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!