A Mixed Vegetable Health Salad
Salads are an essential part of a meal, we make salads which are raw and are called Koshimbeer. We use raw vegetables, a dash of tempering, a bit of chilli for heat, some have groundnut powder for the nutty taste, some have curd mixed in it. Some vegetables like milk gourd and carrot are even grated and pressure cooked to make salads. We use the raw grated cabbage, raw raddish leaves and also chopped tomatoes, the variety is endless. Like the soups I will upload a few salads in this series. Here goes one of the most colourful ones.
Ingredients
Step 1
1/2 a beet root, peeled and chopped into long pieces
1/2 a carrot, peeled and chopped into long pieces
Few florets of brocolli
4 cabbage leaves roughly torn
8 french beans deveined and roughly broken into long pieces
The above should be pressure cooked with a hint of salt to one whistle only, drained, cooled and kept ready
Step 2
150 gms of cottage cheese chopped into long pieces
2 tspns of olive oil
1/2 tspn of black pepper powder
1/2 tspn of mixed herbs
A dash of lime juice
Method
Now in a mixing bowl take all the ingredients toss well and savour.
Let me mention here that salt is optional since we have given a hint of it while pressure cooking the vegetables and also sometimes cottage cheese comes with added salt.
Cottage Cheese Sandwich With Red Sauce
I am very fond of cottage cheese and also plain cheese which is why sometimes on a cheat day I indulge in one of these absolutely yummy sandwiches. They are pan toasted and made with olive oil. Makes for a satiating breakfast or tea time snack.
Ingredients
Slices of whole wheat bread as required
300 gms of fresh cottage cheese
For the sauce
Olive oil
3 cubes of cheese, any brand
2 tsp of ginger garlic paste
3 onions finely chopped
3 tomatoes finely chopped
1 bunch of parsley finely chopped
1 small bunch of coriander finely chopped
2 tsp of mixed herbs (dry)
1 tsp of oregano (dry)
Salt to taste
1 tsp chilli powder
Method for the sauce
In a broad bottomed pan take some olive oil, add the onion, saute till light brown, add ginger garlic paste, stir well till the rawness disappears, add the parsley and coriander, mix well, add tomatoes and the rest of the ingredients adding salt carefully since the cheese cubes will have salt in them, saute till the mixture becomes mushy, add chopped cubes of cheese, cook only till all of it melts and blends into the mixture. Keep aside and now make the sandwiches.
Method to make sandwiches
First spread the mixture on the slices of bread, add a thinly cut slice of cottage cheese as broad as the slice, cover with another slice, in this way make all sandwiches, grease a pan with olive oil, keep the sandwiches, sprinkle olive oil on the other side of each sandwich, toast them to a crisp brown on both the sides. savour as is or with any sauce of your choice.
Tomato Bhaat
Another rice preparation for rice lovers like me. Simple with all the easily available ingredients from any regular kitchen. Can be savoured as is or with a bowl of curd. An all time favourite of my family.
Ingredients
2 onions finely chopped
2 cups long grain rice, wash, drain and keep ready but not too much before making because it tends to make the rice softer than required3 tomatoes finely chopped
2 tsp chilli powder
Salt as needed
2 tsp saar masala
Coriander chopped fine, some for garnishing and some to be used
Method
In a pressure cooker take some oil,ad mustard seeds let them splutter, add turmeric and asafoetida, ad the onions and stir till they turn golden, add tomatoes and all the other ingredients including some coriander, let this mixture become fully mushy, now add the rice, mix well and add twice the amount of water. Cook to two whistles, transfer to a bowl, serve garnished with coriander.
Mixed fruit Cream Salad
This bowl has all the fruits which exude sweetness and taste and are a delight on the palate, what with cream and milk to add to the taste!! So go ahead and make this pleasurable fruit salad once before saying good bye to the king of fruits.
Ingredients
2 Alphonso mangoes peeled and chopped into small pieces, the pulp of the seed removed into the same bowl
3 chikoos peeled and chopped into small pieces
3 bananas chopped into roundels, I used the smaller variety (elaichi or the yellow dwarf variety)
3 tspns of sweet basil seeds soaked for a n hour in half 1/4 cup of water
Sugar is optional because the fruits as I mentioned are already enough sweet
1/2 a litre of milk
1 pack of fresh cream
Method
In a mixing bowl take all the ingredients mix well and keep in the fridge for 2-3 hours to let the sweetness, the taste and the colour of the fruits get infused in the creamy milk. This will make a lovely chilled salad bowl.
Nepali Dum Aloo
Dum Aloo Shimpaji's style. I made this dish when I saw Shimpaji's post. The lovely colour and texture of the picture was so inspiring that I had to make it and share it! Hope it has come somewhere close to your dish Shimpaji. I was in such a hurry to try this one, that I did not wait till I could go to the market and pick up baby potatoes!! We all loved it. So here goes the recipe made with normal potatoes.
Ingredients
4 potatoes, boiled peeled and made into big cubes
6-7 dry red chilies soaked in water for 15 minutes
3-4 garlic cloves
4 tomatoes blanched and peeled
2 tsp nigella seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
Method
First you need to grind the red chillies with the garlic cloves, heat a pan with mustard oil in it, add the nigella seeds, once the aroma comes add the chilli garlic paste and saute a bit and add the tomato puree, turmeric, cumin powder and salt. Mix well add the potatoes and cook till the gravy is cooked.
As Shimpaji mentions this can be eaten as is, more as a snack with regular sweet tea or coffee rather than as a vegetable. You would find local halwais selling this.
Pumpkin Flower Fritters
Any kind of fritters are my weakness, they can be made of anything like onion, potato, brinjal, fenugreek leaves, coriander leaves, spinach leaves,lentils, chilli is the best I enjoy. I can have them for breakfast, lunch, dinner, they could be fresh or stale!! Anything is good enough. The bottom line is that I love fritters, famously called bhajis in Mumbai. This one is a lovely bhaji or fritter to have, the one made with pumpkin flowers, yummm.....I would have loved to put the flower as the main picture but the final product is important so I have compromised.
Ingredients
8 pumpkin or zucchini flowers as available, remove the stalk leaving a small portion as it is and wash
3 cups of chickpea flour (besan)
1/4 cup corn flour ( for making crisp fritters )
1/4 cup rice flour (for making crisp fritters)
1 tspn chilli powder
1 tspn coriander powder
1/2 lime squeezed
1/4 tspn carom seeds (ajwain)
Soda bicarb as required
Salt to taste
Method
Mix all the above ingredients except the pumpkin flowers in a mixing bowl to make a semi solid batter.
Heat oil in a kadhai, put a tiny drop of the batter, if the drop floats immediately on the oil, then the oil is hot enough for us to start, dip each flower in the batter to coat it completely, leave it in the oil very gently so you do not burn your hand, do the same with all others taking care to see that the oil is not too crowded giving space for each fritter to float up and cook well. Fry them on a little higher than sim till golden brown and crisp. Enjoy as they are or with any chutney, sauce of your choice.
Vegetable Made Of Bottle Gourd Greens
When I am in the market I am always on the lookout for something new in the rustic vegetables which I can bring home and try out. To my luck on today I found this vegetable of bottle gourd, the whole plant was there with stalks literally and the leaves were so huge. I asked the vendor what it was, the lady said, dudhichi bhaji aahe, which meant that they were bottle gourd greens!!! Found out from the vendor how to make it and tried it out. Must say that it is worth a try. It tastes really strong and pungent unlike the so very mild bottle gourd!! Here goes the method.
Ingredients
1 whole big bunch of the leaves, cleaned off the stalks and chopped fine
4 green chillies chopped
6 garlic cloves and 1 inch ginger crushed
3 onions finely chopped
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste
Coriander optional
Method
In a kadhai take some oil, add mustard, once it splutters add turmeric and asafoetida, add the green chillies saute a bit, add the ginger garlic, saute, add onion, wait till they turn golden, add the chopped vegetable, add salt, lime juice and cook covered till it gets cooked and changes colour. No need of adding or sprinkling water since the vegetable will cook in own juices. Now enjoy this rustic, pungent, tasty vegetable with phulkas or the evergreen Maharashtrian bhakri.
This picture shows the huge leaves.
Carrot Lentil Soup
This soup is made of carrot and split green gram lentil, a dash of lime to cut the sweet taste and give it a tang.
Ingredients
2 carrots cleaned and chopped into roundels
1/2 cup split green gram lentil washed and drained
Salt and pepper powder to taste
A squeeze of lime
Method
Pressure cook the lentil and the carrots together to two whistles, let it cool, blend to a smooth paste. Transfer to a deep bottomed vessel, add water to make a soupy consistency, add salt, pepper powder and a dash of lime. Bring it to a boil and serve hot.
Egg Masala
Egg curry made with a little southern touch to it, such a pleasure it is to use fresh raw mango, star fruit and coconut. This makes for a tasty company for pooris and steaming hot rice too.
Picture below showing the masala getting cooked.
Ingredients
6 eggs boiled and peeled, poked with a fork for the spices to get infused
3 large onions chopped into thin long pieces
2 tomatoes chopped into thin long pieces
6 cloves of garlic
2 inches of ginger chopped roughly
1 cup freshly scraped coconut
1 star fruit chopped
1/4 cup grated raw mango
1/2 cup mint leaves
1/2 cup coriander leaves
6 black peppercorns
1 tspn of red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Method
In a kadhai take oil, fry the garlic till light brown, add ginger fry a bit, ad the coconut, mint leaves, coriander leaves, peppercorns and again saute well till the aroma comes, add onions, salt chilli powder and saute till translucent, add tomatoes saute a bit and add a cup of water, cover and let the ingredients turn mushy, transfer into a mixi jar, grind to a fine paste.
In the same kadhai add the ground paste and let it cook covered until it leaves the sides of the pan, add water and some salt if need be, now add the eggs, cover and cook cook well, transfer to a serving bowl, garnish with coriander and serve with rice or chapati.
Batata Bhaji, Stir Fried Spicy Potatoes
One of the simplest yet tastiest dishes anybody could make with easily available ingredients!! This one comes from the treasury of amazing dishes made by my mother. The only catch is that you must get the method right and there will be a pleasurable accompaniment with yet another simple daily preparation, the chapati. The folded one specially. The tastiest one I ever ate was made by my mother, I try my best but there is something missing!! I dedicate this to her.
Ingredients
4 large potatoes peeled and chopped into fairly thin medium sized pieces, washed and drained
Salt as needed
1/4 tspn sugar
2 tspns of chilli powder
2 tspns of saar masala, the home made one
1/2 cup chopped fresh coriander
Method
In a kadhai take 2 tbspns of oil, add mustard seeds let them splutter then add turmeric and asafoetida, put in the potatoes, stir to mix, let this cook a bit, keep stirring with a gentle hand, add the rest of the ingredients and cook uncovered till it becomes crisp, light golden in colour, see that the pieces do not break while you stir. This vegetable needs a tad bit more oil than our usual quantity, so if you feel the need then you can add a bit of it while cooking. Once done garnish and serve with chapatis which have a dash of clarified butter on them.
Gazpacho The Cold Soup
A summer soup that can be had cold, is a classic dish from Spain and Portugal. I tasted it first time recommended by my daughter Ashwini, at Zuri Goa and loved it. The classic one is made of cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, bread and garlic cloves with a dash of olive oil. Mine is a little variation of the same. Here goes the way I made it.
Pieces of 1 cucumber
Pieces of two tomatoes
Pieces of 1 brown bread slice
Pieces of 3 spinach leaves
A handful of cilantro
3 cloves of garlic
2 tspns of olive oil
Salt and pepper powder to taste
Take all the above ingredients and grind to a fine paste, add as much water to make a soup like consistency, serve chilled.
Melon Cottage Cheese Salad
When you see fresh fruits and vegetables in the market and when you have someone sending you lovely crunchy nuts from Srinagar, the best thing to make is an amazing colourful satiating salad!! here goes the method.
2 bowls of deseeded pieces of water melon
2 bowls of deseeded pieces of musk melon
2 bowls of pieces of cucumber
2 bowls of pieces cottage cheese
6 leaves of fresh spinach roughly torn
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, as usual I sat for an hour and deskinned them!! I love the fresh ones
1/4 bowl of pine nuts, same as above!!
2 tspns of olive oil
1 tspn of pepper powder
A squeeze of lime
Salt to taste is optional, add if you feel the need
The mint leaves you see for garnishing are from my tiny balcony, they are again optional
Take a big mixing bowl put all the fruits and vegetables give it a good mix, add the salt pepper and oil and lime juice just before serving.
