Mixed Vegetables

Mixed vegetables is the healthy option. I don't make it very often but it is a great choice when I have lot's of vegetables but not enough of any one ;)
Mixed vegetables can include about any vegetable you like but you will need to be careful about their cooking times to ensure that the dish turns out well. For example, carrot might take longer than eggplant to cook. So either you add the carrot in first or you half cook the carrot separately and then mix them together. I like to mix vegetables with similar cooking times but mostly I end up mixing whatever is in the fridge.


Ingredients:
1. Carrots, half a pound
2. shredded or sliced small Cabbage
3. 1/4 cauliflower, florets cut
4. 1 cup frozen peas
5. 3 tablespoons olive oil
6. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
7. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
8. 1 bay leaf
9. 1/2 tablespoon minced garlic and ginger
10. 1.2 teaspoon aamchur powder (dried mango)
11. 1/4 teaspoon garam masala
12. 2 teaspoons coriander powder
13. Salt to taste
14. 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
15. 1 dried red chili
16. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder


Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil and add bay leaf, dried red chili and add mustard seeds in it.
2. When mustard seeds start to splutter, add cumin seeds
3. Add turmeric powder, coriander powder, red chili powder, garam masala, aamchur powder in the oil.
4. Add garlic and ginger and saute for about one minute.
5. Add vegetables and cook for about 15 minutes. Add salt when half done. If you add salt to vegetables right at the start, they will leave water. This spoils the taste and look of the veggies that would otherwise turn brown and crispy with the dry heat. If you add salt once the veggies are fully cooked, they will get mushy on mixing them. So add salt when half cooked. :)
6. Cover and let simmer on medium to low heat stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.
7. Turn heat down and cook for another 5 minutes or until all vegetables soften.

Serve hot with Roti or Paranthas. A healthy wholesome dinner is ready!

EVENT: Garnishing tips and techniques for Indian food

Garnishing and food presentation is an art. A beautifully crafted dish is more inviting and makes the meal more memorable.

There have been so many instances when I considered taking a course on food decoration. Fanciful and exciting as it may sound, I could not find such a course. I soon realized that learning about food presentation and decoration is nothing but a quest and a never ending process. There are no rules and regulations, and the skill cannot be taught. Garnishing is personal style and does not need to be elaborate. Simplicity can suffice. The more you experiment and research, the better you get at it.

I have a long way to go and with each attempt to decorate my food, I learn something.
Garnishing only with edibles, using contrasting colors, carving (read: trying to carve) raw vegetable, and not overpowering the visibility of the main ingredient in the dish have become some regimes of my personal style. And I continue to learn and build up on my personal style.

More specifically here are some of my garnishing ideas:
1. I love to sprinkle Cilantro on any Indian dish specially vegetables because it adds color and I love the taste of fresh cilantro!
2. Add Butter or cream
3. Use overlapping onion rings

This event is about sharing and showcasing garnishing skills. You will need to cook up an Indian meal and garnish it. I will feature one post per week as a part of this series.

Guidelines:

1. The deadline for Garnishing tips and techniques for Indian food is March 15, 2009.
2. You can use any post from your archive.
3. The post should preferably be about the presentation or garnishing of an Indian dish but is not restricted to any cuisine.
4. You must have a picture of the garnished dish on your post and it must be the picture of your recipe.
5. Link back to this announcement, and feel free to use the logo above.
6. Send me an email with your post at food[dot]fanatic[dot]recipes[at]gmail[dot]com. In the subject say Garnishing Event.
   
7. Please include the following details:

1. Your name
2. Blog name
3. Post URL
4. What's special or defines your presentation or garnishing style (some rules you follow etc)
5. How you garnished it

I'll get the photograph from your post. I'll email you to let you know when your post is being featured. Looking forward on hearing from all of you.

Update:
Unconventional wonders: use a stencil
Marvel with vegetables: carve carrots
Simplicity sensation: garnish with edibles

Paste Penne with Garlic and mustard sauce

Pasta once again...this time without any tomato or cheese...for the vegan. Without ado, here we go!

1. Olive oil, 3 tablespoons
2. Frozen vegetables (carrots, broccoli, cauliflower)
3. Catelli Whole wheat Pasta penne, 1/4 box
4. Minced garlic, 1 tablespoon
5. Minced ginger, 1 tablespoon
6. Red chili sauce
7. Dijon mustard sauce, 1/4 tablespoon
8. Freshly ground black pepper, a dash
9. Salt to taste
10. Lemon (optional)


Instructions:
1. Boil water in a big pot.
2. Add pasta and allow to cook for about 45 mins.
3. When the pasta softens, drain water and keep aside.
4. In another pan, heat olive oil.
5. Add minced garlic and ginger and fry for 2-3 mins.
6. Add vegetables and cook for 5 minutes
7. Add mustard and red chili sauce and cook for another 2 mins. These two ingredients give the bland pasta a kick!
8. Add pasta and mix well.
9. Add salt and freshly ground black pepper, lemon, and red chili sauce.

Serve hot with salad or mashed potatoes! Tasty and wholesome dinner in a jiffy!

And this post was specially composed for The Italian event of Vaishali's Holy Cow!

Pasta Penne

Pasta is an Italian word that means dough. In the culinary world, it commonly used for a dish in which the primary ingredient is 'pasta' (can be in the form of noodles, spaghetti, lasagne etc). Pasta comes in many shapes such as penne, rotini and so on. I was almost unknown to pasta until I landed in North America. In this recipe, we use the penne style pasta. Pasta is easy and quick dinner when I am tired after a long day of work or when I am bored of Indian food.

Here is my tribute to pasta...

Serves 4. No preparation required.

Ingredients:
1. 1/4 a box of Catelli whole wheat Penne pasta
2. 1 can (680 ml) tomato sauce
3. 1 can cheese sauce
4. 2 tablespoons oregano
5. 2 tablespoons basil
6. dash of ground black pepper
7. 4 tablespoons olive oil
8. 1 medium sized red onion, finely shopped
9. 1 small green or red pepper, cut into cubes
10. about 1 pound broccoli, florets cut
11. 1 green pepper, chopped into squares
12. 1-2 carrots, vertically sliced
13. olive oil, 4 tablespoons
14, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and ginger

Instructions:
1. Boil water in a saucepan
2. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook pasta for about 45 mins until pasta is soft and tender.
3. Drain the water and keep pasta aside.
4. In another pan, heat olive and fry onions, ginger and garlic.
5. Add vegetables and then add basil, oregano, pepper and cook until vegetables are tender.
6. Add tomato sauce and cheese sauce and cook for 10 mins.
7. Add pasta and mix the sauce with the pasta.
8. Cook for another 10 mins on low heat.

Serve with a side of instant or home-made mashed potatoes.

Matar paneer (Peas cheese)

Warning! This dish is high in calories :)

This dish is another sought after delicacy by North Indian and around the world food fanatics! No North Indian restaurant would commit the sin of leaving this dish out of their menu. Matar paneer is traditionally considered a dish of the rich and therefore you will find it at any party or feast. The dish is prepared in a lip smacking tangy and spicy sauce with more peas then cottage cheese. Some people like to fry the cottage cheese but I prefer not to because that is not healthy.
And no kidding, it makes this dish a lot easier to make!

No preparation required. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
1. 5 cups frozen green peas. Remember this is matar paneer not paneer matar!
2. 1 block cottage cheese, sliced into sqaures
3. 1 tablespoon salt
4. 1 teaspoon cumin powder
5. 2 heaping teaspoons coriander powder
6. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
7. 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
8. 1 teaspoon garam masala
9. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
10. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
11. 1 bay leaf
12. 1 dried red chili
13. 5 tablespoons olive oil
14. 1 medium sized onion
15. 3 tablespoons tomato paste
16. coriander leaves to garnish
17. 1 teaspoon minced garlic ginger

Instructions:
1. Heat olive oil in a pan and add bay leaf and dried red chili
2. Add mustard seeds and allow to splutter
3. Add cumin seeds and when they turn brown, add garlic, ginger, and onion
4. Fry the onions and garlic/ginger.
5. Add coriander powder, garam malasa, turmeric powder, cumin powder, red chili powder and then add tomato paste.
6. Sautee until the oil starts to leave the onion tomato paste we made.
7. Add peas and cook until peas are warm
8 Add salt and cover the pan over low heat and cook for 10 minutes. Covering is important because we want the moisture from the peas mixed with masala to be absorbed by the cheese. If the vegetables look dry, add a few spoons of water.
9. Add cottage cheese slices and cook covered for another 10 minutes, stirring gently to mix the paste and peas with the spices. Make sure not break the slices of cheese while turning.
10. Garnish as desired

Serve hot with roti or paranthas.

Food Trivia:
Cottage cheese is called paneer in Hindi. It is a bi product of milk and is the base ingredient for several desserts and main course meals. Paneer can be made at home by adding a few drops of lemon juice to milk and allowing the fat to separate from the milk.

Dal makhani modified (Lentil butter)

Dal Makhani is a must have entrée at any North Indian restaurant. It is considered a part of a sumptuous meal and a special dish for many Indians. You will often find this delicacy at parties and at feasts. The traditional way to cook Dal Makhani was to do so slowly and for hours on charcoal heat. This would give it a creamy texture. In this Any-time-on-demand world, the recipe has changed. The modern recipe involves cooking the lentils quickly and adding cream for the desired texture.

To each one, her own. And rightly, this recipe is modified by me. It was a long day, the fridge was empty, and my body was tired but does my palate listen? No. I was still craving Dal Makhani and had been for a long time. I had soaked kidney beans which was a motivator. So, I decided to cook it quickly, my way - the convenient way.

Needs preparation. Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:
1. 3 fists Kidney beans, soaked for 8 hours
2. 6 fists black lentils, washed and soaked for 10-15mins.
3. 3/4 teaspoons garam masala
4. 1 small onion, finely chopped
5. 1/2 tablespoon grated ginger
6. 1/4 tablespoon grated or crushed garlic
7. 1 heaping tablespoon full of ghee or clarified butter
8. 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
9. 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
10. 1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
11. 1 Cinnamon stick
12. 1 bay leaf for aroma
13. 1 dried red chili
14. 2 teaspoons full of coriander powder
15. 1 teaspoon cumin powder
16. 1.5 teaspoon salt
17. 1/4 teaspoon turmeric powder
18. 1.5 tablespoon sour cream
19. 1/4 teaspoon asafoetida
20. 1/4 teaspoon red chili powder
21. 3 glasses of water


Instructions:
1. Heat ghee in a pressure cooker.
2. Add bay leaf, red dried chili, cinnamon stick, and mustard seeds and allow to crackle.
3. Add cumin seeds, fenugreek and wait until the popping sound fastens.
4. Add ginger, garlic, onion and fry until the onion turns golden brown.
5. Add cumin powder, turmeric powder, coriander powder, garam masala, red chili powder, asafoetida.
6. Cook for a few minutes until the fat starts to leave the masala. You will see the yellow color of the ghee seperate from the onion.
7. Add soaked kidney beans and lentils and water.
8. Add salt and close the lid of the pressure cooker. Allow at least 8 whistles to blow.
9. Turn off the heat. Allow the lid to open by itself. Then add cream and cook with a covered lid for another 5 minutes.
10. Serve hot and garnish as desired.

This can be eaten as a hearty soup, as curry with Roti or with parantha. It tastes even better the next day because the lentils absorb the spices with time.

Things I could have gone without: bay leaf, cinnamon stick, coriander powder.
Things I could have done: Add tomato, fennel seed powder, use a slow cooker instead of a pressure cooker, use whole black gram lentil instead of black lentil, cook lentils and kidney beans separately and mash the lentils for a smoother texture.

Kitchen flavours and Trupti told me about Lentil Mela and suggested I participate. So here I go!

Stuffed Eggplant/Brinjal (Bharva baigan)

Eggplant is known as Brinjal in some South Asian countries. The vegetable Eggplant is native to India.
Stuffed eggplant is one of my favorites. You must be thinking that I cook a lot of eggplant. The reason is that eggplant is one of the few vegetables found abundantly in the grocery stores in North America. Eggplant also comes in various shapes and sizes so the add on point to this vegetable is that it can easily be cooked in a lot of different ways. This recipe uses the Indian eggplant variety.

No preparation required. Serves 6.

Ingredients:
1. 1.5 pounds Indian eggplant (this one is actually sized and shaped like an egg!)
2. olive oil 4 tablespoons
3. 4 tablespoons dhania powder
4. 1 tablespoon garam masala
5. 1 tablespoon cumin powder
6. 1/2 tablespoon red chili powder
7. 1/4 tablespoon turmeric powder
8. Salt to taste

Instructions:
1. Mix ingredients 2 to 8 in a bowl, but with only a few drops of olive oil and mix well to make masala (stuffing in this case).









2. Slit the eggplants on the sides such that it is wide enough to fill the masala (spices). A small sharp knife will help make uniform vertical slits from the stem to the base. Be careful not to break the eggplants into 2 parts. You can make multiple slits so that masala can be added and or absorbed on multiple sides to make it more flavorful.









3. Fill in the masala made in step 2 in the slits you made.
4. In a pan add olive oil and cook on low flame until the eggplants soften.

Indian eggplant is ready to relish with rice or Paranthas.

In North America, I wouldn't be surprised if this was served as an appetizer because it can be picked up and eaten like finger food too!

Mashed eggplant (Baigan ka bharta)

Baigan ka bharta is a North Indian delicacy, very popular amongst Indian vegetarian foodies. It is easy to make and tastes great, specially if you are an eggplant fan. Some people refer to bharta as Chokha which simply means mashed. Baigan ka bharta is eaten with Indian bread or Paratha which I will show you how to make in another post. Ingredients:
3 eggplants
2 small onion, chopped
1 medium sized tomato, chopped
Salt to taste
Lemon juice
garam masala 1 teaspoon
paprika or red chili powder, 1 teaspoon
2 tbspn olive oil (use mustad oil for more flavour)
butter block
coriander leaves, chopped for garnishing.
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon minced ginger and garlic
1 small cup peas (optional)

Servers 4-6
Preparation time 2 hours.



Instructions:
1. Rub the block of butter on the washed eggplants on all sides such that the skin is all covered and greasy. This will help us remove the skin when the eggplant is baked.
2. Bake eggplant uncovered in an oven at 400 degrees Celsius for about 40 minutes or until the skin becomes soft and a knife can easily pierce through it
3. Cool eggplant and remove the skin
4. Mash eggplant and set aside
5. In a pan, heat olive oil and add mustard seeds and allow to splutter. Add cumin seeds and within seconds they will turn dark brown
4. Add onion, garlic, and ginger
5. When the onion, garlic, and ginger soften and change color, add tomato.
6. Cook until tomato softens
7. Add the eggplant, peas
8. Add red chili powder, salt, garam masala and cook for 15-20 mins
8. Add coriander leaves and lemon juice.
9. Cook for another 5-10 minutes

Serve hot with naan or paranthas.