chickpeas. Cook till the potatoes are tender, adjust the seasoning and serve hot! Adapted from The South American Cookbook.

Lebanese Lentils & Cabbage with Bulghur

Here is yet another quick weeknight dinner: Lentils & Cabbage with Bulgur (Moujadara Bi-Burghul). This is a main dish in which lentils are paired wonderfully with bulghur. This recipe is adapted from the Tables of Lebanon.  I used a pressure cooker and basically sautéed half an onion, a small chopped cabbage and one diced tomato in olive oil. To this I added half a cup moong dal and a half a cup of medium bulghur. seasoned with salt, pepper and chili powder. Then I added about 1.5 cups of water. Closed and let it cook for a couple of whistles. Delish served hot with a simple tomato salad!

Russian Mushroom & Potato Soup

A very simple Russian peasant soup made with mushrooms and potatoes was a big part of today's dinner. I used the recipe from The Russian Heritage Cookbook by Lynn Visson for inspiration and adapted it to the ingredients I had. 

Basically, I sautéed chopped Morel mushrooms and portabella mushrooms in olive oil & butter. When the mushrooms were cooking, I also added a small chopped onion. In another pan, I heated about 4 cups of water and added 1/2 cup of rice. Once the onions turned soft, I added the mushrooms and a chopped red potato to the boiling rice. Seasoned with salt and pepper, and let it cook till the rice and potatoes were done. Served with a dollop of yogurt. The soup was very earthy and the meaty texture from the mushrooms made it delicious. 

I am sending this recipe to A.W.E.D. Russian hosted by RV, started by DK of Chef in You.

Plantain Casserole from Haiti

Shankar tries to get me Indian veggies that I usually don't get in Madison from St. Louis. Last week he had bought some plantains of an Indian variety. Some how with the busy week I had, they had been ignored and I realized almost after a week that they were too ripe for any of my regular recipes. And I have hardly cooked with ripe plantains before. A quick search led me to this recipe from A Taste of Haiti by Mirta Yurnet-Thomas. Though I was a little skeptical of cooking ripe plantains, the casserole turned out to be too good and not only do I have a favorite substitute for sweet potato casseroles, I don't have to throw away any more ripe plantains, ever!

 

I peeled and sliced about 4 plantains. In a pan, melted about a tbsp of butter and to that added a small chopped onion. Once the onions were soft I added about a tbsp of flour and cooked well. Then I added about 1/2 cup of milk to make a sauce. Seasoned it with salt, pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. I tossed the plantains in this sauce, poured it into a baking dish and added shredded pepper-jack cheese on top. Baked in a 375F pre-heated oven until there was a golden crust. It took about 30 minutes. If the plantains were not ripe enough, you might want to boil them first before cooking. Yummy :)

Black-eyed Peas from Mali (Mo Dunguri)

We have had a crazy busy weekend for the last three weeks and finally having a relaxed one at home. And I was able to cook a few dishes after a pretty big break. Tonight's dinner included Rice with Black-eyed Peas, Plantain Casserole from Haiti and a simple salad.

In a skillet, heat a tsp of olive oil (+ butter, if you like), and sauté one small chopped onion, 2 cloves of garlic. Add a can of drained black-eyed peas, season with salt. The original recipe called for using a bouillon, but I used a tsp of Skhug and 1/4 tsp of cumin/coriander powder. Add 2 tsp of creamy peanut butter, 1/2 cup or more of water. Heat thoroughly till the peanut butter has melted. Serve with rice. The dish was yummy and would be a pretty good weeknight dinner. This recipe was adapted from the World Cookbook for Students.

I am sending this to MLLA#23, hosted by Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook. 

Cataloging Books

Shankar got me "Hope for Animals and Their World: How Endangered Species Are Being Rescued from the Brink", the latest book by Jane Goodall for my birthday last week. With each addition to our personal library, there is a need to electronically catalog all our books. I have been thinking about expanding my Amazon Listmania, to include all the books we have. But with the new ebook readers being able to sync with Google Books, I decided to go the google route! It was easy to search for and find the books, add to my library and label them. I finished adding most of my cookbooks (all those in English), and one other bookshelf in the house. Click here to access My Library!