Banana Bread

Banana Bread

Who doesn’t love banana nut bread? I’m no different. I’ve always tried different versions and end up not so happy. Last I tried had too much baking powder and baking soda. Always a question of what your taste buds prefer. I think I’ve baked enough banana bread to try out my own bread!
Moreover, my sis is visiting me and I thought it would be a delight to treat her to home made banana nut bread!

Caution- This is my own recipe. It is whole wheat, sort of moist (because of more bananas), low in fat. Do try my version and modify accordingly. Use really ripe bananas-the riper, the sweeter.

Ingredients:

Ripe bananas- 4, mashed
Whole wheat flour-2 cups
Olive oil- 1/2 cup
Brown sugar- ½ cup
Baking powder-1/4 tsp
Baking soda-1/4 tsp
Walnuts-½ cup
Water- 2 tbsp, if needed

1. Sift the flour. Mix the dry ingredients- flour, baking powder and soda.
2. Now add the oil and mashed bananas. Mix gently. Don’t over mix.
3. Add the brown sugar, walnuts. Mix well until the batter looks even. If the batter looks thick, add a tbsp of water.
4. Bake at 375 for 20min. This is a tentative time. Check every 20min or so until browned on top. Or insert a toothpick in the center of the bread and it should come out dry.

Variations- Try addling blueberries or chocolate chips along with the banana. I don’t even need to describe what it would taste like! You can use other nuts like almonds, pistachios instead of walnuts.

Banana bread served with sliced plums

Fajitas

Fajitas

I fell in love with this Mexican entrée the first time I had it. Hot sizzling veggies- what’s not to love? Fajitas are typically served with tortillas and rice; but you can eat them just as they are, like stir-fry. At a restaurant, they are a huge platter of sizzling veggies (and meat) served with Spanish rice, beans, guacamole, sour cream and tortilla. Me and my sister, we both love fajitas and always end up sharing it.

It is best if you have a grill at home- veggies will have the beautiful grill marks. If not, a flat skillet would work too.

Fajitas are almost always a meat-oriented dish. Meat (steak, pork, chicken) is sauteed with peppers and onions. I always have to customize my fajitas with extra veggies. Do try this soul-satisfying dish.

Ingredients:

• -Peppers (more color the better) - 2; sliced 1” long
• -Onion- Vidalia (red onion); 1 large
• -Zucchini -1, sliced into ¼” rounds
• -Mushroom- sliced, 1 cup
• -Jalapeno- 1, sliced 1” long
• -Oregano-1 tsp
• -Cumin powder-1tsp
• -Olive oil-1 tbsp or PAM oil spray
• -Cilantro-1 bunch, roughly chopped
• -Lemon juice- 1 tbsp
• -Salt as needed

1. Spray the flat skillet with PAM or oil. Place the peppers, onion, zucchini and mushroom so they don’t overlap much. You can do this in batches as well.
2. Let then cook for about 2min. Flip the veggies and let it cook again for 2min.
3. Now sprinkle a tsp of salt and the cumin+oregano. Let it sizzle for a min more. You will smell the wonderful peppers sizzling. Add lemon juice and remove from stove. Garnish with cilantro.
4. Do NOT burn the veggies. Once you add salt, the veggies will start to give out water, which makes the fajitas juicy!

Garlic-herb-edamame rice

Garlic-herb-edamame rice

I’m craving rice; I have no fresh veggies at home, just frozen. Kinda boring…

And I’ve had Italian herbs sitting in the fridge forever. I decided to make some kind of Italian herb-garlic rice…I’ve used sage, rosemary and garlic. Ideally, mint and cilantro would be the best herbs to be mixed in with rice. Since this is a bland, not-too-nutritious mix, I added some edamame. You could add peas. Edamame is a protein powerhouse, a vegetarians’ best friend.

Cook what you got ppl!

Ingredients:

-Cooked rice (basmati is the best, but any long grain rice would suffice) - 2 cups

-Italian herbs; Sage, rosemary- 2tbs, chopped

-Edamame- ½ cup (I used frozen)

-Garlic- 2tbs, minced (about 6 large cloves)

-Jalapeno- 1, finely chopped (optional)

-Oil-1tbs…I prefer olive oil

-Salt-as needed

1. Cook the rice till it’s fluffy. (Use a ratio of rice: water= 1:2 to get fluffy grains). Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a skillet. Add the chopped herbs and edamame. Sauté for 2 min or so until fragrant. Now add the garlic and sauté-do NOT let the garlic burn.
3. Once you can smell the aroma of herbs, add rice and salt to the skillet and mix gently. DO NOT mash the rice, gently toss.

That’s all. Super easy isn’t it? Feel free to up the herbs or garlic according to your taste. I would typically add more garlic to anything!

Variation- Try using mint, cilantro and garlic. I remember the days my mom would make this mouth watering, incredibly simple rice. Somehow, I can never cook like her…even if I duplicate her recipe morsel by morsel!

Also try adding bay leaves or a pinch of cardamom powder.

Cauliflower-spinach curry

I’ve been hoarding frozen veggies in the fridge…come summer; this is the best way to cook! It’s so hot. I am in no mood to chop blahhh

Here, I used the California blend- cauliflower, broccoli, carrots and peas. I also used half a pack of frozen cauliflowers. Like I say, simply use what you got in the freezer.

Ingredients:

-Frozen veggies- California blend/frozen cauliflower-2 cups

-Spinach leaves- 1-2 cups

-Onion- 1, cut into 4 and blended

-Tomato sauce/paste-1 cup or use 2 fresh tomatoes and blend them with the onion.

-Ginger-garlic paste-2 tsp

-Green chillies- 2-3, cut into small pieces

-Cardamom powder- 1 tsp

-Parsley- chopped, 1 tbs

-Cumin seeds, aniseed (saunf), cloves (2-3) - 1 tsp each for tempering

-Oil- ½ tbs

-Salt as needed

1. Heat oil in a deep skillet. Once hot, add the tempering spices. Now add the blended onion and ginger-garlic paste and let it cook for 5-8min until the raw smell of onion subsides.
2. Now add the tomato paste and cook for another 5 min.
3. Add the veggies and cardamom powder. Veggies don’t need to be thawed. They will thaw out in the gravy anyway. Toss the veggies till they are coated with gravy. Let them cook for another 5-10min.
4. Add the spinach now since they will wilt if cooked for long. Cook another 5 min.
5. Add salt for taste and sprinkle parsley on top before serving. Serve with roti or rice.

Bissap Baobab-Senegalese cuisine

Bissap Baobab-Senegalese cuisine

I had a chance to eat at Bissap Baobab, a Senegalese place in Mission, San Francisco this Sunday. I have mixed opinions about it!

The place started to cram as soon as they opened at 6pm; reason I found out - creative drink selection (read in the end).

Like usual, being a vegetarian, there weren’t many dishes to select from-just 3--->

The Brochette- a grilled tofu/veggie entrée

Mafe- originally from Mali, a peanutty veggie stew

Riz au Cari- A fancy French name….but a simple vegetable stew indeed.

Me and my friend…. we ordered appetizer- Aloko fried sweet plantains served with tamarind sauce, $4.50. It did taste great but was not hot.

We also ordered fresh juice—a mix of ginger, tamarind and hibiscus (my own creation!!). They are usually served separate, but I asked them to mix it up. This tasted exclusively gingery and the portion was way too small for $3.

We ordered 2 entrees- Maf́e’, originally from Mali. This was a tofu/veggie stew with a peanut base, served with rice. Peanut is Senegal’s major crop.

The other entrée was Riz Au Cari- again a veggie stew with mild spices served with rice.

Both entrees were $8.50. Not a bad price, good portion size. They weren’t exactly bland or spicy. I have to admit I did like the Riz au cari. The Mafe was predictable, peanut-tasting dish. Nothing exciting.

For dessert, I ordered Thiakry; a yogurt/pudding made with cous cous. I absolutely loved it, great portion size for $4.50.

Take a look at the eclectic cocktails they serve!

HOUSE COCKTAILS $7.00
Flamboyant- hibiscus, lime, vodka….good mix, wish I tried this.
Salaan- tamarind margarita
Sorange- ginger, orange, whiskey
Rose- ginger, cranberry, vodka
Sedeem- ginger, rum, punch ---nice combo!
Tooni- ginger margarita
Tatu- hibiscus margarita-niccceeeeee
Fleur- tamarind, ginger, whiskey- Wish I tried this.

BISSAP'S TOP SHELF $8.00
Magnifique- Myers, ginger, hibiscus
Leroi- Ketel One, Chambord, hibiscus
L'hiver- Absolut Citron, Medori, ginger
Kani- Knob Creek, tamarind, oj
Saff- Bombay Sapphire, ginger, grapefruit – good combo, Wish I tried this.
Sande- Stoli Vanil, ginger, oj—Brilliant! Has all my favs…Stoli, ginger, oj!

COCKTAIL SMOOTHIES: $7.00
Sunugal- ginger, smoothie margarita
Ramon- mojito smoothies
Mogambo- flamboyant mango
Akuaba- Rum, hibiscus, lime, and ginger smoothie- sounds healthy doesn’t it?

I would maybe go back again…to try the drinks!

Rava Upma

Rava Upma

This might seem incredibly easy to some of you, but it took me several trials to perfect it the way my mother makes…or rather how my father makes! My mother makes a literal ‘white’ upma mottled with nothing but mustard seeds and green chilies. My father on the other hand makes a ‘kichdi’ with lots of veggies. He claims he perfected it while living in Aamchi Mumbai!

Apparently, rava upma is the south Indian version and kichdi is the west/north Indian version with veggies. So, here goes…

Ingredients:

-Semolina (rava in tamil/sooji in hindi), 1 cup

-Veggies- peas, corn, diced peppers, 1-11/2 cups in all

-Onion- ½ to one, finely chopped

-Green chilies-2 to 4, cut into 4-5 pieces

-Ginger- 1” piece, cut into smaller cubes

-Oil- 1 tbsp

-Water- 2 to 21/2 cups

-Mustard seeds, urad dal (black gram lentil), cumin seeds- 1 tsp each for tempering

-Salt- as need

1. Dry roast the rava until golden. Do NOT let it burn. Remove from stove, let it sit.
2. Heat oil in a pan. Add the tempering spices. Once the mustard splutters, add green chilies, ginger and onion. Saute for 5 min or so. For an awesome fried taste, let the onion fry until deep brown.
3. Now add the veggies and salt and sauté for 3-5 min.

4. Add the water now. Let it boil. Now add the semolina, stirring repeatedly.
5. Semolina will absorb water instantly. So add water if needed accordingly.
6. You may serve this upma with some kind of chutney or I like it with pickle.

Veggie Enchilada

Veggie Enchilada

As against the fried version you get outside, this veggie enchilada is a far healthier, tastier option. I always try to use Enchilado Añejo cheese (Queso Añejo). Añejo cheese is rolled in bright red paprika for more flavor. This cheese is perfect with its sharp, salty taste and is easy to crumble. You could also use cotija or parmesan cheese.

You could make your own enchilada sauce. I’ve seen some sauce recipes and they seem really easy. But I have never tried one myself. I usually use Las Palmas (28 oz) or Rosarita (20 oz) Enchilada sauce. I also like to use green sauce (salsa verde). Experiment with different sauces until you find your niche!

Ingredients:

-Tortillas, taco size about 3” diameter- 10

-Enchilada sauce- 2 cups

-Diced peppers, any color-1 cup

-1 onion, chopped

-1Tomato- diced and water squeezed out

-Corn (frozen or fresh)- ½ கப்

-Beans-Black/Red- 2 cups

-Enchilado Añejo cheese- crumbled, 1 cup

-Lemon juice- 1 tbsp

-Oregano-2 tsp

-Chili powder-2 tsp

-Salt as needed

1. In a mixing bowl, toss the peppers, onion, tomato, lemon juice, oregano, chili powder and salt. Set aside. This is your veggie filling.
2. Heat a skillet and simmer the enchilada sauce. Simmering on medium is important since the sauce has to be hot and simmering (not burning or cooking) until you are done with the enchiladas.
3. Heat another skillet and start cooking the tortillas on both sides. So you have enchilada sauce simmering in one burner and tortilla cooking in another.
4. Once the tortilla is cooked on both sides, use a tong and dip it into the sauce. Let it sit for 20 sec until the tortilla absorbs the sauce and its flavor. Then take it out (with a tong again) and place it onto a plate. Spoon in some veggie mixture, sprinkle some cheese on top, roll and gently place on a baking dish (11”×13”).
5. Repeat the same for all 10 tortillas. You could overlap the tortillas on the baking dish, your preference (I usually do!) Ladle some sauce on top of the enchiladas. Sprinkle some cheese on top as well.
6. Now bake the enchiladas for 10-12 min at 375F till the cheese melts and bubbles on top.
7. If there is left over veggie mixture or cheese, make another batch and refrigerate.

Black bean burger

Black bean burger

I am the biggest fan of black beans there is. Besides tasting great, black bean is a protein powerhouse. Being a vegetarian, I’m always trying to find the next best protein source.

1 cup of cooked black beans has approximately 15g of protein and fiber! It also contains anti-oxidants and some omega-3 fatty acids.

Here is a nutrition chart from this website- http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=george&dbid=72

What more can you ask?

Nutrient	Amount
Molybdenum	129.0 mcg
Folate	255.9 g
Dietary fiber	15.0 g
Manganese	0.8 mg
Protein	15.2 g
Magnesium	120.4 mg
Vitamin B1 (thiamin)	0.4 mg
Phosphorous	240.8 mg
Iron	3.6 mg

Ingredients:

-1 can (16oz) black beans- drained and washed

-1/2 onion, finely chopped

-Peas (frozen), 1/4 cup thawed

-Corn (frozen), 1/4cup thawed

-Garlic cloves- 3-4, minced

-Jalapeno, 1 whole finely chopped

-Bread crumbs- 3 tbsp

-Garam masala- 1 tsp

-Salt as needed

-Lemon juice- ½ tbsp

-Oil, as needed to cook the burgers

You may also use other seasonings like chili powder, cumin powder, zaatar etc-whatever floats your boat.-

1. Mix together onion, peas, corn, garlic, jalapeno, bread crumbs, garam masala, salt and lemon juice.
2. Mash the black beans with the back of a fork. Don’t make a puree of it. Some chunks are just fine.
3. Now mix the above mixture with the beans. The mixture shouldn’t be too soggy or dry. If dry, try adding a tsp of lemon juice or water. If too liquid, try adding a tbsp of corn starch/flour.
4. Now make lemon sized balls of the mixture and pat it down gently. You may oil your fingers to avoid the stickiness.
5. Heat enough oil in a skillet to coat the bottom on medium. Cook the burgers on both sides, about 3-5 min each side.
6. Be gentle for the burgers may fall apart!

Hot Fiery salsaPIC COMING SOON!

Hot Fiery Salsa

-Tomatoes-2

- Onion- ½ if large/1 if small- quartered

-Jalapeño- 2 (Use Serrano peppers to reduce hotness)

-Garlic-3-4 cloves

-Water- about 2-3 cups for boiling

1. Boil the tomatoes and jalapenos in water for about 15min.
2. Blanch the tomatoes. Blend tomatoes, jalapeños, onion and garlic. Add salt to taste.
3. Alternatively, don’t blend the onions. Simply chop finely and add to the salsa for a chunky texture.

Really Hot Salsa PIC COMING SOON!

Really Hot Salsa

Another salsa I learnt from my Mexican room mate. This is incredibly hot- Just the way I like it.

Ingredients:

-Dried red chilies-10

-Oil-2-3 tbsp

-Salt as needed

1. Heat oil in a small skillet on medium. Roast the chilies on low-med for about 10min until fragrant.
2. Grind this chili-oil mixture with salt.
3. The more this salsa sits, the hotter it gets.

Chilaquiles con veggies PICS COMING SOON

Chilaquiles con veggies

I learnt this quick, easy Mexican dish from my roomie a while back. This dish is usually put together with leftovers. This dish is supposed to be a great cure for hangovers!

Usual version involves eggs and deep frying the tortilla. I hate half-cooked eggs and I simply wouldn’t fry tortilla…maybe bake. This is served with a fiery hot salsa which I love.

Here is my simple vegetarian version.

Ingredients:

-Tortilla (6 inches), 2-3; cut into bite sized strips

-Veggies- ½ onions, 1 whole pepper, diced

-Hot fiery salsa (see below)

-Corn oil (or vegetable, canola oil)- 2-3 tbsp

-Salt, as needed

1. Now heat oil in a skillet. You can either shallow fry the tortilla until tender to crisp or bake them for 10min at 375F. Remove tortilla strips and keep aside.
2. Now add onions in the reserved oil and sauté for 5 min. Now add the peppers and sauté for 3 more minutes.
3. Add the hot salsa and cook for about 5-8 min until fragrant.
4. Add the tortilla strips and cook for 2 more minutes. Alternatively, do not add the tortilla strips to the stove. Once the salsa-veggie mixture is done, our over a bed of tender tortilla strips.
5. Eat this along with a side of beans. YUMMY.

Hot Fiery Salsa

-Tomatoes-2

- Onion- ½ if large/1 if small- quartered

-Jalapeño- 2 (Use Serrano peppers to reduce hotness)

-Garlic-3-4 cloves

-Water- about 2-3 cups for boiling

1. Boil the tomatoes and jalapenos in water for about 15min.
2. Blanch the tomatoes. Blend tomatoes, jalapeños, onion and garlic. Add salt to taste.
3. Alternatively, don’t blend the onions. Simply chop finely and add to the salsa for a chunky texture.

Spaghetti with home made Marinara Sauce

Spaghetti with home made Marinara Sauce (and meatless meatballs from Trader Joe's!!)

I am not a great fan of Italian cooking but spaghetti with marinara sauce is a delectable, simple meal in itself. I always used to buy store marinara sauces, ‘Ragu’ essentially. Not until did I make my own sauce, did I realize how crappy and preservative-laden store bought ones are! Trust me!

I have used canned diced tomatoes instead of fresh tomatoes. Simply because our grocery stores here don’t carry the juicy tomatoes, all they have is the inferior, dead ones.

This rosemary infused sauce is very flavorful and caters to your inner senses. I usually make a big batch that lasts well over a week.

Ingredients:

-Whole wheat spaghetti, 1 lb

-16 oz cans diced tomatoes- 2

-Rosemary sprigs- 3-5.

-Garlic-about 8 cloves, minced

-Olive oil- 2 tbsp

-Water- 8 cups or more as needed

-Salt, as needed

1. Boil the water and salt it generously (about a handful). Once boiling, add the spaghetti and let it cook for about 8 min, al dente. Drain and set it aside.
2. Alternatively, cook the sauce first and spaghetti last so it stays fresh
3. Heat olive oil in a saucepan. Add the rosemary; either the whole sprig (You may take out the sprig in the end) or the leaves alone (simply leave the leaves in the sauce). Let it cook for 2 min. Adding rosemary directly to hot oil brings out the intensity.
4. Now add minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute.
5. Add the diced tomatoes with their water and salt. Sit and let it cook on low-med for about 30-45min.
6. Serve over a bed of spaghetti.

Variation:
You may add diced onion to the sauce (along with rosemary in hot oil) and sweat it out for 3-5 min.
Try adding thyme (fresh or dried) to the sauce. but I find rosemary is the best with marinara sauce.

Rice noodles with spicy peanut sauce PICS COMING SOON

Rice noodles with spicy peanut sauce

This is my favorite improvised sauce that goes very well with noodles of any kind. I’m using rice noodles here. I also use tahini (in addition to peanut butter), a Lebanese sesame paste that makes the sauce taste very earthy-If you know what mean!

I hate using the blender often….simply because I hate to wash it after every use. So I try to substitute ingredients that don’t need grinding-like peanut butter instead of peanuts here.

Basil is an important herb here-it just makes the dish taste better. You may substitute basil with cilantro, but it just ain’t the same.

Ingredients:

-Rice noodles-I package/2 cups cooked

-Veggies- thinly sliced peppers (any color), broccoli ½ cup, few water chestnuts

(canned), few bamboo shoots, ¼ onion cut into bite sized slices, few basil leaves

-Tofu-about 1 cup, cut into 1” cubes

-Water- 4 cups, for boiling noodles

-Olive oil- 3 tbsp (if frying tofu)

-Peanut oil-1/2 tbsp

-Spicy peanut paste (see below)

-Salt, if needed

-Crushed peanuts-2 tbsp, optional\

Spicy peanut paste

-Peanut butter-2 tbsp

-Tahini-2 tbsp (You may skip this if you don’t have tahini at hand but add an extra tbsp of peanut butter)

-Red chili flakes-1/2 tbsp

-Chili paste-1tbsp- Yes, it is spicy!

-Soy sauce-1-2 tbsp

1. Mix together the peanut butter, tahini, chili flakes, chili paste and soy sauce. Don’t add salt as the soy sauce is salty in itself. Mix well until you get sauce like consistency. Add water to dilute if needed.

1. Boil the water in a saucepan. Remove from stove. Immerse the noodles and keep it closed for about 5-7min. Drain the water and let it sit.
2. Shallow fry the tofu in oil until brown. You may use tofu as it as well.
3. Heat peanut oil in a wok. When screaming hot, add the veggies (except basil) and stir fry for 3 min. Now add tofu and sauté for 1 more minute.
4. Add the peanut paste and the noodles. Add basil. Gently mix them with plastic tongs. Let it cook for 2 more minutes.
5. Sprinkle crushed peanuts on top.

Bon Appetit!

Peanut Chutney

Peanut Chutney

This is my ‘favoritest’ chutneys. It can double as a dip as well. Very versatile…I sometimes use this in stir fries for that peanutty tinge.

-1 cup peanuts
-1/4 onion
-1/2 tbsp canola oil
-5-6 dried red chillies
-2-3 whole garlic cloves
-1 tsp tamarind paste
-3-4 tbs water, depending on the chutney consistency
-salt as needed

1. Roast peanuts and dried red chillies in oil until slightly brown. Set aside. Do not over-roast; the whole dish will have a burnt flavor.
2. Blend together peanuts, chillies, garlic, salt, tamarind along with water. Blend as little or more for a chunky or smooth chutney.
3. Now cook this chutney in a skillet on medium for 5-8 min until you can smell the wonderful aroma of peanuts.

‘Fake’ Peanut chutney

How would you make peanut chutney in the absence of peanuts? Fear not! You can substitute peanut butter in place of whole peanuts! Yes. Use the same ingredients as above except to replace 1 cup peanuts with 2-3 tbsp peanut butter.

Also for hotness, I tried Tabasco hot sauce instead of dried red chillies.

You can completely eliminate the blender if you use peanut butter, Tabasco, finely chopped onion and garlic.

Roasted Vegetables in Italian herbs

Roasted Vegetables in Italian herbs

I’ve always eaten roasted veggies at restaurants, mostly with dead veggies. I guess I got sick of them and inspired to make this. But I love the way roasted veggies taste as compared to frying.

-Cous cous- 1 cup
-1 Sweet potato abt 4” in length, cut into 1” cubes
-1 Pepper, cut into ½” thick strips
-4-5 Asparagus, cut into 1” pieces
-Cauliflower, even sized 7-8 florets
-5-6 baby carrots or 1 whole carrot cut into bite sized chunks
-2 fresh rosemary sprigs. Can also use sage leaves. Basil will wilt under the high heat
-11/2 tbs olive oil OR use PAM entirely
-Sea salt, pepper as needed

1. Cool cous cous according to package directions-which is usually boil one cup of water in a saucepan, remove from stove, soak cous cous in the water for about 5 min with the pan closed. The cous cous will absorb all the water adn will be dry.
   
2. Preheat oven to 400F. In a mixing bowl, toss the a, rosemary leaves, salt, pepper with olive oil.
3. Transfer to a baking dish and bake for 30-45 min. Poke the sweet potato with a fork; if soft, the veggies are done.
4. Serve over a bed of cous cous.This makes a light lunch or an entree on its own, or a delightful accompaniment !

Chinese stir fry

Chinese stir fry

After numerous trial and errors, I have finally ‘mastered’ the stir fry. It may sound easy to most of you, but I have had to experiment with this for quite sometime. Getting the right texture of vegetables (not over cooked or under cooked) has been the most challenging one.

I invested in a good wok. A wok has a lot of flat area (so most veggies can touch the wok and not overlap) and good height (so I can toss the veggies like a real Chinese chef!).

Stir fry sauce

- 2 tbs soy sauce
- 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 2 tsp chilli sauce OR a splash or two of Tabasco
- 2 tbsp yellow/brown/spicy mustard
- 3-4 cloves minced garlic - 1 tbsp peanut butter (this really enhances the flavor!)

Vegetables

-1/2 onion, cut into large chunks
- 5-8 broccoli florets (can also use cauliflower)
-5-7 whole baby corn, cut into 2 (canned or fresh)
- 10 sliced water chestnuts, canned
- 5 whole mushrooms, cut into 2
- ½ red pepper, cut into ½” strips
-Tofu
-2 tsp canola oil

1. Mix the sauce ingredients well and set aside.
   
2. Heat the wok on high. When it is screaming hot, put the oil and let it heat for about a minute.
   
3. Toss broccoli and peppers for about 2 min in oil. Add corn, water chestnuts and onion and toss/cook for 1 min. Add mushrooms and the sauce and toss gently till the veggies are coated with the sauce. Let it cook about 2 min or so.
   
4. Remove from stove and serve right away with rice.

I have even had stir fry with plain cous cous and quinoa!

Pulusu

Pulusu- a delectable tangy tamarind based soup from Andhra Pradesh that can be eaten along with rice or simply as a soup. This just like ‘sambar’ (a south Indian lentil soup), but ‘pulusu’ has no lentils and more tamarind to it. I usually use frozen veggies, easy to put together and less chopping.

-Veggies (Use frozen or fresh)- peas, corn kernels, 1 medium onion chopped, 1 green/red pepper diced, 1 carrot diced, whole corn on the cob (use frozen) cut into 1” pieces
-2 tbs Tamarind paste
-1 tbs oil
-Tur dal, mustard seeds, cumin seeds-1 tsp for tempering
-4-5 dried red chilies
-2 tsp turmeric powder
-4 cups water
-salt as needed

1. Heat oil in a saucepan. Once hot, add the tempering spices and dried red chilies.
2. Now add the onion and sauté until translucent. Add salt.
3. Add the other vegetables; let them cook for about 5min.
4. Add the tamarind paste along with the water and mix well. Add turmeric powder now.
5. Let it cook on medium for about 20-30min until aromatic and you are done! Serve with rice.

Thai Green Curry

I favor Thai food over most simply because it is closer to Indian than any other cuisine. There is nothing to beat Green curry’s lemony hotness. Eggplant is a popular veggie in most curries, although I don’t have a great liking to it. Feel free to add or omit your choice of veggies.

THAI GREEN CURRY

Veggies:

-1 carrot (about 8” long), cut into bite sized pieces
- ½ eggplant, cut into 1” pieces
- 1 green pepper, cut into bite sized pieces
- 5-6 baby bella mushrooms, use whole of cut in half
-1½ onion, cut into 1” wedges
-10 bamboo shoots
- 5-6 basil leaves
-11/2 cups light Coconut milk
- 1 cup firm tofu, cut into 1” cubes
- ½ cup soy sauce
- 2 tbs oil
- Salt as needed
- 1 tbs Green curry paste (Recipe below)
- ½ cup Water or vegetable broth

1. Marinade tofu in the soy sauce for about 15min. Set aside.
2. Heat 1 tbs oil in a skillet on medium. Once hot, fry the green curry paste until fragrant, for about 2 min.
3. Slowly add the coconut milk, whisking until the paste blends into the milk. Let it cook for about 5 min.
4. Now add the veggies, salt let them cook in the milk for about 5-8 min.
5. Now add the basil leaves, cook for about a minute and remove from stove.
6. You can serve the green curry with rice (sticky or regular).

Green Curry Paste:

- 5-8 green chilies (use the Indian variety for hotness) or simply use Serrano pepper
- 2 small shallots, finely chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic, smashed
- 2 stalks lemon grass, white part, roughly chopped
- 1 bunch cilantro
- 1” galangal, dried of frozen (available at oriental grocery), roughly chopped
- 1” ginger, roughly chopped
- 3 kaffir lime (or use regular lime leaf) OR use 2 -3 tsp lime zest
- 2 tbs coriander seeds
- 1 tbs cumin seeds
- 1 tbs whole black peppercorns OR use 1tbs black pepper
- ½ Water to blend

1. Roast the coriander, cumin and peppercorns until golden. Powder them finely in a blender.
2. Now add rest of the green curry paste ingredients along with water and blend to a smooth paste.
   
   

Thai Red Curry

Same as green curry, except- replace green chilies in the paste with 8-10 dried red chilies (or more if you like it hot!)

Pastelon

-Olive oil-1 or 2 tbs
-Ripe Plantains (almost black skinned)-4, sliced length-wise
-Veggies- 2 Peppers (red/green/yellow/orange), 1 large onion, 1 large tomato—all diced
-2 14oz cans of black beans
- I bunch cilantro, coarsely chopped
-Garlic- 4 large cloves, minced
-1 cup shredded cheese- ant salty dry cheese or jack or cheddar-Salt to taste

Ripe plantains

-Bechamel Sauce (recipe in the end)

1. Heat a skillet, add oil. Once hot, add the onions, , green pepper, tomato and garlic. Let this mixture cook for about 5 minutes. Add cilantro. This mixture is the traditional Cuban or Latin/Caribbean sofrito- gravy which is the base for most Cuban dishes. I like it chunky and don’t blend the sofrito.
2. Once the sofrito is cooked, add the other pepper and the black beans. Cook for about 3 min. Add salt, mix and switch the stove off. Now this is the veggie mixture
3. Heat the oven at 400F. Spray the 11”×13” baking dish with PAM or brush with oil. Now arrange the sliced plantains in the dish breath wise. Next layer the veggie mixture to cover the plantain base. Now pour sauce over the veggie mixture. Repeat this layering again-plantains, veggie mixture, and sauce. Sprinkle the cheese on top.

4. Bake in the oven for about 45min until the cheese turns golden and bubbly.
5. Let it cool completely before hogging!

Thats what it looks like!

Bechamel sauce

-3 tbs butter (or olive oil for figure friendliness!)
-3 tbs all purpose flour
-3 cups milk (2% or whole)
-1/2 cup jack cheese, shredded
-I medium onion, finely chopped
-1 cup mushroom, thinly sliced
-salt to taste

1. Heat the butter/olive oil in a skillet. Once hot, add the onions, sauté until translucent.

Add the salt now. Add the mushrooms and let it cook till it starts to release water, for

about a minute.

2. Now add the flour, let it cook for about 2 minutes. Add the milk now, slowly whisking. Add the cheese now. Simmer the stove and let the sauce cook until done, about 8 min. Taste for salt and sauce like consistency.

This a traditional French sauce with a twist. Mushrooms and onions add great flavor to this otherwise bland sauce.

I try to make everything flavorful and that means thinking outside the skillet!

PAD THAI

PAD THAI

Rice noodles- 8 oz (Trader Joe’s sells 14 oz packs)
Tofu- cut into cubes
Veggies—as needed
Fresh- portabella/babybella mushroom, asparagus,red pepper, broccoli, carrot thinly sliced
Canned and drained- Bamboo Shoots, sliced water chestnuts, babycorn
Pad Thai paste— Recipe in the end
Peanut sauce—1 tbs you can either buy this paste, or make it yourself here…
Basil – roughly chopped, or whole leaves
Oil- sesame or peanut or vegetable oil
Minced garlic
Salt

Few ingredients I used

1. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok/pan. Once sizzling, shallow fry the tofu cubes until browned on most sides. Keep aside. (You can use tofu as it is, no frying, healthier option)I
2. In the remaining oil, add the veggies and minced garlic and let them cook for about 5 min.Add the pad thai and peanut paste. Mix the veggies up.
3. Now add the noodles. Gently fold in the noodles. Let them cook for about 3 min or so.
4. Switch the stove off, add basil, mix. Basil will infuse into pad thai and is very aromatic and flavorful.
5. Garnish with cilantro.Boil about 4-5 cups of water. Once boiling, switch the stove off and immerse the rice noodles for about 3-5 min until al dente. (not tender). Remember, rice noodles are flat and thin and will cook faster than you think! Drain and shock the noodles with cold water. Keep aside.

Pad Thai Paste

-1 tsp tamarind paste (or 1 lemon sized tamarind ball)
-1 tbs brown sugar
-2 tsp chilli paste

You might wonder about the sugar, but it balances out the sourness of tamarind.
If using fresh tamarind, soak in hot water for about 10 min and squeeze out the pulp to get tamarind concentrate, about ½ cup.

1. Mix the tamarind paste (or concentrate if using), brown sugar and chili paste in ½ cup water. Mix well.