Tag: curry leaves
Cauliflower with Potatoes cooked with Mustard Seeds
Here we go- I have yet another recipe for cauliflower. I am afraid very soon I will run out of ideas to make this vegetable. As I have mentioned many times before, my husband can eat this veggie 24/7. He never gets enough of it. So, I am always looking for new ways to make cauliflower.
I made this particular one with mustard seeds and curry leaves- they are the dominating flavors in the dish. It is one of my favorite combinations to cook with. I love the nuttiness of the mustard seeds and the curry leaves. I usually pair them with ginger and lots of coriander powder. It always results in a delicious dish no matter what it is.
I served it with freshly made rotis and we had a delicious meal. Please help me out with other cauliflower recipes- do you have a favorite?
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Aloo Mattar Gajjar- Potatos Peas and Carrots- A Delicious Indian Vegetable Dish
I consider this my quick, easy, go to meal when I have no idea what to make. It is also a pantry dish since I always have potatoes outside in my basket, peas in the freezer and carrots in the fridge. It is an instant side vegetable or even a whole meal.
I decided to make this vegetable with some lentils and fresh rotis. As I was making this vegetarian dish, my daughter’s friend who was visiting asked if she could stay for dinner. I told her it was fine with me but would she be okay with Indian food?? She nodded and said ‘no problem’. Just to make sure I showed her what I had- and her answer was still the same.
I was a bit skeptical if the friend is going to like what she eats only because it would be new to her. I decided to make the fresh rotis and stuff them with the vegetable and roll them up. I asked the girls if they wanted a vegetable roll and they got very excited. I was still quite skeptical about the whole thing and wasn’t sure what I would feed her if she decided not to have what I had cooked.
As I served them the meal, they picked up the rolled rotis and began eating them promptly. It wasn’t a problem at all and I am extremely happy that I was able to introduce a new cuisine to my daughter’s friend. Most of all it is very sweet to see how much they love spending time with each other- especially eating together…
Try this quick dish next time you run out of ideas….
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Shrimp Saute with Dill and Cilantro
This was one of those quick recipes I came up with. I didn’t think about it much as I made it up.
I had a large bunch of dill in my fridge and wanted to use some up. I took out the jumbo shrimp from the freezer to thaw them out.
I kept it simple and marinated the shrimp in coriander powder and my super flavorful garam masala. I then sauteed the shrimp with onion, ginger and tomatoes. Curry leaves, dill and cilantro bring loads of flavor to this simple dish. It came out unbelievably delicious. While I was making the shrimp, I was thinking of what to make with it to make the meal balanced and healthier. I love rice with shrimp and I decided to make some with spinach and broccoli rabe. It was green in color and looked fabulous with the red shrimp.
While I was finishing up the meal, my daughter and her friend were playing and asked me if the friend could stay for dinner. I stopped and told the friend she could but she would have to eat what ever is for dinner. She said fine and I asked her to come up to the stove to look at the shrimp and the green rice.
As we sat down for dinner, I served my daughter a good amount of shrimp and rice and told her friend I would give her a little bit and if she liked it, I will give her more. She looked skeptical and I reminded her she promised me to try and eat whatever I gave her. Although nothing was spicy, I was still a bit worried about all the different flavors going on in both the dishes.
The meal was a big success and the girls finished everything on their plates. It makes me so happy when kids eat a well balanced meal.
Try this shrimp- you will love it…
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South Indian Style Chicken- Hyderabadi Chicken
This recipe is inspired from my favorite Indian cookbook- Prasad. I have been cooking from this book for over ten years. When I first bought it and looked through i, I was quite intimidated. The recipes are very complicated the instructions are not very clear.
Over the years I have learned to simplify the recipes and still capture the essence.
This dish is extremely flavorful and delicious. Chicken thighs are marinated in ginger, garlic and salt for a few hours. They are then sauteed with onions, ginger and garlic with lots of curry leaves. Curry leaves have a very distinctive flavor and if you are not able to find them- just eliminate out of the recipe. There is really no substitution.
The chicken was a big hit. I cooked it for a dinner party. Everyone loved it.
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Easy Breakfast Dish-Kerala Style Scrambled Eggs
I somehow always forget to make eggs for dinner or even lunch. I take them out for breakfast on the weekends or unless I am baking- which seems to more and more often these days.
A cousin was in India recently and told me about her trip down to Kerala and described the cuisine. One of the things she couldn’t stop talking about were scrambled eggs cooked south indian style. She carefully described the ingredients or whatever she could decipher. While I was listening, I thought I will definitely make these but didn’t think of writing down the ingredients (duh). Anyway, a couple weeks went by and suddenly the scrambled eggs came to mind. It was one of those evenings where there wasn’t much in the fridge and I wasn’t in the mood to make an elaborate meal.
Now, I had forgotten most of the ingredients for the dish- but I was able to come up with what ever I thought belonged in there considering the part of India we are talking about. Mustard seeds, curry leaves and coconut were the main ingredients- and I had all of them. I also had fresh cilantro, tomatoes, onions and green chilies-perfect.
I used all the ingredients and came up with a fantastic, quick and delicious dinner. I made fresh rotis with it. That is what my husband and I ate. For my daughter I made plain scrambled eggs- she is not into fresh tomatoes, green chilies, etc.
I added extra cayenne pepper for myself. I like things spicy but my dear husband likes it really mild. It was really enjoyable- I plan to use more eggs for dinner in the future. Maybe a nice mushroom omelet with gruyere- yum, that sounds delicious. Try the easy scrambled eggs for your next quick meal.
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- ½ teaspoon mustard seeds
- 4-5 curry leaves, chopped
- 2 tablespoons shredded unsweetened coconut
- 1 teaspoon ginger, minced
- ¼ cup white onion, chopped
- 1 serrano chili, chopped
- 1/3 cup chopped tomatoes, or halved cherry tomatoes
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- ¼ cup cilantro chopped
Beat the eggs salt, cayenne pepper and cilantro. Keep aside.
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil. Add mustard seeds and sauté for minute on medium high heat or till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the curry leaves, coconut, onion, chili and ginger. Saute for 2-3 minutes on medium heat or till the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and sauté for 4-5 minutes. Lower the heat and add the beaten eggs, stir till the eggs are cooked yet still soft. Serve with fresh rotis or tortillas.
A Delectable Vegetarian Recipe: Green Beans and Potatoes
We made this dish for a cooking class I just taught last night. It was a birthday celebration and the ladies wanted to learn some South Indian style dishes. We cooked the coconut chicken curry and the potatoes and green beans.
I am from North India and anything cooked in mustard seeds and curry leaves reminds me of a South Indian dish- so when I was trying to come up with a menu I thought of the potatoes and green beans simply cooked in mustard seeds and curry leaves. The dominant flavors come from these spices and the lemon juice enhanced it even more.
The dish took all of half an hour to make and results were wonderful. Everyone enjoyed the dinner. This vegetable dish complemented the chicken really well. They both have similar flavors but yet tasted very different.
This dish is perfect to cook with a roast chicken or even for Thanksgiving. It’s that time of year and the big feast is already on my mind. This would be ideal for the big dinner, especially since it is so easy to make. It is very versatile and will go with any kind of cuisine. Definitely a keeper.
Well, I think the ladies really enjoyed all the dishes including the carrot pudding… it was a successful class and a fun evening.
- 2 cups green beans, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 3 large red potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1 inch squares
- 2 teaspoons brown mustard seeds
- 7-8 curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- 2 teaspoons coriander powder
- 2 teaspoons salt
- ½ cayenne pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
- ½ cup cilantro, chopped
In a wide frying pan, add the olive oil. Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute on medium high heat till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the green beans and potatoes- mix well and sauté high heat. Add the coriander powder, salt and cayenne pepper. Mix well and lower the heat and cover with the lid. Cook on low heat for 20 minutes or till the potatoes are tender. Take the lid off and check for seasonings. Add the lemon juice and cilantro, mix well and serve.
Coconut Cabbage with Peas
After getting back from Italy it took us a while to get back into our usual routine. We all love Italian food but once we got back, we craved other cuisines. We went to our favorite Chinese restaurant the next day and ate some Indian food out of the freezer for dinner.
I soon filled the fridge with groceries and started thinking about cooking again- it’s very hard to get back into it… Pasta kept coming to mind but I knew I wanted to make some vegetarian Indian food. We had consumed quite a bit of meat including salami and prosciutto and wanted to take a break.
While I was in Trader Joes, I picked up a pack of shredded cabbage. I usually never buy the packaged kind but then I get too lazy to buy the whole cabbage and shred it myself. My husband loves cabbage made a specific way with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I never end up making it because of my laziness. So, when I saw the packed cabbage, I picked it up and decided to make him happy.
It’s a very simple dish- the flavor is wonderful with the mustard seeds and curry leaves. I added some shredded coconut to give it a nice crunch and sweetness. I also added frozen peas to give the dish color. It took all of 20 minutes to make. I plan to serve it with lentils and freshly made rotis (Indian bread).
It is great to go on vacation and experience a different culture but it is fabulous to come home and eat food that reminds me of childhood….
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