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Tag: peanuts

South Indian Style Brown Fried Rice with Red Pepper and Green Beans

I love south indian style lemon rice… and make it often… so I was in the mood but wanted to make it healthier and filled with veggies- so I came up with this recipe… I cooked it with brown rice and added peppers and green beans.. check it out- it is yummy!

  • 1 cup brown jasmine rice, rinsed
  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 2 cups water

Transfer the rice to a heavy saucepan with the oil and sauté on medium heat for a minute. Add the salt and water, bring to a boil and cover partially with a lid and lower the heat to a low medium. Continue cooking, about 15 minutes till all the water is cooked off from the surface. Place the lid on the pan and lower the heat to a very low and continue cooking for at least 20 minutes or till cooked. Fluff with fork and let cool.

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 12-15 curry leaves, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon white moong dal
  • 1 tablespoon channa dal
  • ¼ cup shredded unsweetened coconut
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
  • 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 cup green beans, chopped
  • Salt
  • Juice of half a large lemon
  • ½ cup cilantro, chopped

Add the oil to a wok like saucepan with the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, curry leaves, moong dal, channa dal, coconut and peanuts. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the onion and ginger and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the red pepper and green beans and sauté for another 2 to 3 minutes. Add the cooled brown rice, salt and lemon juice. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes, check for seasonings and finish off with the cilantro. Serve with grilled meats or lentils.

Penang Curry- My Version

Panang Curry

A great version to make at home…

Curry Paste

  • 2 to 3 dried chilies, soaked in warm water until soft and seeds removed
  • 1 inch galangal, grated
  • 3 to 4 stalks lemongrass, grated
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 2 small shallots
  • 2 tablespoons cilantro stems
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
  • ¼ cup peanuts
  • 1 teaspoon shrimp paste
  • 1 teaspoon salt

Roast the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peanuts in a small frying pan till aromatic, about 2 to 3 minutes. Take out and grind in a spice grinder. Add to a mortar and pestle. Add the soft red chilies to the spices in the mortar and pestle.
Add the grated galanga, lemongrass, cilantro stems, garlic and shallots to a small food processor and process till smooth. Add the mixture to the mortar and pestle. Add the shrimp paste to the whole mixture and pound the paste till incorporated together and relatively smooth. Add the salt and keep aside.

  • 1 can low-fat coconut milk
  • 3 to 4 kaffir lime leaves, sliced thin
  • 1 ½ pounds chicken breast, sliced thin on a bias
  • 1 cup haricot verts (green beans), cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon palm sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • Juice and zest of one lime
  • ½ cup basil, shredded

Heat a saucepan on medium heat and add the curry paste. Add ¼ cup of coconut milk and sauté on medium heat while stirring constantly. Make sure the milk does not burn. Keep adding as the liquid evaporates and more is needed. This should take about 4 to 5 minutes. Add the beans and bring to a boil and cook for a minutes. Add the chicken and bring to a boil. Simmer and add the lime leaves, palm sugar, fish sauce, juice and zest of the lime. Mix well and check for seasonings. Turn off as soon as the chicken is cooked through. Garnish with basil and serve with rice.

Cabbage and Carrots

My husband loves cabbage… so I try to make it a different way each time I cook it, which is not too often as I am not a huge fan. I will eat it but I never seek it out in a grocery store. I should since it is so healthy to eat…

  • 2 tablespoons coconut oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 10 to 15 curry leaves, chopped
  • 1 inch fresh ginger, grated
  • ½ cup peanuts, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon channa dal
  • 1 tablespoon white urad dal
  • 3 cups green cabbage, shredded
  • 1 cup carrots, shredded
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander
  • ½ cup cayenne pepper
  • 2 teaspoons salt

Heat a medium pan with the coconut oil over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds and curry leaves. Cook for a minute. Add the ginger, peanuts, channa dal and urad dal. Saute for 3 to 4 minutes on medium heat. Add the cabbage, carrots, ground coriander, cayenne pepper and salt. Mix well and sauté on medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cover with lid and cook for 5 minutes. Take lid off and check for seasonings. Serve warm.

Healthy South Indian Style Lemon Rice

This is a great dish to eat as a snack or as a starch in a meal- the best part is that they are super healthy. I used brown rice and no one could tell!!

  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 1½ cups brown rice
  • 1 cup coconut milk
  • ½ teaspoon turmeric
  • 3 cups water
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 teaspoons urad dal
  • 2 teaspoons channa dal
  • 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
  • 10-12 curry leaves
  • 2-3 dried red chilies
  • A pinch of asafetida
  • ½ cup peanuts, roasted
  • 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • Salt to taste

Heat a saucepan with the oil and butter. Add the rice and sauté on medium heat for 30 seconds. Add the coconut milk, turmeric, water and salt. Bring to a boil and lower heat to a simmer, partially covered for 20 minutes. Once the liquid is cooked from the surface, lower the heat and place lid. Cook for another 15 minutes or till the rice is cooked through but not mushy.  Cool the rice off once cooked and keep aside.

In a large wok like pan, heat the oil.  Add the urad and channa dal and sauté for about 30 seconds on medium heat.  Add the mustard seeds and curry leaves and saute for another minute.  Next, add the red chilies and asafetida.  Add the cooked and cooled rice.  Mix well.  Add the peanuts, lemon juice and salt.  Mix well and serve.

 

 

 

Indian Style Polenta

Polenta is a very easy, healthy and quick starch to make. Like rice, it is very versatile and anything and everything can be added to make it yummier. I have made quite a few different kinds in the past.

I made this one Indian style to serve with the fish curry. I started with mustard seeds and curry leaves. I also added a couple of different kinds of lentils for a nice crunch and I also included peanuts.

My original idea was to cook the polenta in coconut milk and chicken broth but then I realized I was out of coconut milk. Instead I cooked it with my normal mixture of milk and chicken broth- both the liquids ensure yummy flavor in the dish.. and this dish was extremely yummy.

The only person who doesn’t like polenta in the house is my daughter. I made her some rice on the side. She does not enjoy the texture of polenta… but I love it…

  • 1 cup fine polenta
  • 1½ cups chicken or vegetable broth
  • 1½ cups milk
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon mustard seeds
  • 4 to 5 curry leaves
  • 1 tablespoons white moong dal
  • 1 tablespoons channa dal
  • ½ cup roasted peanuts, chopped
  • 1 cup frozen chopped spinach, thawed

Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the mustard seeds, curry leaves, moong dal, channa dal and peanuts. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the spinach and sauté for a minute. Add the broth and milk with the salt. Bring to a boil and add the polenta. Follow package instructions to cook the polenta. Taste for seasonings and serve with the fish curry.

Leftover Cabbage Fritters

Cabbage Fritters So, after I made the cabbage dish, I had quite a bit of it leftover in the fridge. I thought of serving it again a few days later but somehow wanted to transform the vegetable into something else. Cooked cabbage tends to be mushy- which is fine but that is what I don’t like about it. I decided to do something about it and change it up into something crunchy and even more delicious.

What do you do with delicious leftovers?? You make fritters, of course! I decided to add an egg, peanuts, raisins and the secret ingredient- panko breadcrumbs. I love using these Japanese breadcrumbs. They provide a delicious crunch in everything.  I incorporated everything and cooked them in a non-stick pan with a bit of oil.

The crunchy fritters were delicious- the chopped raisins provided a surprise burst of sweetness and the peanuts were crunchy. It was amazing to transform the cabbage into delicious fritters. Now I can’t wait to make the cabbage again so I can eat the fritters again!
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Tomato Rice with Peas

Tomato RiceThis is my version of a South Indian rice dish my husband has all the time at restaurants. I have never made it before and thought it would be nice to try it at home. It is essentially cooked rice sauteed with a lot of spices, lentils and curry leaves. I decided to take it to another level and make a one pot meal out of it. How much do we love one pot meals?

In order to make this dish balanced I added frozen peas and shredded paneer which is an Indian style cheese. So now I had vegetables and protein in the rice dish. I guess if you wanted to be even more healthy, you can use brown rice instead of the white.

The rice dish was super flavorful with the mustard seeds, curry leaves, and a blend of spices. The crushed tomatoes and peanuts made this dish fabulous. My daughter is not into nuts- so all I did was take them out for her. She was very skeptical trying the rice- but once she had a bite, she was sold…
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