Corn Mango Salad

• http://www.marriedtoadesi.com/2009/12/corn-mango-salad.html

I love this recipe. I would skip the mustard seeds seasoning and the cumin powder if you don't have them. I would also add black beans or chick peas for some complex carbs and protein (canned beans work great - just make sure to drain the salty water, and rinse it well to get rid of all the salt). Substitute fresh mangoes with refrigerated mango slices cut into cubes - you can find these in most grocery stores these days.

 

As the link says, credit goes to www.MarriedToADesi.com

 

 

Seven Layer Dip

This looked amazing, I had to share.

http://www.styleblueprint.com/food-and-entertaining/reinventing-7-layer-dip/

Apple Crisp

Fall…apples, cooler weather, apples, crisp mornings, apples, cider, hay rides, pumpkins, apples,….and that brings me to today’s recipe:
Apple Crisp! This is an easy, somewhat healthy dessert with all the apples and the oats, uses seasonal produce, and most of all, yummy!
This one is for my daughter – she loves it, and usually makes extra topping as some of it never sees the oven because she ends up eating it!
Here’s the recipe – the measures are all approximate as I have lost the recipe, and made this from memory yesterday.

Ingredients & Method:
Apple layer:

• 6 – 8 medium apples – cored, peeled, sliced into
  bite sized chunks
• ¼ cup sugar
• 2 tbsp all purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon sugar
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• Lemon juice - 1 or 2 tsp

Layer the apple slices in a 13/9 glass pan. Sprinkle with lemon juice to prevent discoloration and to add some flavor if using really sweet apples. Mix the rest of the ingredients and mix with apples.
Crumb topping:

• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups quick cooking oats
• 1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Mix the topping ingredients. I usually end up doubling the quantities to make enough topping.
All of the steps up to this point can be made ahead of time, and refrigerated until ready to bake.

Preheat oven to 350⁰ F.
Bake for 30 – 45 minutes.
Add a dollop (or two) of whipped cream. Best with heavy whipping cream whipped to stiff peaks.
Eat!

Soul Food: Rasam and Potato Curry

This is the macaroni and cheese of the South Indian cuisine. Comforting, simple, and easy to make. Rasam is a soupy liquid made primarily with a tamarind base with tomatoes, spices and lots of cilantro. Potato curry--well, need I say more? Add white rice, and you're set. My kids always request this for their homecoming meal (my daughter will ask for more kozhambu, to be posted later) -- every single time.

Rasam - Ingredients:
Tamarind pulp - 1 small lump, soaked in hot water for about 30 minutes.  If you're using concentrate, about a teaspoon dissolved in about 1.5 cups of water. I must warn you though, that the color and the taste of the rasam when you use the concentrate are not very appealing.
Tomatoes - 1 medium ripe, or a handful of cherry tomatoes
Rasam powder - 1 tsp (recipe follows)
Cilantro - to garnish, chopped fine
Salt - 1 to 2 tsps - to taste
Garlic pods - 5 - 6 or more if you like lots of garlic
Oil / ghee to temper - 1 tablespoon

Rasam powder:
Quick rasam powder:
Take a few sprigs of curry leaves, a tsp of black whole pepper, a tsp of cumin seeds, 2 red dried chillies, 1 pod of garlic from the above, and grind them up coarsely in a blender or coffee grinder (the one you reserve for spices - do not use it for actual coffee beans, unless you want spicy garlicky coffee).

Method:

1. Heat oil/ghee in the container in which you're going to make rasam. Do not let it get smoking hot.
2. Optional tempering: If you have mustard seeds, add them and let them pop, and add a few cumin seeds and black pepper.  The tempering in Indian cooking basically indicates what spices are used in the dish. If you don't want to, skip to the next step.
3. Add the garlic pods not used in the powder and saute them lightly. Take care to not burn them. They burn very quickly.
4. Add the tamarind juice, chopped tomatoes, salt, and the rasam powder and boil for a few minutes. It should boil to a froth, at the most for about 10 minutes.
5. Add cilantro.

You're done.

What good is a steaming bowl of tomato rasam without its mate, the one and only potato curry?
This is probably the first dish that any south Indian worth his/her salt would learn to cook.

Ingredients: - this quantity would serve about 3 people
Medium sized potatoes - 8 - boiled/steamed to fork tender, cubed
Salt - 1 - 2 tsp
Chilli powder - 1 tsp or more if you like it hot
Turmeric powder - a pinch - optional - adds a lovely hue
Hing/aseofetida - a pinch - you can find this in any Indian grocery store, and it adds a nice fragrance
Tempering - mustard seeds, curry leaves
Oil - 3 tbsp

Method:

1. Take a wok or a non-stick pan, not too shallow.
2. Heat the oil.
3. Optional: Temper with mustard seeds, hing and curry leaves.
4. Add the potatoes, salt, chilli powder and turmeric. Reduce the heat to medium, and gently toss the potatoes to coat with the spices.
5. Keep turning once in a while with a spatula, taking care not to smash the pieces, to evenly cook on all sides.

Potatoes should be ready in about 15 minutes and should look like this.

Enjoy with a hot steaming bowl of white or brown rice!

Pasta With Spicy Tomato Sauce

This sauce was an experiment created to satisfy the Indian palate - a good amount of carbs with a healthy dose of heat.  After I made it once, my kids were hooked.  We always make pasta sauce this way now.  This was probably the first recipe both my kids asked me to teach them when they went away to college.

You will need:

• 1 lb or whatever quantity of pasta - spaghetti works best
• 2 or 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup (or less) of good quality, extra virgin olive oil
• Red chilli powder (paprika does not work as it is mostly color and does not provide heat) - 1 tsp
• If you don't have red chilli powder which you can find at any Indian grocery store, you may use red chilli flakes.
• 1 carrot, peeled and diced into cubes or cut into coin shapes
• 1 bunch fresh baby spinach - optional
• Fresh basil leaves - a few
• 1 jar good quality store bought tomato sauce.  Our family prefers Barilla brand sauce  (olive oil and basil works great).

Method:

Bring a pot of water to boil, with salt.  Cook pasta per package directions.
While the pasta is cooking:

Heat olive oil in a sauce pan.
When it's hot but not smoking hot, add the carrots.  Add a pinch of salt for the carrots, saute.
Add the garlic.
Add the chilli powder/flakes.
Add the spinach now if using.
Saute everything together for about 2 - 3 minutes.
Now add the jar of sauce.
Turn the heat down, and let the sauce simmer for about 7 minutes.  The oil will start to separate.
Add the fresh basil leaves.

Ladle the sauce on the pasta.  Add grated cheese (parmesan, romano, pecorino romano).
Enjoy with a tall glass of ice cold milk, and a green salad.  And good crusty bread.  And a slice of tiramisu. :)

Grocery Shopping 101: Never shop on an empty stomach

What I intended to buy:

Spinach for our enchilada dinner - Good food

What was in my grocery bag when I got home and I had no idea how they got there:

Bad food!

*** Watch this blog for the recipe of the best vegetarian enchiladas you've ever had! ***

Chutney Sandwich

The chutney sandwich is a staple of Indian street food. Quick, easy and delicious. There are many many variations in the sandwich fillings sold on the streets of Mumbai, Chennai and other metros – I have given below the simplest of them all, the evergreen cucumber sandwich.
The chutney is a recipe from my friend Usha. Love this as it includes a good measure of peanuts (protein protein!) and makes me feel good about feeding the kids. Also goes great with steamed rice, idli, dosa, etc.
This particular sandwich used to be my kids’ favorite lunch – and a popular one at the lunch table in their elementary school years, I used to always pack an extra one or two sandwiches for their teachers!
My husband and I used to play a game with our daughter Sandhya when she was a toddler called the ‘sandywich’ game – it involved us smushing her from both sides (gently!) making a human sandwich – she used to love it! When we try now to makea sandywich, she just says ‘ewwww’ and runs away!! (did I mention she’s 19?)
Anyway, here’s the recipe for the chutney:

Ingredients:

• Raw peanuts – 1/2 cup to 1 cup
• Green chillies – a big handful, washed, stems removed, and patted dry
• ‘Realemon’ brand conc lemon or lime juice – as needed to blend
• Mint – washed, stems removed, patted dry – 2

Method  ForChutney:

• Make sure the mint is totally dry.
• Blend all the ingredients, using only the lime/lemon juice. Add little by little as you blend. No water should be added. This makes the chutney’s shelf life at least 2 weeks.
• Add salt.

Chutney is ready!

Build the sandwich:

Ingredients:

• Sandwich bread, crusty edge cut off – 4 slices
• Butter – to spread on bread
• Chutney – 2 tablespoons
• Assorted veggies sliced thin into circles – cucumber, onions, boiled potatoes, τοματοές

  

Enjoy with a glass of your favorite beverage!