Phansachi Bhaji - Raw Jackfruit Stirfry

Have you ever tried Jackfruit when it is still not ripe?  It is very similar in texture to Bread fruit but, is much more tastier.  It takes on to flavors you add very easily.  Back home, it was so much work to clean the Jack fruit and seasonal too.  I used to wait the whole year for summer so that I could eat Mangoes and Jackfruit.  But now,  we find canned raw Jack fruit in most of the Asian grocery stores.  They are pretty good in taste and needs very less cooking time.  If you have never given it a try, do surely try it.  I am sure you will love it!!

Ingredients:

Raw Jackfruit - About 2 cups (I used canned Jackfruit) - chopped into bite size pieces

Shallots - finely chopped - 1/4 cup

Methi/Fenugreek seeds - 8-10 seeds

Haldi/Turmeric powder - 1/2 tea spoon

Jeera/Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon

Red Chili powder - 1 teaspoon (add per taste)

Salt - 1 teaspoon (add per taste)

Olive Oil - 1 table spoon

Water - 1 cup

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add the Olive oil and wait for it to heat.  Once the oil is hot, add Methi seeds and Shallots at the same time.  Once the shallots get translucent, add the rest of the ingredients, mix well and cover the pan.  Cook for about 15-20 minutes until the raw Jackfruit is fully cooked.  Enjoy it hot with Chapati, Roti, Nan, plain white rice or Fragrant ghee rice.

Kaale Chane Ki Sabzi-Black Chickpeas Stirfried Indian style

Mom's cooking is the best!!  Everyone would agree.  I learnt how to cook watching my mom or helping her in the kitchen.  Many dishes I have made my own now altering it to taste like what my husband or daughter would love.  But, for me the taste of my mom's food still lingers....

This side dish (which my daughter eats as her main) is easy to make, tasty and healthy.

Ingredients:

Black Chickpeas - 2 cups cooked (see the note below)

Onion - 1 large chopped fine

Garlic - 2 medium pods chopped fine

Cumin powder - 1 tea spoon

Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon (add per taste)

Turmeric powder- 1 tea spoon

Coriander powder - 1 tea spoon

Olive oil - 1 table spoon

Salt - 1 tea spoon (add per taste)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add Olive oil.  Add the chopped Onion and Garlic to it once the oil is heated.  Saute for a few minutes until the Onions get translucent.  Add all the other ingredients and saute for a minute.  Now, add the Chickpeas and mix well.  Cover and let it heat thoroughly.  Enjoy hot with Roti, Phulka or Paratha or eat it by itself.

Note:

• You can buy black Chickpeas in most grocery stores.  In any Asian grocers for sure.  They are found in dried form. 
• I cooked my dried black Chickpeas in the slow cooker for 8 hours on high. 
  You can also use a pressure cooker to cook them.  For one cup of dried Chickpeas, add about 3 cups of water.  Drain the remaining water once they are cooked.
• You can hydrate your black Chickpeas in water overnight.  They will need a lot less cooking time if they are hydrated.  You can cook them on the stove top covered with water for about 20-30 minutes.
• Add a little salt while cooking.  This makes it taste better.

Achari Chana - Chickpeas with Indian pickle spices

This is one of my goto preparations when I am hungry and craving for something savory.  Very easy to make and satisfies the taste buds.

Ingredients:

• Chick peas/Garbanzo beans/Chana cooked - 2 pounds (I  used the canned ones)
• Onions - 1 medium chopped fine
• Olive Oil - 2 table spoons
• Salt - 1 tea spoon (add to taste)
• Red chili powder - 1 tea spoon (add to taste)

For pickle spice

• Fennel seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Coriander seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Black pepper - 1/2 tea spoon

Method:

Firstly, dry grind the ingredients in pickle spices.  To a pan on medium heat, add Olive Oil.  Let it hear up.  Then add the Onions.  Saute for a few minutes or until they turn semi soft.  Add the pickle spice powder, salt and red chili powder.  Saute for 2 minutes.  Now, add the Chana and mix well.  Add water if needed for consistency.  Close the lid of the pan and let it heat well.  Serve hot with white rice, Fragrant ghee rice, chapati, roti or it can be eaten as is.

Raspberry Chocolate cups

Wish you all a very Happy, Healthy and Peaceful New Year!!

I want to start the first blog post for this year with something sweet.  I made this dessert for the holiday party at my home and it was loved by everyone.  Very simple to make and assemble.  My 7 year old daughter assembled it all by herself :)

The theme of the party was Red and Black.  This went very well with the theme.

Ingredients (for about 6 cups):

• Chocolate browny squares - 6 Number (I used mini browny squares that fit perfectly into my class)
• Red Velvet cake squares - 6 Number (I used the mini red velvet cake squares)
• Raspberries - frozen - 1 1/2 cups
• Raspberries - Fresh - about 12-15
• Blueberries - Fresh - about 18-20
• Agave Nectar - 2 table spoons
• Nutmeg powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• All spice powder - 1/2 tea spoon
• Water - 1 to 2 cups depending on the consistency you like
• Gold color sprinkles (optional) - about 2 table spoons

Method:

For the Raspberry Concoction:

To a pan on medium heat, add the frozen raspberries, water and agave nectar.  Dissolve it and keep stirring till you get the desired consistency.  Mine was the consistency of honey.  Then, add nutmeg and all spice powder.  Stir it and keep aside to cool.

To Assemble:

In a glass cup, place the browny first, then the red velvet cake.  On top of this, pour about 2 table spoons for each cup of the Raspberry concoction (please note that this needs to be cooled before using).  To make the cup prettier, place a couple of fresh Raspberries and Blueberries.  Sprinkle it with some gold sprinkles for a prettier finish and a slight crunch.

Mix Veggies with Sausage served with Quinoa

Generally on weekdays, we try to eat healthy and save all the binging for the weekends :)  This is one of the healthy, quick and easy and tasty recipes for a weekday dinner/lunch.

Ingredients:

• Asparagus - 1 pound - Cut into bite size pieces
• Zucchini - 2 medium - Cut into bite size pieces
• Carrots - 2 medium - Cut into bite size pieces
• Onion - 1 small - Chopped fine
• Chicken/Vegetable stock - 2 cups
• Sausage - 2 number - Cut into bite size pieces (I used Italian hot chicken sausage) - This is optional if you want to keep it vegetarian
• Olive Oil - 1 table spoon
• Soy sauce - 2 table spoon
• Garlic powder - 1 tea spoon
• Ginger powder - 1 tea spoon
• Italian seasoning - 1 table spoon
• Salt - 1 table spoon (Add per taste. Soy sauce contains salt also) 
• Pepper - 1 tea spoon (Crushed)
• Corn flour - 1 table spoon (add this to 1/2 cup of water and mix well)
• Quinoa - 2 cups Cooked (to serve it with)

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add chopped Onions.  Saute till translucent.  Add sausage and stir fry for 5 minutes (omit this step if you are keeping it vegetarian).  Add all the other vegetables and stir fry for 5 more minutes.  Add all the other ingredients except the corn flour and let cook covered till the vegetables and sausage is cooked. Open the lid and add the corn flour mixed with water.  Let cook for another 2-3 minutes till the stock thickens.  Serve it hot with Quinoa, Brown or white rice.

Bread Upma (Stirfried Savory Bread)

Breakfast for lunch or dinner is my favourite.  One pot meal..quick and easy to make...delicious to eat!!  This dish takes about 15 to 20 minutes including the preparation.

Ingredients:

• Bread -  8 to10 slices (I used sourdough with crust on) - cut roughly into bite size pieces
• Olive Oil - 2 table spoons
• Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Cumin seeds - 1 table spoon
• Turmeric powder - 1 tea spoon
• Curry leaves - 8 to10 number
• Green Chilies - 4 to 5 chopped fine (add per taste)
• Salt - 1 table spoon (add per taste)
• Water - 1/2 cup to 1 cup

Method:

To a pan on medium heat, add Olive oil.  Once the oil is heated, add Mustard and Cumin seeds.  Wait for them to splutter.  Then add the curry leaves and Green Chilies.  Then add Salt and Turmeric powder.  Lower the heat on the pan.  Now add the cut bread and mix well.  Sprinkle water till the bread is a little softer but not wet.  Mine needed about 1/2 a cup.  Cover the pan and heat for about 5 more minutes.  Turn the heat off.  Hot fragrant Breat upma is ready to be served.  You can serve it by itself or with some plain yogurt.

Slow Cooker Quinoa Khichidi (Quinoa and Lentils Indian style)

Khichidi is soul food for many.  I could eat it from breakfast, lunch or dinner.  It is so easy and quick to make and so very delicious to eat.  Also guilt free as I am using Quinoa.  Slow cooker (crockpot) is my best friend on weekdays.  This is one of those recipes which just takes 5 minutes to assemble.  Just put it to cook when you leave to work in the morning and you will enter a fragrant home. 

Ingredients:

• Quinoa - 1 cup
• Toor dal (split yellow lentils) - 1 cup
• Jeera (Cumin) - 1 tea spoon
• Mustard seeds - 1 tea spoon
• Curry leaves - 5-8 number
• Salt - to taste
• Pepper corns - 1 tea spoon crushed (add per taste)
• Olive oil - 1 table spoon
• water - 6 cups (use less if you like thick consistency.  I love it a little runny)

Method:

Add all the above ingredients to the slow cooker.  Put it on low for about 6-8 hours.  Hot and fragrant Khichici is ready to be served.  You can serve this with some potato chips, pickle or just plain drizzled with some ghee.

Note:  If you do not have a slow cooker, you can use a pressure cooker instead.  Just add all the ingredients (water=4 cups instead of 6) and pressure cook it until 3 whistles (that is about 10 minutes depending on the size of the pressure cooker).