Seriously Good Potato Fries

This recipe is as essential and as basic as it gets. Somewhere a few weeks back, the husband was running fever and needed to get to the immediate care facility. Actually, this was about a week before, the cat and his Christmas day visit. Well, the problem with our house like most houses is that one of the grown ups are sick. It is not quite so easy for the other partner in crime to leave the house and take the sick grown up to the doctor. Taking the thus far well little ones to such a place is just asking for trouble.

Anyhow, one of the husband’s friends obliged and took him over, so to thank him for spending the Sunday helping us out I made these addictive crispy potato fries. Interestingly, enough even in the midst of actually transcribing the recipe I ended up with a bout of the flu.

Crispy Round Potato Fries


Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 -20 minutes
Serves 4

Ingredients

3 medium sized potatoes (Russets or Yukon Golds)
¾ chickpea flour (besan)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
3-4 green chilies chopped
2-3 scallions chopped
1/3 cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
¾ cup water
¾ teaspoon nigella needs
Oil for shallow frying
Black Pepper for garnishing


Method of Preparation


1. Wash the potatoes well, and peel them thinly. Cut the potatoes into thin slices and set them aside in water.
2. Place the chick pea flour in a mixing bowl and beat well with a wisk to break out any lumps.
3. Add in the salt, turmeric, green chilies, cilantro and red pepper flakes.
4. Mix in the water to make a batter that is about the consistency of thin pancake batter.
5. Stir in the nigella seeds and mix in the potatoes to coat them evenly with the batter.
6. Heat the oil (about 1 inch deep) in a skillet and when ready add single pieces of batter coated potatoes.
Cook undisturbed on medium heat for about 3-4 minutes on each side, till the potatoes are nice and crisp and dark golden but not brown.

7. Drain the oil and blot on paper towels. Continue this process until all the potatoes are cooked. Garnish with several grinds of fresh black pepper.

8. Serve with ketchup and paper towels and savor the moment and you enjoy these spicy crispy treats.

Harvest Latkes and Spiced Date Apple Sauce

At the risk of offending some of the Microsoft engineers in my life, I sometimes think working with Microsoft Office is much like my husband. It is pretty much a part of my life, and on most days it works,  some days it completely drives me crazy and other days, it totally surprises me with its multidimensional possibilities. 

Well, back to the husband, he actually is not as excited about the blog as he used to be, especially on a weeknight when he has to wait for me to take pictures before he eats, so I was quite surprised when he asked me whether I had blogged about these latkes I had made last week. So, I was pleasantly surprised and curious and it turns he has a co-worker whose latkes smell bad but taste great.

Traditionally latkes are potato pancakes that celebrate the miracle of Hanukkah.

My version actually makes them with carrots, rutabagas as a smaller amount of potatoes. I served this with a spiced applesauce sort of a hybrid between applesauce and chutney. So let now tell you all about the recipes.

Apple Sauce with Dates, Star Anise and Red Chili Peppers

Prep Time: 30 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour (mostly unattended)

Ingredients

5 granny smith apples

1/3 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup chopped dates

1 large stick cinnamon

2-3 star anise

3-4 red chilies

Method of Preparation

1. Core the apples (I do not peel them) and process in a food processor.

2. Place the apples, vinegar, dates, cinnamon, anise and red chilies in a medium sized sauce pan and cook on low stirring occasionally until a nice thick mixture is formed. As you are stirring the mixture mash in the  dates into the mixture.

3. Cook for about 40-50 minutes until the mixture is a nice thick caramel colored mixture.

4. Cool slightly and remove the cinnamon and star anise.

5. Place the mixture again in the blender and puree.

6. Strain through a sieve and store in a small jar.

Harvest Latkes

If you are unsure about welcome this wonderfully pretty pale saffron vegetable into your hhouse. OK, so it does not look quite so pretty on the exterior. It is like a large brownish vegetable covered with a somewhat strange layer of wax. Nonetheless, pry a little deeper and you shall be rewarded.

My latkes do have a nice spike from the green chilies, which can be skipped if you wish. The only thing that I do insist on is to please hand grate the vegetables, or the texture is not the same. I shallow fry the pancakes and think they yield a nice crunch to the pancakes this way.

Prep Time: 10-15 minutes

Cook Time: 25-30 minutes

Serves 4 (about 20-25)

Ingredients

1 mmedium red potato (please use an organic potato, if like me you want the skin on)

2 cups grated rutabaga

3/4 cup grated fresh carrots

5 pods of garlic, minced

1 medium red onion, cut into a fine dice

1 teaspoon salt

2 green chilies, finely chopped

3 tablespoons cilantro, finely chopped

1 egg, beaten

3 tablespoons all purpose white flour

Oil for shallow frying

Method of Preparation

1. Grate the potato with the skin on and set aside in a colander for about 15 minutes, to drain the water out. The potato oxidizes and turns a little dark in color, but it tastes just fine.

2. Squeeze out any additional water and then place the potato in a large bowl. Add in the rutabaga and carrots and mix well.

3. Add in the garlic, onion, green chilies and cilantro.

4. Mix in the salt, egg and the flour.

5. Heat the oil on medium heat. It is important to fry the pancakes on a medium low heat.

6. Shape the mixture into medium ( about 3 inch) sized oval or round pancakes and lower into the oil. Let them fry undisturbed for about 3-4 minutes on each side. Gently press down to flatten and ensure a crisp texture.

7. Remove from the oil and drain lightly.

Note: The proportion of the vegetables in this recipe can be varied based on taste and it can be made with more potatoes if desired.

Chilled Carrot Soup

Weather and nature is often the mother of invention. I have generally shied away from cold soups, just for some unknown reason. Well, the NYT magazine last Sunday has a nice piece about a teenager who had launched her own CSA and a nice recipe for pink beet borcht. A nice and spicy departure from the classic recipe. This week, we ended up with 25-30 carrots in our yard, I had to adapt the recipe for carrots. Instinctively I felt that the sweet taste of the carrots would be a good substitute. I also made an interesting carrot salad that I shall post about. The carrot soup also ended up turning pale orange, I color that facinated by better half. I have to confess, this time of the year, I end up with so many fun recipes, I sometimes lose them because I do not have time to blog them. This soup actually would be nice and refreshing in the morning as well.

Chilled Carrot Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Chilling Time: 3-4 hours (note this soup improves significantly in flavor the following day)
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients

2 tablespoon olive oil
1 red onion, coarsely chopped
2-3 pods of garlic, grated
1 teaspoon of freshly grated ginger
10 carrots, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon red chili powder
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
2 cups of water
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup of drained low fat yogurt
1-2 teaspoons chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the onion, garlic and ginger and saute for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture is soft and very fragrant. Note, I do this in the base of a small pressure cooker.
2. Add in the carrots, salt, red chili powder, coriander seeds, black pepercorns, bay leaves, vinegar and water and cook under pressure for about 7 minutes.
3. Cool and remove the lid of the cooker. Discard the bay leaves.
4. Puree the mixture in a blender with the yogurt until smooth.
5. Chill for a couple of hours or overnight.
6. Serve with the cilantro.

A comforting soup

Well, time flies when you are having fun? Actually time flies, whether you want it to or not. Friday was a lovely day, although cold enough for soup. Friday and Saturday are also days, that I try to cook something respectable (read beyond my simple array of lightly spiced stir fries). Well, usually for Anshul, soup qualifies as simple food. This soup while simple,

is also quite elegant. The subtle mix of spices brings out the richness of the base. If you have some good crusty bread around, you have a good meal in a pot. (ok pot and blender).

Potato Soup with Spinach and Ginger

Prep/Cook Time: 40 minutes

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

3-4 tablespoons oil

2 leeks (whites and tender green parts)

1 teaspoon powdered cumin

1 inch piece of peeled, sliced ginger

3-4 medium, peeled and cubed russet potatoes

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

6 cups water

1 teaspoon red chili powder

2 cups of finely chopped spinach

1 cup of half and half

Cilantro and black pepper to garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and cook the leeks on very low heat for about 15 minutes, till the leeks are soft and lightly browned. Stir the leeks frequently, since they can burn easily.

2. Add the powder cumin, ginger, potatoes, salt, black pepper, red chili powder and water and cover and simmer the potatoes till soft and tender.

3. Stir in the spinach and cook for 1-2 minutes.

4. Cool slightly and puree the mixture in a blender with the half and half.

5. Return the soup to the fire and cook till heated through.

6. Serve in bowls, garnished with cilantro and black pepper.

Creamy Leek and Acorn Squash Soup

This recipe is a simple lovely bowl of soup, the kind you want to make when you are snowbound and have the vegetables on hand. I am actually trying to move through the vegetables on hand. We are going on vacation next week - much, much, needed one at that! A special treat I get to go and visit my baby brother in Seattle.

So, most of this weekend and Monday evening is going to be spent on figuring out, how to eat down the fridge...

This soup truly is very peaceful, I made two kinds of simple sandwiches to eat with it to complete a nice comforting lunch. The leeks take a long time to carmelize, so I do the rest of the chopping while the leeks are cooking. I was a little disapointed to see how much of the green stuff was getting thrown away, actually for no particular reason, so I ended up adapting a savory tart that used this, that will come up later.

Creamy leek and acorn squash soup

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes (mostly for the soup to simmer)

Serves 4 people

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 leeks (thinly sliced, and very well washed white and pale green parts only)

4 stalks of celery, thinly chopped (about 1/2 cup)

2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger

1 small acorn squash, peeled and cut into smaller pieces (about 2 cups of squash)

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons maple syrup

3 cups of water

1/2 cup light cream

2 tablespoons of chopped cilantro

Red pepper flakes to garnish

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the butter and the olive oil and add in the cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle.

2. Reduce the heat and add the celery and the leek and cook on low heat stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes, the leeks wilt, shrink and then begin to turn very lightly golden.

3. At this point add in the ginger and cook for 2-3 more minutes.

4. Add in the squash, salt and maple syrup and mix well.

5. Add in the water and simmer for 25-30 minutes.

6. Cool slightly, puree until smooth in the blender and then stir in the cilantro and red pepper flakes.

Kasta Kachori - Indian Cooking Challege

Another classic from the Indian Cooking series, despite the ungodly hour, I am actually savoring one of these crispy treats as I write them.
It worked quite well to make these today, since I have been some busy I did not really have a chance to get anything in particular for my husband. Making something authentic and unusual worked well for the day.

Well, the recipe, was from the Indian cooking challenge, with an option for one of 3 fillings. I choose the moong dal and onion filling with just some tiny variations in the spicing.

Fillings Khasta Kachori - Moong Dal Kachori

Ingredients Needed:

1/2 cup yellow moong dal

1 teaspoon Cumin Seeds

1/4 tsp Hing / Asafoetida

5-6 Curry Leaves thinly sliced

1/4 teaspoon ginger paste

1-2 green chilies, chopped

1 tspSauf / Fennel seeds powder

1/2 tspRed Chilli powder

1/2 tspMango powder / Amchur

1 tablespoonOil

1 tspSalt to taste

Method of Preparation

Wask and Soak dal in water for atleast 1 hour. You can go upto 4 hours not more.

2. Drain the water well.

3. Grind the dal to a coarsely. (Will resemble Idli Rawa)

4. Heat oil in a pan.

5. Add the hing and cumin seeds.

6. Once the seeds splutter add the curry leaves.

7. Add the dal.

8. Lower the heat and keep stirring for 5 minutes till the dal stops sticking to the pan.

9. Cook for another 10 minutes on low till the dal turns slightly brown.

10. Add all the masalas

.11. Cook for few minutes till the aroma of the spices hit you

.12. Add Salt.13. Remove from heat and keep aside to cool.Special Tips / Notes for the filling:
The fillings have to be really dry if not when rolling they will ooze out when rolling.

Pyaz Ki Kachori

For the onion filling

2 cups onions, finely chopped

1 teaspoon nigella seeds (kalonji)

2 teaspoons fennel seeds (saunf)

2 bay leaves

1½ teaspoons green chillies, finely chopped

2 tablespoons Bengal gram flour (besan)

2 teaspoons coriander (dhania) powder

2 teaspoons chilli powder

1 teaspoon garam masala

3 tablespoons chopped coriander

2 tablespoons oil

salt to taste

To make the onion filling

Heat the oil in a pan. Add the nigella seeds, fennel seeds, bay leaves, green chillies and onions and sauté till the onions turn light brown in colour.
Add the gram flour, coriander powder, chilli powder, garam masala and salt and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the chopped coriander and mix well. Remove the bay leaves and discard. Allow the mixture to cool completely.
Divide into 12 equal portions and keep aside.

To Make Kachori's

Make a small ball from the dough. Roll out into a 2 inch diameter circle. Or flatten the ball using your fingers having the center thick and sides little thin.
Place about 1.5 tsp of the filling in the center of the rolled dough.
Cover the filling with the dough by slowly stretching it over the filling. Seal the ends and remove excess dough. Repeat with all the balls and keep aside for 5 -7 mins.
Then using your palm, flatten the balls by lightly pressing it, as using the rolling pin will make the filling come out. (See notes below). Keep aside covered. Repeat with the remaining dough.
Meanwhile heat some oil for deep frying. The oil should not become smoking hot. Test to see if the temperature is right by dropping a tiny ball of dough and see if it is rising slowly to the top.
Drop the kachoris in batches of 3-4 gently into the oil. It should rise up slowly. If you don't want to use lot of oil, use just enough for two or three at a time and fry them.
After it rises up (about 2 minutes), turn it over.
Cook for about 6 to 10 minutes till the side down gets a golden brown color.
Turn and cook the other side for another 6 minutes or till its golden brown in color.
Remove when done, cool and store in airtight container.
Serve with coriander chutney and tamarind chutney

The Indian cooking challenge is co-ordinated by Srivali at Spice up your life, and is really a fun way to try out authentic Indian recipes.

The postnote on the Kachoris was that I liked the dal ones and Anshul liked the onion ones. So we both had options!

Soup, Glorious Soup!

Last evening ended a difficult job, and hopfully this monday will be the begining of a new positive and beautiful journey...

This will be something that time alone can tell. I am generally looking forward to being able to spend a little more time with the kids.

Last evening, I cooked a rich, comforting and rather satisfying soup. The bulk of the efforts were really done in two key steps - the first one consisted of roasting the garlic and squash and the second step was slow cooking the leeks.

If you like garlic the way we do, you will enjoying being in the kitchen during the roasting process since the kitchen warms up to a nice, rich and toasty smell.

Roasted Butternut Squash, Garlic and Leek soup.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minutes

Serves 6 people

Ingredients

1 butternut squash

1 head of garlic (6 pods are needed for this recipe)

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

1 cup of thinly chopped leeks

1/2 teaspoon whole black peppercorns

4 cups water

1 cup light cream

2 teaspoons salt

1 handful parsley

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees.

2. Cut the base and top of the garlic bulb.

3. Place the garlic in a piece of foil and drizzle lightly with olive oil. Close the foil.

4. Place the garlic and the squash in the oven and cook for about 35-40 minutes.

5. In the meantime, heat the remaining oil and add the cumin seeds and the leeks.

6. Cook the leeks on very low heat until soft and lightly browned. This process takes about 15 minutes and the leeks need to be stirred frequently during this process.

7. Remove the squash from the oven, peel and remove the seeds.

8. Place the flesh into the pot with the leeks.

9. Unwrap the garlic, pop about 6-8 cloves of the roasted garlic and place into the cooking pot.

10. Add all the remaining ingredients except the parsley and simmer for 10 minutes.

11. Cool slightly, add the parsley and puree in a blender and puree until smooth.

12. Serve warm or hot.

Foodbuzz- Pepperidge Farm tastemaker challenge.

I made these little tangy, spicy bites of goodness on thanksgiving
thanks mostly to the puff pastry that I recieved from Foodbuzz for the tastemaker's challenge program. The combination of the mango salsa and bits of goat cheese were pure magic when bitten with light and flaky puff pastry.

Mango Salsa and Goat Cheese Crisps

Makes 40 appetizer sized crisps

Ingredients

For the salsa

1 mango
1 small red onion (very finely chopped)
1 teaspoon grated ginger
1-2 green chillies, miced
1 tomato, cut into a dice
1 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon chaat masala
1 lemon
3-4 tablespoons chopped cilantro
2 sheets puff pastry cut, into triangles
1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese


Method of Preparation

1. Peel and chop the mango.
2. Mix in the onion, ginger, green chillies and tomato.
3. Heat the oil and add the cumin seeds and wait for them to sizzle.
4. Mix in the mango mixture and the salt, black pepper, chaat masala and lemon juice and cook for less than a minute.
5. Stir in the cilantro and let this mixture rest at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
6. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
7. Arrange the pastry on the baking sheet, cover with 1 teaspoon of the mango salsa and a little goat cheese.
8. Complete all the triangle in this manner.
9. Bake for 10 minutes until the pastry is cooked and the cheese is lightly melted.
10. Enjoy warm...

Blackbean Soup

Last year (ok about 13 mos back!) we went to Austin, TX. My husband had some work and I actually braved the heat to go and meet my dear friend Janet. She is a very special friend. Among other things, I also learnt to like Southwestern food. So a couple of months back, I call her and ask her whether she can ask her new boyfriend for a good black bean soup recipe. She calls me back in a day and tells me, well, he gave me an awfully long recipe and I have to tell you the spices sound awfully Indian. Actually, that is the problem Indian food has so cornered the spice market, all spices sound awfully Indian. I went through her list, substituted the bacon for some ghee and skipped the oregano and actually ended up with a really comforting soup!

Black Bean and Corn Soup

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 45 minute

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon ghee

1 teaspoon crushed cumin seeds

1 onion, very finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1.5 cups diced tomatoes

1 can of organic black beans

1 cup of frozen corn

2 cups of water

Salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon red chili pepper

2-3 tablespoons freshly chopped cilantro

To garnish

Grated cheddar cheese

Sour Cream

Extra Cilantro
Fresh Lime

Lowfat Sour Cream

Red Pepper Flakes

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the ghee and add the cumin seeds and begin to sizzle.

2. Stir in the onion and the garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.

3. Mix in the tomatoes and black beans and cook on low heat.

4. Coarsely grind the corn in the food processor.

5. Add to the beans with 2 cups of water.

6. Stir in the remaining ingredients.

7. Cover and simmer on low heat for 30 minutes.

8. Turn of the heat and let this sit for 5 minute.

9. Laddle into bowls and add some grated cheese and a dollop of sour cream.

10. Squeeze lime juice and add cilantro and red chili pepper flakes as desired.

Enjoy on an early spring or anytime cooler day!

The moments that make us wince!!!

When my daughter gets hurts and returns home, she tells me that she had an "ouchi ouchi" day. I realized today that fortunately or unfortunately for them, the ouchi ouchi is still almost always confined to physical rather than intangible issues.

Well, I had an ouchi ouchi moment earlier this week. I send someone some of my work, something that I thought was pretty good and then realized I had sent the wrong proofs... Most utterly embarrasing!!! I could confess, frankly at this point I do not know what is worse. So, I have decided to lick my wounds and start afresh!

This afternoon, I went shopping to the closest Shop Rite, among other things I stumbled into the international section. I was quite pleasantly surprised to see an Indian section containing real Indian spices and lentils. It was small but actually carried a mainstream Indian brand - Maya. I did try to find their website but for some reason had no luck. But I was excited, it is probably the most common question that I get in my classes. Honestly, I have to tell you the fewer stores that I have to travel too when doing my shopping the happier I am. Well I was out of besan and was happy to find it at the store.

To celebrate my delight I made some pakoras, very lightly spiced ones with the radish and the scallions I had in my refridgerator.

Scallion Radish Pakors - Radish and Scallion Tempuras with Chick Pea batter

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

6 red radishes

1/2 cup scallions

1/2 red onion

Lots of freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup besan or chickpea flour

1 tsp sea salt

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup water

2 tbsp freshly chopped cilantro leaves

Oil for frying

Method of Preparation

1. Thinly slice the radish.

2. Chop the scallions and the onions and toss with the radish and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Wisk the besan, salt, cumin seeds with the water to make a medium consistency batter.

4. Mix in the scallions, onions, radish and cilantro leaves.

5. Heat the oil and place tablespoonfuls of the mixture into the oil.

6. Cook for about 2-3 minutes and turn and cook for another 3 minutes.

7. Remove lightly and drain.

8. Serve with chutney and enjoy!

I am sending this entry to the this months edition of My Legume love affair the creation of Susan at the Well Seasoned Cook , that is being hosted this month by Mediterranean Cooking in Alaska, a blog that I like following!

Leek and Tomato Soup with Lentils and White Beans

Back from vacation, it takes a while to get back into sync. I am still fighting jet lag. Today, I began with a soup that is more complex that what I usually do on weeknights, but well worth the effort. I paired this with some jalapeno and mushroom melts on a whole wheat baguette and we had one hearty dinner. I also managed to get out for a walk, the brisk cold air was really refreshing!



Leek and Tomato Soup with lentils and White Beans

Serves 4

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp cumin seeds
2 leeks, very thinly sliced (the whites and the tender greens)
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 tsp red pepper
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
4-5 basil leaves
2 tsp salt
1/4 moong dal
1/2 cup cooked white beans
1/3 cup lemon juice
2 tbsp black pepper
1/2 cup whole milk

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and add the cumin and cook briefly.
2. Add the garlic and the leeks and cook on low heat to saute and brown the leeks.
3. The process takes a good 10 minutes, but is the only really lengthy aspect of this soup.



4. Add in the pepper and the tomatoes, followed by the remaining ingredients (except the milk) and 1 cup water.
5. Cook in a pressure cooker for 10 minutes.
6. Cool slightly and puree with milk.
7. Serve immediately with lots of black pepper, extra lemon and cilantro

Carrot and Tomato Soup

Maybe it was the wrong soup, but the other night I tried a can of soup after ages and hated it, it was too salty and felt somewhat greasy. So last night, I decided to make a big bowl of soup for everyone. It somehow seemed exhausting and satifying at the same time to watch the events of the day. In some ways I was as touched as everyone around me, in other ways I could not help wondering whether hope would be enough to tide us through these difficult times. It does feel nervous even the daily events at work.

Carrot and Tomato Soup

Serves 4

Ingredients

1 lbs baby organic carrots
4 tomatoes
1 tsp rasam powder
1 tsp red chili powder
1 tsp salt
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 cup broken rice


To temper and garnish
2 tsp ghee
1/2 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp cumin seeds
7-8 curry leaves
2 tsp chopped cilantro

Method of Preparation

1. Place all the ingredients for the soup in a pressure cooker and cook under pressure for 10 minutes.
2. Bring to room temperature.
3. Heat the ghee and add the mustard and cumin seeds and let them crackle and add in the curry leaves.
4. Pour this mixture onto the soup and stir through, garnish with cilantro and serve.

This recipe is another perfect example of how the flavors of the local garden can be converted into a perfectly wholesome meal. I am sending this over for the earth hour event, hosted by Anna.

Alu-Methi Bhonda

I had not caught up with friends in a while, just has been so hectic the past few months. Also, with everyone's children growing up it is a challenge to find a time that works. Well, yesterday I came up with the idea of doing an open house style event. Now this idea is a keeper, I realized other than stretching out the time commitment a little bit on our schedule it was not too bad - I did not have the stress of serving up food at a fixed time. In general, I think things worked pretty well. Shall blog some of the other recipes later, I was quite please about these simple little potatoe cakes, comforting, crowd pleasings made with good, fresh and flavorful farmers market potatoes.

Alu-Methi Bhondas - Potato-Fenugreek Balls

Makes 20

Ingredients

6-8 large russet potatoes, cooked in their jackets
2 tsp salt
1 tsp freshly crushed black pepper
1 small onion diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp dried fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
1 tsp ground cumin powder
1 tsp mango or amchur powder
1 cup urad or moong dal flour
Oil for frying

Method of preparation

1. Peel the potatoes and mash well with the salt into a fairly smooth consistency.
2. Mix in the onion, garlic, dried fenugreek, cumin, amchur, and the dal flour.
3. Let this sit for 15 minutes in the refrigerator.
4. Heat the oil.
5. Shape the potato mixture into walnut-sized balls and fry on medium low heat till golden brown.
6. Great with tea and your favorite chutney.

Tomato Soup with Ginger and Oregano

When we were on vacation last week, I had tried a couple of interesting cobbled together creations. Well, we had this condo with a really well equiped kitchen so I felt that it would be quite a waste not to use my time at least doing what I so love doing, - cooking. However, naturally since the supplies in terms of spices etc were minimal these turned out to be different from what I might have otherwise done. However, this soup worked wonders with grilled cheese that I made with pepperjack cheese to lend a little zing.

Tomato Soup Recipe

Makes 4-6 servings

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil

2 onions finely chopped

4 cloves of garlic finely chopped

1 large piece of ginger, peeled and grated

8 vine-ripened tomatoes quartered

1/2 cup canned tomato puree

2 tbsp crushed peppercorns

1.5 tsp salt

3 tbsp butter

1 tsp garam masala powder

1 tsp fresh oregano

1 cup lowfat (2%) milk

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil and saute the onions, garlic and ginger for 2-3 minutes.

2. Add the tomatoes, tomato puree, peppercorns, salt and butter with 3/4 cup water and simmer on medium heat for 20 minutes.

3. Cool for 10-15 minutes and add the garam masala and oregano and blend in the blender till very smooth.

4. Return to the heat and heat but do not boil. (If this boils the milk will curdle, you can use cream if you want a richer and piping hot flavor).

5. Stir in the milk and serve with your grilled cheese sandwich or by itself.

I think I can!

Gosh, I have been meaning to get back and blog but it just has been one thing after another. The last week has been awful since I have been down with the flu. It is supposed to be my turn to host WHB, an event I have not even been able to participate in for the past several weeks. Well, I had actually cooked this really lovely smooth textured soup last week, with overtones of cumin and ginger laced with mint. Seeing all the wonderful entries that are filling my mailbox, I finally got inspired to write this up.

Carrot Pumpkin Soup with Ginger and Mint

Serves 4-6

Ingredients

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp black pepper

1 tbsp processed ginger chunks (I use trader joes)

2 leeks peeled and thinly sliced

2 lbs carrots peeled and cut into pieces

1 lb fresh pumpkin peeled and cut into pieces

1 parsnip peeled and cut into pieces

3 cups chicken broth

Salt to taste

1/2 cup fresh cream

2-3 tbsp finely chopped mint leaves

Method of Preparation

1. In a pressure cooker, heat the oil and pop the cumin and pepper.

2. Add the ginger and leeks and saute for 15 minutes till very soft.

3. Add in the carrots, pumpkin and parsnip and mix lightly.

4. Mix in the broth and bring to a simmer.

5. Cook under pressure for 20 minutes.

6. Cool and blend into a puree with the cream.

7. Check seasonings.

8. Heat but do not bring to a boil prior to serving and serve garnished with mint.

Chive-Sun Dried Tomato Omelette

The other morning I had made myself an omelette on a whim, and, my daughter tried it. Well, now she is all into having an omelette usually for breakfast. Well, nothing to inspire your creative juices than your eager 4.5 year old. That (.5) half is especially important, she will make sure that you do not forget it when mentioning it too her. Well, this morning, this is what we had for brunch with a side salad.
It also got me to use a new herb, yes, just in time for WHB. This is being hosted by Kalyn at Kalyn's kitchen.

For Each Omlette

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 egg
1 tbsp minced onion
1 tbsp chopped chives
Salt to taste
1 tbsp chopped sun-dried tomatoes
2 tbsp goat cheese
Freshly ground black pepper

Method of Preparation

1. Heat the oil on skillet or frying pan.
2. Beat the egg with the onion, chives and salt and pour on the skillet.
3. Quickly top with the sun-dried tomatoes and goat cheese.
4. Cook for about 5 minutes and sprinkly with the pepper.
5. Fold and serve how.

My daughter added some ketchup on hers, I encourage you to have it any way you like it.

Green and Crisp - Comfort Bhindi

Sometimes there is a fun and interest to participating in a food blog event, even if it involves writing or working with something that is a household staple. The kids and Anshul love Bhindi or Okra. So I have to get this all year round, even when the pods are not so impressive like the ones adjacent.

Anyhow, Pooja of Creative Pooja, hosts a weekly event where she features a vegetable a week. This week it was Bhindi, hey even Anshul was excited, since it spurred me to try something new. Actually I altered a Thai inspired recipe and was quite pleased with the results and tried this with a new chutney.

This is what I did,

Spicy Batter Fried Bhindi with a Lime-Tomato chutney

Bhindi

Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

1 inch piece ginger

2 red chillies

1/3 cup chopped cilantro

1 tsp cumin seeds

1.5 tsp salt

1 cup buttermilk

3/4 cup rice flour

Oil for Frying

1/2 lb bhindi tops and tips removed

Method of Preparation

1. Blend the ginger, chillies, cilantro, cumin, salt and buttermilk into a smooth paste.

2. Mix in the rice flour and let this sit for a while (about 10 minutes)

3. Heat the oil.

4. Dip pieces of the bhindi into the batter and fry on medium heat till golden.

5. Serve Hot.

Tomato-Lime Chutney.

2 tomatoes

6 dates pitted

1 cup water

1/3 cup jaggery

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chilli powder

1 lime

Method of Preparation

1. Grind the tomatoes, dates and water into a puree.

2. Place in a saucepan with the jaggery, salt and chilli powder.

3. Cook for 15 - 20 min.

4. Squeeze the lime juice onto the chutney.

5. Cool and serve.

Vegetable Pakoras - Veg Fritters with chick pea flour

Vegetable Pakoras (Vegetable Fritters in Chick Pea batter) with Coriander Chutney

Recipe by Rinku Bhattacharya

Ingredients

11/2 cup chick pea flour (Besan)
½ cup rice flour
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp ajwain (carom) seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
¾ cup cauliflower florettes
1 pepper cut into long slices
2 tbs chopped coriander leaves
Oil for frying (About 1.5 cups)

Method of Preparation

1. Mix the besan, rice flour, cumin, ajwain, and salt with water to form a medium batter

2. Add the vegetable, into the batter. We start with the pepper strips and when this is done, we add the cauliflower.

3. Heat the oil in a wok, you can test for heat with a breadcrumb.

4. Keep the oil on medium heat, add small amounts of the vegetables with the batter.

5. Fry till crisp, serve hot with chutney or ketchup.

Alternate vegetables for this preparation can be onions, tomatoes or spinach leaves.

Cilantro Chutney for Pakoras or Other Side Dishes.

1 bunch Cilantro leaves
Juice of 1.5 lemons
2 green chilies
1tbs cumin seeds toasted and ground
¾ tsp salt
½ tsp sugar

Method of Preparation

Add all the ingredients into a blender and blend till smooth.
Stir and serve.

BTW, mix a tsp of this chutney with mayonaise for a nice sandwich spread with zing.