Monday, November 30, 2015

Baby Bok Choy Stir fry - South-Indian Style Curry, Dry curry with Moong dal and Coconut

It took ages to write this post, awwwwww!! Finally, here i m to bring back my blogging mojo with a simple recipe. Bok Choy stir fry, it takes just 10 minutes to make  and  it pairs well with rice and rasam. 
Ingredients
2 nos Baby Bok choy
3 tbsp freshly grated coconut
2 tbsp moong dal
3-4 nos shallots
2 cloves of garlic.
salt to taste
Tempering
2 tsp oil
1/4 tsp mustard seeds
a pinch of hing
2 pinches of turmeric powder
2-3 nos curry leaves
3 nos round red chilies

Method
  • Wash the bok choy and chop them fine. Chop the shallots and garlic thinly. Heat oil in a pan, spluter mustard seeds, add hing and turmeric powder, curry leaves and red chilies. Saute for a minute
  • Add chopped onion and garlic and saute until onions turn translucent. Now add the chopped bok choy, add the coconut and moong dal. Add around 1/4 cup of water to this. 

  • Cover and cook for 15 minutes or until it is done and the curry is dry.  Serve it hot with Rice. 

Sunday, November 29, 2015

Saturday, November 28, 2015

Friday, November 27, 2015

Thursday, November 05, 2015

Fruit Salad with Honey, Lemon & Mint Dressing

Very simple salad that can be served as a dessert too. I make this salad often, particularly when i have loads of fruits in my fridge, that happens after every pooja or party at home. Normally, i use dates and avoid the honey. And also add almonds instead of walnuts. 
While browsing through some dressing recipes for this salad, i came across this lemon, mint and honey dressing. I cannot specify a particular post, there were many recipes from which i took inspiration. It surely, adds a nice zing to the fruits, and the pepper gives a nice burst of spice here and there while tasting the salad. 
The advantage of this salad is, you can use the most soggiest and almost dying fruit into this. The orange and the plum i used in this were revived for this salad:) This salad, can be used in sandwiches or served with a big scoop of your favorite ice-cream for a relaxed weekend dessert. 

Ingredients
1 apple
1 orange
1 banana
1 juicy red plum
handful of red grapes
4-5 walnuts
Dressing
1 tbsp honey
4-5 mint leaves chopped fine or 2 pinches of dried mint (i used dried mint)
a pinch of pepper
1/4 tsp salt
juice of half a lemon

Method
  • Wash all the fruits, Chop apple, plum and banana into thin slices. 
  • Peel the orange, remove the white pith, carefully separate the seeds and outer membrane, use only the segments in the salad.
  • Slice the banana's into roundels. Toss together all the fruit and add the grapes too, In a small bowl mix together all the ingredients of the dressing. Keep the fruit mix chilled.
  • Before serving, pour the dressing on top, add the walnuts and serve. Do not add the dressing and chill the fruit, the liquid will settle down in the bottom and it be clumpsy and spoil the whole eating experience. 
  • At the same, the walnuts should also be added just before serving, or else they will loose their crunch. 
  • Serve it right and enjoy your Dessert.

Wednesday, November 04, 2015

Black-eyed peas salad

For today, i planned to make a fruit salad, but then didn't have banana's in hand, so postponed the thought and went ahead making this colorful black-eyed peas salad. This recipe is inspired from Cookie & Kate's African Black-eyed peas salad or Saladu Nebbe. The original recipe uses chopped parsley, habanero pepper, sliced avocado's and also cooked brown rice.  
Since i didn't have these ingredients in hand, i just went ahead and did the salad my way. Adding brown rice seems to be a nice variation and a filling meal.
Apart from the great taste and the minimal dressing, loved the splash of colors in it. Striking reds, cool greens and the protein-packed brown lentils, makes it more pleasing to your eyes too!!!

Inspired from Cookie + Kate
Ingredients
1/2 cup Black-eyed peas
1/4 cup kala chana/ black chickpeas
2 small Lebanese cucumbers
4 nos cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper/capsicum

Seasoning
1/2 tsp black pepper powder
salt to taste
juice of 1 lemon
Method
  • Soak Black-eyed peas and black chana together for 5-6 hours or overnight. Next day morning, drain the soaked water, add water just to immerse the lentils, add 1/2 tsp salt a little turmeric, pressure cook until soft, i cooked for 4 whistles. Drain and keep aside.
  • Wash all the veggies, chop them into small cubes. Toss them together in a wide bowl. Add lemon juice, pepper and little salt, remember the lentils are cooked with salt. 
  • Check taste and adjust the seasoning accordingly.  Let the salad sit for 15 minutes for the flavors to mingle and serve.

Tuesday, November 03, 2015

Pasta Salad

Writing a blog post after one long month. When i took my camera today, to click this salad, for a moment i felt my 50mm lens was angry with me, saying "hmmm, all these days you were hugging that telephoto girl (300mm), and how come today you got time to think about me", if this is the case with 50mm, what would that 18-55 think about me, i should start using it often. What to do, a recent love/craze for long exposure shots, that too shooting night traffic in particular!!! :)
Thanks to our regular Blogging Marathon, for saving my blog from starving! :) I will be blogging on Salads all this week. The first one being a simple pasta salad, which i tasted in a small blogger's meet here in Dubai.  Though we know each other through FB and to some i have even talked over phone, but have met none till that day. So, when +Rafeeda AR of Big sweet tooth, arranged a meet, i didn't wanted to miss.  
One of the bloggers Asiya Omar, brought this yumm salad for the get-together. She actually stays very far in Alain, but from there she bought a big box of this salad, along with plates,spoons and the spice-mix for all of us.  We actually fell in love with that salad, i have made it twice at home after tasting hers, but only today i get to click and write about it. 
Thanks Asiya-ji for a wonderful recipe. I always remember your smiling face and your peppy personality when making this salad. 
Ingredients
1/2 Cup Fusilli
1/4 cup frozen green peas
1/4 cup ground nuts
1/4 cup shredded carrots
1 or 2 cherry tomatoes
1 tbsp olive oil
Salt to taste

Seasonings ( any one of them)
Cajun spice mix
Red chilli powder
Black pepper powder
Chili oil

Method
  • Boil 1.5 cups of water, when the water is boiling, add salt (1/2 tsp) and pasta, Let it cook until done, it should be al dente/soft but firm. Drain and keep aside. 
  • Cook peanuts with little salt, until soft. Drain the excess water and keep aside. Add Frozen peas to 1/2 cup of water and microwave high for 5 minutes. Drain the excess water and keep aside.
  • The drained water from all this can be used in soups or in Rasam or any other gravies. 
  • Now let's put the salad together. In a large bowl, add pasta, the cooked peanuts and peas. Add shredded carrots. Add your desired seasoning as per your choice.
  • Here i have used 2 pinches of red chilli powder and another pinch of pepper powder and salt. Drizzled olive oil on top. Garnished it with Cherry tomatoes and served.
Notes
  • You can also add capsicum and onions to the salad. 
  • A tadka of fresh green chili can also be tried,  instead of other seasonings. 

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#58 http://spicingyourlife.blogspot.com/2012/03/how-to-create-post-template-in-blogger.html
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