Rinku Bhattacharya's Blog, page 85
February 22, 2014
Arbi Ki Tikkey – Spicy Pan Fried Taro Kebabs
I had found this recipe, many moons back from Nandita’s Saffron Trail.
There are some bloggers who present with such beauty and specificity that you want jump right out of the blog and into their kitchens. One such blog is the Saffron Trail, from where I picked up this recipe for Arbi ke Tikkey, a lovely way to dress up the humble Taro. I have since made this dish many times, it is in fact very popular with my husband and his family and recently, I made these Spicy Pan Fried Taro Kebabs on Valentine’s weekend.
Taro or Arbi, is a much loved starch, particularly in its crispy fried form. Actually it is this way that it actually has an advantage over potato, which hands down is my favorite tuber.
I followed her recipe pretty closely, with tiny tweaks, could not leave out my beloved chat masala now, could I? I also use thyme, which seems to be more popular with my family than the carom seeds or ajowain and I like to garnish this with sliced red onions and lime. But, these really are technicalities, the dish is really about the goodness of spice coated crispy taro.
Arbi Ki Tikkey - Spicy Shallow Fried Taro Kebabs
Prep Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 40 minutes
Yield: Seves 4
A well-spiced shallow fried preparation with taro, in the punjabi style of cooking.
Ingredients
8 medium sized taro2 limes
1 teaspoon cumin-coriander powder
1 tablespoon tandoori masala
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1 teaspoon red chili powder
1 teaspoon chat masala
1 teaspoon black salt
1 teaspoon salt
Oil for frying
To garnish and serve
Sliced red onions
Chopped cilantro
Sliced Lime
To Garnish
Onion rings
Cilantro
Additional Chat masala
Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Cook the taro for 10 minutes, till par-cooked. Cool and remove the skin and cut into halves.Squeeze the juice of 1.5 limes on the taro and add the cumin coriander powder, tandoori masala and the lime and the the taro rest for an hour stirring occasionally..
In a shallow skillet, add the taro in a single layer and cook on medium-low heat for about 6 minutes on each side. This should allow a golden crust to form on each side.
Remove from the oil and let this cool slightly.
Squeeze with the remaining lime, add the chat masala and pepper.
Garnish with onions and cilantro and lime slices and serve
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This dish would make a great side dish for any other fish or chicken dish.
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February 18, 2014
Flourless Rum and Chocolate Cake
Last evening, I realized that I was getting behind on a bunch of stuff, including sharing some of the fun stuff that I have been cooking the past few weeks. I shall not belabor the rest of the list here, because chances are that will probably eat up this entire post and then, of course, I will not be able to share this flour less chocolate that I am so excited about.
However, the summarized version of the list, or rather the punchline was, that I had listed,
Blog about cake
Sleep on time
as the last two items.
The reason really is that I like to share my thoughts in an unhurried manner, at my pace. I do not and have never subscribed to the concept of scheduling posts, ensuring that something is done by a certain date, yes, I am warning you will get what I cooked at Valentine’s weekend through this week. Here is a good news, all the recipes were really good. The other part of things, that have kept us busy is that my daughter’s team participated in the FLL championships and made it to the qualifying regional rounds. Against a lot of odds…
We were surprised with the unexpected results. The problem with this is we are now in very busy gear, because, this very unexpected success has made the girls eligible for a very stiff competition. A lot of us are concerned that if the girls do very badly, it will be very disheartening. So, we have all been very busy. I have pulled all the stops out, and sent the husband to the programming runs, while I have taken over the baking. This recipe however, was indeed a recipe that I had made for my chocolate loving husband and of course as he will have you know, I enjoyed some rum and coconut water while cobbling it together. I think a little tippler for the cook is always a good thing.
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Flourless Rum and Chocolate Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 50 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes
A flour less almond, rum and dark chocolate cake that is perfect for anytime snacking.
Ingredients
1 stick of butter softened1 cup of ground almonds
3/4 cup of sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
1 medium sized potato, boiled, peeled and mashed
3 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 cup dark rum
2/3 cup (about 6 oz) grated dark chocolate (at least 70% cacao)
1/3 cup of sliced almonds
1/3 cup of maple syrup
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 335 degrees, grease a 9 inch round cake tin.In a large mixing bowl, add in the butter, ground almond,sugar and the potato and beat until well mixed. Add in the egg yolks and mix well.
In a separate bowl, beat the eggs until softly peaked.
Add the vanilla and the rum, with the chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, fold in the egg whites and pour the mixture into the cake tin. Place the cake in the center of the oven and bake for about 40 minutes or so until almost set.
Mix the sliced almonds with the maple syrup and pour over the cake and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the almonds are just a little darker.
Serve the cake warm or cooled.
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February 11, 2014
Kumquat and Red Onion Salsa Relish
Citrus is a soul saver, this time of the year. Fresh, tart, tangy and bright citrus fruits go a long way to help with the winter blues. The fact that they are laden with the added bonus of a generous dose of Vitamin C also helps! Since we all agree that when it comes to a winter cold, an ounce of prevention is indeed better than a pound of cure. I tend to buy limes, lemons and clementines every week, as my children love clementines and limes and lemons go a long way in adding that much needed tart balance to the plate. There is however a quieter player that surfaces here and there – it is the kumquat. At first glance, these tiny orange like fruits look like miniature oranges, with some more fun thrown in – the kumquat has a sweet and edible peel and tart and sour flesh and if people are to be believed, edible seeds as well. I am skeptical about the seeds and tend to diligently remove them when working with kumquats, somehow no one at home is convinced about them either.
Today’s recipe for the kumquat salsa, uses these mini oranges in a very simple way. I have loved the way this salsa works with fish and the colors are guaranteed to cheer on a cold and gloomy day! If you are looking for some simple color on your table or your valentine’s day meal, make yourself a batch and you will be business. Thinking fish tacos, these should perk them right up, and of course, there is always that batch of chips that can be used for scooping these up.
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Kumquat and Red Onion Salsa Relish
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: Makes about 11/2 cups of relish
A colorful and fresh tasting relish that is bound to brighten you table and day.
Ingredients
1 cup of Kumquats1/2 red onion, finely diced
1/3 cup chopped pistachios
1/2 teaspoon salt or black salt
1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
Cut the kumquats into halves and remove any seeds, then slice them thinly and place in a mixing bowl.Add in the red onion, pistachios, salt or black salt, cayenne pepper and the cilantro and mix well.
Let this rest for 15 minutes before serving.
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February 6, 2014
Creamy Millet and Cashewnut Pudding
Winters in North India where my husband is from, are colder and harsher that the rainy, moderate city of my childhood. Having spent winters in Delhi, away from the trappings of a centrally heated world, I can certainly attest to that. It is still a far cry, from these frozen days with icy sheets that we have now gotten used to. Seasonal foods, that are rich and comforting grace the Indian winter table, and one of the hallmarks of the mornings in North India are comforting hot pudding like cereals made with cracked wheat, puffed wheat or like today’s dish on hand, a millet pudding.
Possibly the benefits or unexpected amounts of time at home, has resulted in a lot of surprisingly strange reflective thinking. All of which has led me to the conclusion, the work life balance is still skewed for women, possibly because of conditioning. Trailblazing Indra Nooyi, the CEO of Pepsi, often mentions the sacrifices made in the context of work life balance, showcasing it as some of the things needed to get to her station in life. I see fewer male counterparts, offer up such apologies. The truth is we women are conditioned to think of our primary responsibility rests at home, it is as ingrained as several other aspects of our subconscious being.
Moving right along from all this reflections, let us get back to the millet. I picked up a back of millet, partly in a conscious attempt to find a more traditional complement to the quinoa in our house. I do want to make clear that the quinoa is higher nutritionally, however, the millet is nothing to scoff about and it helps my husband feel nostalgic. Big bonus point, the kids telling my MIL how I am cooking her way! I did make a pudding inspired my memories of the nourishing breakfasts that my mother-in-law served, and the similarity ends there.
This pudding came about as an experiment to try and use up some almond milk that I had hanging around my refrigerator. I tossed it some millet into my slow cooker, with cardamoms and sugar into the slow cooker, and added in some cashew nuts for added richness. Four hours later, I was pleasantly surprised with the results. I served this with chopped pistachios and some fruit. I was fresh out of raisins, or we would want to add some to add some added lusciousness. I have tried the same creation with regular milk the regular milk thickens a little more adding some adding creaminess to the mix. So, it is entirely up to you, how you want to balance this out.
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Creamy Millet and Cashewnut Pudding
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours, 10 minutes
A surprising easy and rich tasting millet pudding that is actually good for you.
Ingredients
11/2 tablespoons of oil¾ cup of millet
3 cups of almond milk, unsweetened
1/2 cup raw, unsalted cashew nuts
¾ cup of sugar
4 to 6 bruised cardamoms
Chopped pistachios
Chopped candied oranges
Instructions
In a heavy bottomed pan, heat the oil and add the millet and toast on medium low heat for 5 minutes, until the grains are a pale toffee color. Set the millet aside to cool.Take about 1/4 cup of the almond milk and place with the cashew nuts in a blender and blend into a smooth paste.
Place the millet, cashew nut paste, remaining almond milk, sugar, bruised cardamoms in a slow cooker and cook for 4 hours in high, stirring occasionally if needed.
Turn off the heat, cool slightly and serve with chopped pistachios and chopped candied oranges. The candied oranges are very optional, I just happened to have them around.
Notes
This is cooked in a slow cooker.
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February 5, 2014
Easy Bengali Tomato Mustard Fish (Tomato Shorshe Maach)
Writing sometimes is a morning exercise for me, something I do in my corner of the train. We all have our designated work corners and mine often is the corner seat on a commuter train. I like corners, in the evenings especially these cold winter evenings, I can be found huddled in the corner on our bed, comforter pulled up, working through my never ending pile of pictures. Today’s recipe on hand, is a simple and somewhat whacky rendition of shorshe maach or Bengali mustard fish, that had emerged in my kitchen by way of an experiment. So, this one is a Bengali mustard fish with tomatoes, that I was planning to serve with a side of complaints about the weather, except the stunning views from the window seduced and charmed me leaving me powerless against its beauty. Nature is often beautiful in its harshness, seductive when it imposes. This winter in New York, has breathtakingly beautiful and persistently unrelenting. We are actually expecting snow three times this week, and in progressively increasing amounts.
When winter begins, we welcome the soup bowl with enthusiasm. However, there comes a time when, one has officially reached a point, where we are done with the soups and stews and are not so hot about seductive mac and cheese dishes and are just plain ready to throw in the towel. Add to all of this, the slip sliding sidewalks, shoveling and messy commutes, I am ready to say, welcome Spring. Of course, it really is all a matter of perspective! My children are pleased with their snow days! Totally unrelated, this year they have roped me in to make them lunch and they are excited about the possibilities and they are using their snow days to make a list of food choices for me. OK. I confess, that I am excited about their lunch ideas too, it gives me a new dimension of cooking to focus on.
Now, back to family mealtimes, Good or bad weather, if you are a Bengali like me, chances are a medley of fish with well seasoned mustard will make you happy!
This recipe is adapted from my cookbook. It is inspired by something that my mother had created very skeptically in the early days in my kitchen. It is made with commercial stone ground mustard and my mom’s skepticism was about the vinegar in the mix. While we use fresh stone ground mustard for a more traditional recipe of shorshe maach, that mixture is all about mustard seeds, green chilies and a hint of salt. However, the commercial blend overall gets muted with the right amount of green chilies. I have thrown in some tomatoes for good measure and it all works out well.
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Easy Bengali Tomato Mustard Fish (Tomato Shorshe Maach)
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
An inspired Bengali style fish curry with prepared mustard and tomatoes. Easy to make and great for a cold evening.
Ingredients
2 pounds of firm fleshed white fish fillets (I used hake for this exercise)3/4 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
Salt to taste
4 tablespoons mustard oil
1 teaspoon panchphoron (Bengali 5 Spice)
1 medium sized red onion, very finely diced
2 teaspoons freshly grated ginger
2 tablespoons commercial mustard (preferably a stone ground variety)
6-8 green chilies, slit
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
Instructions
Cut the fish into 2 inch sized pieces, smear with the turmeric, red cayenne pepper and 1 tablespoon of oil. Sprinkle with a little salt.Place the fish on a baking tray and broil the fish on low for a few minutes, until lightly browned.
Heat the remaining oil in a large wide bottomed pot and add in the panchphoron or Bengali Five Spice and cook until the spices crackle.
Add in the onion and cook on low heat for about 5 to 6 minutes until the onions soften and begin to turn gently golden, and mix in the ginger and stir well.
Add in the green chilies, sugar and the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are soft and well mixed. Add in about 1/2 cup of water and simmer for 15 minutes.
Add in the fish and cook the mixture for 3 to 4 minutes.
Serve with some steamed white rice.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2014/02/easy-bengali-tomato-mustard-fish-tomato-shorshe-maach.html
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February 2, 2014
Linguine with Clams in a Light Red Sauce
I tend to hit my fish and seafood store on Friday evenings, and I am not the only one as it is fairly busy. Last evening, however was different, a quite store and I actually paused to chat with the fish department head honcho. He seemed to be in a chatty mood, and told me about how stressful his job was. It had been a rather long week of sorts, so I told him with some empathy, mine too, on some days just a different kind of stress.
The fun part of the fish store shopping, especially on a quieter evening is to chat with the sellers and pick up something different that I can have fun with. Last evening, it was these littleneck clams, providing the inspiration for creating linguine with clams.
The clams were very fresh and wild caught, they were cooked as soon as I got home, tossed up in a light saucy, white wine sauce. The flavors were simple and delicate.
The magic in the recipe was actually finishing off the pasta in the clam flavored sauce, adding a very different dimension to the pasta. This recipe is inspired by something I had at lunch one of these days actually the first time I had somewhat skeptically tried linguine with clams. That experience was memorable, the sauce for that variation was delicious, but very creamy and rich. So, while one can never go wrong with adding butter and cream to a sauce, I did not want to overwhelm the delicate natural flavors of the fresh clams, so the sauce was mostly about the clams, with some tomatoes and just a touch of coconut milk to stabilize it. You can add heavy cream if you wish, I happened to have some coconut milk handy and so that is what I used. Cooking this dish, made me realize the magic of adding shellfish to pasta, something that has not quite made intuitive sense to me until now.
I shall be making another variation of this recipe or some cousin thereof as my husband now wants to check this out with mussels. Well, it definitely is a very comforting dish, so considering the fact that the groundhog has committed us to six more weeks of winter, lets bring on the comfort food.
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Linguine with Clams in a Light Red Sauce
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 35 minutes
A well seasoned light and flavorful rendition of linguine with clams, perfect for any time of the week and great for easy company fare.
Ingredients
1/3 cup olive oil3 shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup of diced red tomatoes (about 2 fresh tomatoes, chopped)
1 large stick of cinnamon
1 cup of fruity white wine
2 cups of vegetable broth (I liked the lighter taste)
2 minced jalapenos
6 ounces of dried linguine
Water and salt for the pasta
1/3 cup cream or coconut milk
2 pounds of littleneck clams (wild caught), cleaned throughly
Chopped cilantro or parsley to garnish
Instructions
Heat the oil on medium heat for about a minute and add in the shallots and the garlic and cook on medium heat stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until the air is nice and fragrant and the shallots are turning pale golden.Add in the cinnamon stick and the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes are well mixed and beginning to bubble and mix into the onion mixture. This will take about 3 minutes, gradually add in the white wine and bring to a brisk simmer and stir well, loosening the tomato shallot mixture and simmer for 6 minutes until the mixture is fairly thick.
Add in the broth and the jalapenos and simmer for 15 minutes, until the mixture is smooth and the consistency of a thick soup.
While the base is cooking, bring 4 cups of water to a boil and cook the linguine for about 3 minutes and drain and set aside.
Stir in the coconut milk to seal the broth and add in the clams and cover and cook for 3 minutes until the clams are all open.
Carefully remove the clams and place in a large bowl and cover.
Add in the linguine and cook for another 3 minutes, until the linguine is cooked through but not too soft. Remove the cinnamon stick.
Gently add in the clams and garnish with cilantro or parsley and serve.
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January 30, 2014
Well Spiced Papaya and Pommegranate Salsa
Most people do not believe me, when I tell them that a lot of my cooking falls into a category of haphazard meanderings in the kitchen mostly built around what I have around. This is complemented by my love for traditional Indian regional recipes, mostly Bengali and North Indian varieties. These tend to be recipes from my childhood, or those that I have inherited from my husband’s family and meandering within these are South Indian (mostly tiffin) recipes that my family loves. Now, back to the haphazard, playful recipes, much like this Papaya and Pommegranate recipe that I am going to share with you today, these recipes come together often on weeknights, when I cook in spontaneous hurry without much thought for ceremony with little or less concern about taking pictures. These recipes are for me about the sheer fun of mixing and matching ingredients, and when they work out, I have the happiness not unlike opening a surprise gift, spontaneous, unexpected and simple.
A spiced salad such as this, falls into the loose clasification of a kachumber in Indian cooking, and then again, a kachumber typically does not have fruit. This being said, while we make and name many salsas fruit salsas, purists often frown at these classifications. Well, what ever we choose to call it, I had created this condiment as an accompaniment to some simple grilled fish that I was cobbling together for a weeknight. The light and absorbant flesh of the papaya mingled with the spicy notes of the black salt and chili, creating a flavors that were magical together. They sparked up our simple dinner, the only problem was that the kids found it a little too spicy. So, I have been told to tone down the green chilies for the next iteration. Looks like, this weekend I will be making two versions of this salsa.
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Well Spiced Papaya and Pommegranate Salsa
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 1 cup
A colorful and well seasoned salsa guaranteed to add color and pep to your table. Perfect with your favorite whole grain chips as well.
Ingredients
2 cups of fresh papaya, diced1/3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons diced red onions
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
1 meyer lemon, halved and seeded
1/2 teaspoon black salt
1 green chili, minced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
Instructions
Place the papaya and pomegranate seeds in a mixing bowl and mix together.Stir in the diced onions and the freshly grated ginger and mix well.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and add in the black salt and the minced chili and mix well.
Stir in the cilantro. Chill the salsa for about 30 minutes or longer and enjoy with any dish that needs a spark of color and flavor.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2014/01/well-spiced-papaya-and-pommegranate-salsa.html
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January 29, 2014
Super Simple Slow Cooker Channa Masala Chili
This recipe is inspired by you and yours! I mean truly…
One of the most popular recipes on this site, is this slow cooker choley or Channa Masala recipe, today. Unrelated to the channa recipe, I was going to try and make ghoogni or my Bengali chili and then I realized that I did not have the right kind of beans as ghoogney is made with whole dried peas, not garbanzo beans. Chickpeas on the other hand, are always around in my house, in all their glory. So, I decided to mix it up with brown and regular chickpeas. If you want you can add black beans or red kidney beans if you do not have the brown chickpeas handy. The rest of the dish just cooks itself, that is what the slow cooker is around for.
It worked well for Sunday dinner, where I dressed it up with all the typical chili fixings, I mean what does not taste good with sour cream, and grated cheese thrown in. OK, for some levity and good measure, I added in some grated carrots and chopped cilantro. This week on my never ending quest to get off the couch after I come back home, I signed up for pool membership. Actually, nudged on by my son. Aadi, somehow has been slow in getting to learn swimming. This week he agreed to do some private lessons, if I joined him. Gosh, I have been out of my swimming more since maybe forever, but, what can I say… It is difficult to refuse the young man and so I am getting out a couple of days to refresh myself so that I can join him for his lessons and this chili has been an amazing help! In fact, I liked it so much, I had to try out a vegan version, for my newly converted vegan brother Anju (yes, this is my adopted brother who, my real life brother grudgingly accepts).
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Super Simple Slow Cooker Channa Masala Chili
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 6 hours
Total Time: 6 hours, 10 minutes
This is a great one-dish meal with lots of flavor and gets done in a slow cooker. The dish other than being a great one dish meal, also freezes well.
Ingredients
3/4 cups dried regular chickpeas1/2 cup brown chickpeas or red kidney beans
3 cups water
11/2 teaspoons salt or to taste
1 teaspoon red cayenne pepper
1 cup crushed tomatoes or 4 fresh tomatoes
2 green Serrano chilies
1 large 11/2 inch piece peeled ginger
4 pods garlic
11/2 teaspoons cumin powder
1 large (about 2 inch stick cinnamon)
2 pods cardamom
3/4 pounds ground lamb
1 tablespoon chopped thyme
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
For the garnishes:
sour cream
grated cheddar cheese
chopped scallions
Chopped jalapenos
Instructions
Place the two chickpeas or the chickpeas and beans in a slow cooker with the water and the salt and set to cook for 6 hours.After 4 hours of cooking, place the tomatoes, chilies, ginger and garlic with the cumin powder in a blender and process until smooth.
Place the tomato mixture, with the cinnamon, cardamom, ground lamb and thyme into the slow cooker and cover and cook for the remaining 2 hours.
Stir in the cilantro and check the seasonings.
Serve with garnishes of your choice.
Notes
The chickpeas do not need to be soaked, but if you like them very soft, by all means soak them.
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January 26, 2014
Guacamole – with toasted cumin and garlic
A post about Guacamole should have been up and posted and I should have been in bed by now, especially since this is such a basic recipe. However, I fussed and played around, almost reaching countdown to bed time.
All things considered, it is a good thing that the simple and essential guacamole is such a wonderful and satisfying creature. My daughter loves it, and we have to have it at least once on most weekends. It probably hails back to the fact, when she was little we used to mash avocados for her. It is a perfect food for a baby really, smooth and comforting with all kinds of things that are guaranteed to promote the little ones brain development.
Now, I guess, we are all hooked on to this rich and comforting fruit that is mother nature’s comfort food. Now, with a guacamole, it is really a perfect celebration of this delicate fruit. It does not need much more than soft and ripe avocados, but it is essential that your avocados are ripe or you will not have the lovely soft texture that makes a good guacamole.
It helps to add a touch of crunch to the basic guacamole recipe, I have done it here before with grated carrots. The other day, I had tried a variation with chopped bacon bits. Now, I do not like bacon per say, I tend to find it very salty, but liked the crunch that the bits had added to the mellow and delicate spread. Today, I was playing around with ingredients and added some toasted cumin and garlic. When a difference a little crunch and flavor makes.
I am pretty sure, this shall be back on my table next Sunday, just because, well my daughter loves guacamole and this version has also caught her fancy. However, if you are looking for something with just a hint of crunch and nice dose of flavor you should give this version a try. I am so hoping that the Monday weather forecast lasts through the week. I so need to continue my walking and actually need an incentive to also head out swimming in the evening.
A girl can hope, right? Well, here is my recipe, at least I can control posting that!
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Guacamole – with toasted cumin and garlic
Prep Time: 25 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
A classic guacamole recipe with a little crunch from cumin and toasted garlic.
Ingredients
2 Haas avocados (peeled and seeded)1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 lime, halved
1 medium sized ripe tomato, diced
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
3 tablespoons finely diced red onion
1 jalapeno, diced
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 large clove garlic, minced
Instructions
Place the avocado in a mixing bowl and mash the flesh.Add in the salt and squeeze in the lime juice, you would want about 2 tablespoons of lime juice, so if your lime is very juicy you may not want the entire lime.
Mix in the tomato, salt, onion and the diced jalapeno and mix well.
Stir in the cilantro.
Heat the oil and add in the cumin and the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until the cumin is all toasty and the garlic is fragrant and a pale toffee color.
Add in the mixture to the guacamole mixture and let the mixture rest for at least 15 minutes before serving.
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January 24, 2014
Haleem – My way!
Snow and cold weather are meant to be enjoyed with warm comforting foods, steaming cups of tea and well spiced food. Back in the day, I remember returning from classes to Rosy’s kitchen, to savor the comforts of her cooking, often featuring traditional dishes like Haleem, Nihari or what she called a simple Birayani. These foods were nourishing and warmed the body and soul. It never occurred to me that I should save a recipe or even think of replicating her cooking, any more than I had done with my grandmother’s or mother’s cooking. Well, the last one, I am trying before it is too late, before all the favorites are lost forever…
Now, how do I really know what a Haleem is, anymore than what I really know what a Birayani is, the latter I will get to later… but a Haleem by some standards is a classic dish, one my born vegetarian husband swears by, but, it is not something, that I grew up eating. The magic of Indian cooking is just this, there is no end to the knowledge of classic dishes. Yes, folks! this is why it is possible for someone such as I to have a doctoral degree in business, but still be unsure of something that is a classic Indian dish! At the end of the day, Indian cuisine is about, tastes, traditions and nostalgia and these are ALL important!
I would love tolerate the cold weather, if all I could do was to stay indoors and cook! However, life does not work that way. Not my life at least… I certainly do not enjoy slushy roads. Clearly, neither do the birds. I took this gull picture in a parking lot. Never seen these creatures before.
Slushy roads scare me! My children find this strange, especially since it is not a moisture thing! I LOVE the rain! I think it is all about conditioning. Wet roads do not scare me in the rain, however in winter, the slick, almost white roads, circled and garnished by these leafless trees are strange and just plain weird. All this starkness, makes me want to pull up the comforter over my head and hide, just hide until the leaves all turn bright and green and the sun is really, truly warm.
The fur kid in my household has not been happy about being grounded, hehas been mournfully staring out of the window, and crying. The children have been very saddened and are counting down to Friday, where we might get warm enough to let Benji out.
Well, I tried today, except that he was back 30 minutes later, mewing loudly, suggesting that I might have created this frosty, formidable weather!!!
Since, clearly, I have been unable to stay under the comforter, forever, the next best thing for me has been to spend all my time in the kitchen. This week, I decided to create Haleem, my way. Haleem, in case you are wondering, is a melange of meat, lentils, wheat and barley. Usually, I have seen complex, husked lentils being used, in this variation, which I have christened my way, I have used red lentils, and swapped the barley with steel-cut oatmeal.
This is really, pretty darn good! It really is like a chili on steroids! So, if you are looking to wow people for your super bowl party, you just might want to give this are try. If you know me, by now you know, that super bowl for me is all about the food.
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Haleem – My way!
A remix or remake of a friend's recipe than nourishes us when its cold, cold, cold.
Ingredients
For the haleem chili1 tablespoons cumin seeds
2 teaspoons coriander seeds
1 teaspoons black peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon fenugreek seeks
2 dried red chilies or 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 large or 2 medium sized red onions diced ( 1 cup)
4 tablespoons of oil
1 large tablespoons (6 cloves) garlic, minced
1 tablespoon, freshly grated ginger
3/4 pounds of ground lamb
1 cup red lentils (aka dhuli masuur dal)
1/2 cup steel cut oatmeal
1/2 cup wheat or farro
1/2 cup cup coarse bulgur
Salt to taste or 11/2 teaspoons
11/2 cups diced tomatoes jarred or 4 fresh tomatoes
3 black cardamoms
1 large (2-inch stick) cinnamon
4 cloves
2 bay leaves
4 cups of water
for the garnishes
chopped red onions soaked in cider vinegar for 15 minutes
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
chopped green chilies
Instructions
Place the cumin, coriander, black peppercorn and red chillies or cayenne in a spice grinder and grind to a powder and set aside.Heat the oil in a large heavy pan for about a minute or two on medium heat and add in the red onions and saute stirring occasionally for 6 minute or so, until the onions soften, wilt and begin to turn gently golden.
Stir in the ginger and the garlic and stir for another 3 minutes until the mixture is very fragrant and then add in the lamb and cook for 4 minutes or so.
Add in the lentils, oatmeal, wheat or farro, bulgur and the tomatoes and stir well, and mix in the cardamoms, cinnamon, cloves and bay leaves.
Add in the water and bring to a simmer and cover and cook on low heat for 2 hours. If desired this can be pressure cooked for 20 minutes or slow cooked for 3 hours.
Turn off the heat and let it rest for 15 minutes and stir well.
Stir well and add in the cilantro and serve the remaining garnishes as desired.Schema/Recipe SEO Data Markup by ZipList Recipe Plugin2.2http://cookinginwestchester.com/2014/01/haleem-my-way.html
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