Vegetarian Phad Thai

After trying phad thai in a number of restaurants, my tasting buds have kind of settled on the taste of genuine phad thai. This recipe gave me the genuine taste of phad thai that is served in restros. The problem with cooking international cuisine in India is that many of the ingredients are very hard to find...well, the good news here is that all the ingredients that go into making phad thai are very easily available in India, though I am not too sure about bean sprouts, but I am sure that it can be found at Nilgiris or Spencers Daily [ with a little search of course].
We had this dish at home today, served with a banana milkshake on the side, also go ahead and try iced coffee instead.

Ingredients:

1. Phad Thai sauce[ see below]

2. 1/2 cup peanuts[ roasted and then ground]

3. 10 ozs noodles [ flat noodles is ideal though for this recipe I used the regular wheat noodles, it still tastes great]

4. a bunch of spring onions, cut fine

5. 1/2 an onion cut fine

5. 4 garlic pods, crushed/ minced

6. 1 cup bean sprouts

7. 1 cup tofu, cubed

8. a few coriander leaves, chopped fine

9. two eggs, whisked

10. salt to taste

1. First we make the sauce and this has to come out just right to give us the real phad thai taste.

For the sauce:

The trick to this recipe is getting the sauce just right.

1. 4 tablespoons soy sauce

2. 1 tablespoon tamarind paste, if using tamarind water, use quarter cup tamarind water

3. 2 teaspoons chilli sauce[ increase by one teaspoon if you want really spicy phad thai]

4. 6 tablespoons brown sugar

5. 6 tablespoons water/ 1/2 cup water

Mix all the above and boil slowly over a flame for not over 5 minutes till it acquires sauce consistency. The tamarind and the sugar would have blended well by now. Keep aside to let it cool.

2. Next boil water and when it is still hot turn off the flame and soak the noodles in it for 5-7 minutes. The noodles must be of al dente texture[ be careful not to make the noodles too soft or it will make the phad thai very messy when you stir fry the noodles]

3. Heat a pan, add a tablespoon of oil and quicky scramble the eggs, with a teaspoon of salt, remove from the flame and cool.

4. Put 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan and fry the onions, crushed garlic and carrots. Once the onions turn transparent, add the cubed tofu and shallow fry it till it turns light golden brown [ it may not be possible to turn the tofu completely golden without breaking it, this depends on the type of tofu that you are using, a light golden brown colour will do]

5. Once the tofu has become soft and light brown, add the noodles and bring the flame to medium. Add the prepared sauce a little at a timeand continue to stir fry the noodles. Add the scrambles eggs and the bean sprouts and continue to stir the noodles for 3-4 more minutes

6. Put on a plate and serve with ground peanuts, some more bean sprouts on the side, and with coriander and spring onions on the top.

Bon apetite!!!

Vegetarian Pasta

This is a shorcut pasta recipe, its very simplistic and requires very little fuss-hassle. Most of the ingredients for this recipe will slip right out of your fridge.

Ingredients:

1 cup pasta

1 large onion finely chopped

1 ginger crushed

2 green chillies finely chopped

1/2 cup cheese

3 tablespoons milk

1 tablespoon sour cream/ fresh cream

3-4 tomatoes

1 large bell pepper (red/ green/ yellow), cut into long strips

1/2 cup tomato sauce

1 1/2 teaspoons oregano

pepper to taste

salt to taste

Method:

1. First boil and cook the pasta as per the instructions

2. Add the onion and the garlic and chillies. Let the onions lose color.

3. Puree the tomatoes in a blender and add.

4. Add the tomato kethup and let the mixture boil for a minute.

5. Add the capsicum and cook till the capsicum becomes cooked.

6. Add the milk and sour cream and blend for another two more minutes

7. Now add the cheese and let it melt in the mixture. Add the oregano and stir continuously.

8. Finally add salt and pepper to taste and cook for two more minutes. The sauce is ready

Gradually add the pasta to the sauce and cook for another 3 minutes. Garnish with grated cheese.

Thala Deepavali celebrations

Yesterday was our first special Deepavali together and in a way, a trend setter for how we celebrate all major festivals henceforth. What defines an Indian festival celebration better than great food, a temple visit and having close relatives around? Well, being in US now, we had to figure out how best to squeeze out the fun with family and friends far away. So there I was, yesterday morning, my morning cuppa of tea in one hand, a cook book in the other.
After hubby left for work, I had the kitchen and my wits all to myself.
I discovered that putting together a menu that is true to the Diwali spirit is no easy task for a novice chef [ of course I did have some mor kuzambu in the fridge as a last resort]. Well, one idea led to another.... the cook book said that aama vadai during this festival was a must, so that was a given, and then Murali wanted to sweeten it up with semiya payasam, the rava kesari was my idea ( most of it has been sent to be distributed at hubby's workplace today), and then I remembered how at most funtions at home pooris were almost always prepared. So pooris it was, with the quintessential accompaniment- aloo curry? and of course a bit of rajma.....so there it was.....my first Diwali menu....
So whats different about celebrating Diwali in the US? Nothing really.....just that now I don't know what to do with all the excess food in the fridge!!

Rava Kesari:

This one was from the Chandra Padmanabhan cookbook " Dakshin", one of those cookbooks that I am glad I bought before I got married (in spite ot its steep pice of Rs. 295/-).This book has been my constant guide during the last few months and its literally in tatters now due to overuse! Her proportions of ingredients in each recipe are spot on and she gives a very interesting twist to most recipes. I have almost always attained near perfect taste by simply following her recipes to the T. We began our meal with the kesari and it definitely was a sweet beginning.

Pooris:
This was tricky as my husband and I have made a resolve to keep junk food and oily stuff out of the confines of our home. Well, on this one day, we decided to make a very strict exception.

Aama Vadai:

This recipe was dutifully followed from Meenakshi Ammal ( the secret of homely South Indian food for the third generation straight). My granny passed the cookbook on to my mom who passed it on to me ( just that I have the English version). My first attempt at making aama vadais (another exception to "keep the fried stuff out of the house").

Poori Aloo Curry:

My hubby told me about how he used to eat this dish often at a little Udupi restro in Neyveli and this kinda inspired me to center our Diwali menu around it. Another Chandra Padmanabhan recipe. Her recipe goes great with masala dosais too. My mom makes this a lot at home, except that hers has more of a gravy consistency. Someday, I hope to acquire her expertise at this dish too.

Rajma Curry:

This was just another accompaniment for the pooris and I thought I'd freeze it and make jeera pulao over the weekend and have it with the rajma. I have this great recipe for rajma from a book by Rohini Singh ( a gift from my dad) called " Cooking for brides, bachelors and those who hate cooking". Simple recipe, yet it captures the essence of this popular kidney beans dish.

Semiya Payasam:

And then....semiya payasam, I had to actually quarter the recipe given in the Dakshin book, and yet, I have a lot of semiya payasam still sitting in my fidge. This is my second attempt at semiya payasam, the first time I tried this recipe was during Varamahalakshmi.

Dhum Biryani

Ingredients:

• Basmati Rice- 1 cup
• Onions- 1 large ( cut lengthwise long)
• Mixed assorted vegetables- 2 cups
• For the curd mixture:
  Fresh curds – ¾ to 1 cup
  Chopped coriander- 3 tablespoons
  Coriander powder -1 teaspoon
  Cumin Powder – ½ teaspoon
  Black Pepper powder- 2 tsps
  Ginger garlic paste – 1 teaspoon
  Tomatoes- 3 diced
• Butter- 1 tablespoon
  
  

Baked Vegetables

This is a recipe that is quick and easy and can be easily made in the microwave and the results are amazing. Do make this dish when you want a change from heavy cooking. This dish goes very well with tomato soup.

Ingredients:

1. 1-1 1/2 cups vegetables. You can use carrots, beans, cauliflower, capsicum, peas. Caluiflower and capsicum make excellent choices . I have used peas, beans, carrot and corn as shown in the picture below.

2. Once cup macaroni boiled (optional)

3. 2 tablespoon butter

4. 2 tablespoons chopped onions

5. 2 tablespoon cornflour/ maida

6. 2 cups milk

7. 1 tablespoon oregano

8. salt to taste (1 teaspoon)

9. pepper (1 teaspoon)

10. Cheese (1/2 cup)

Method:

1. In the microwave, melt the butter for 40 seconds. Add the onions to the butter and cook in the microwave for 2 minutes till the onions turn transparent.

2. Add one tablespoon of cornflour and mix till . Heat in the microwave for a minute again.

3. Put the 2 cups of milk in the mixture and heat in the microwave for 8 minutes. Once you take the mixture out of the microwave, stir it. The sauce must be of a thick consistency. Add a tablespoon of maida/ cornflour to thicken it.

4. Add the oregano, salt and pepper and stir it.

5. Put the vegetables with a quarter cup of water in the microwave for 5-6 minutes. Put a teaspoon of salt with the vegetables before putting it in the microwave. Boil the macaroni separately if you are using it.

6. After the vegetables are cooked, drain the excess water and put the vegetables and macaroni (if you are using it) on a microwave dish. Pour the sauce over the vegetables and grate cheese all over.

7. Put the dish back in the microwave for 3-4 minutes. The cheese would have melted.

Take the dish out. The dish now has the veggie layer at the bottom, the sauce in the middle and the cheese on the top (as seen in the picture) and is ready to be served. I have made the dish in a bowl, but you can make it on a curved microwave plate if you have one.

Black Peppers

From the pages of Wikipedia:

Black pepper (Piper nigrum) is a flowering vine in the family Piperaceae, cultivated for its fruit, which is usually dried and used as a spice and seasoning. The same fruit is also used to produce white pepper, red/pink pepper, and green pepper.[1] Black pepper is native to South India and is extensively cultivated there and elsewhere in tropical regions. The fruit, known as a peppercorn when dried, is a small drupe five millimetres in diameter, dark red when fully mature, containing a single seed.
Dried ground pepper is one of the most common spices in European cuisine and its descendants, having been known and prized since antiquity for both its flavour and its use as a medicine. The spiciness of black pepper is due to the chemical piperine. Ground black peppercorn, usually referred to simply as "pepper", may be found on nearly every dinner table in some parts of the world, often alongside table salt.

Basil

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Basil (Ocimum basilicum) (pronounced BAY-zl or BAZZ-il), of the Family Lamiaceae, is also known as Sweet Basil or Tulsi.
Basil is most commonly recommended to be used fresh; in cooked recipes it is generally added at the last moment, as cooking quickly destroys the flavour. The fresh herb can be kept for a short time in plastic bags in the refrigerator, or for a longer period in the freezer, after being blanched quickly in boiling water. The dried herb also loses most of its flavour, and what little flavour remains tastes very different, with a weak coumarin flavour, like hay.
Mediterranean and Indochinese cuisines frequently use basil, the former frequently combining it with tomato. Basil is one of the main ingredients in pesto—a green Italian oil-and-herb sauce from the city of Genoa, its other two main ingredients being olive oil and pine nuts. The most commonly used Mediterranean basil cultivars are "Genovese", "Purple Ruffles", "Mammoth", "Cinnamon", "Lemon", "Globe", and "African Blue". Chinese also use fresh or dried basils in soups and other foods. In Taiwan, people add fresh basil leaves into thick soups (羹湯; gēngtāng). They also eat fried chicken with deep-fried basil leaves.
Basil is sometimes used with fresh fruit and in fruit jams and sauces—in particular with strawberries, but also raspberries or dark-colored plums. Arguably the flat-leaf basil used in Vietnamese cooking, which has a slightly different flavour, is more suitable for use with fruit.

Thyme

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Thyme (Thymus) (pronounced "time") is a genus of about 350 species of aromatic perennial herbaceous plants and sub-shrubs to 40 cm tall, in the family Lamiaceae and native to Europe, North Africa and Asia.

Thyme is used most widely in cooking. Thyme is a basic ingredient in French and Italian cuisines, and in those derived from them. It is also widely used in Lebanese and Caribbean cuisines.

Thyme is often used to flavour meats, soups and stews. It has a particular affinity to and is often used as a primary flavour with lamb, tomatoes and eggs.

Thyme, while flavourful, does not overpower and blends well with other herbs and spices. In French cuisine, along with bay and parsley it is a common component of the bouquet garni, and of herbes de Provence. In some Middle Eastern countries, the condiment za'atar contains thyme as a vital ingredient.

Oregano

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Oregano or Pot Marjoram (Origanum vulgare) is a species of Origanum, native to Europe, the Mediterranean region and southern and central Asia. It is a perennial herb, growing to 20-80 cm tall, with opposite leaves 1-4 cm long. It has an aromatic, warm and slightly bitter taste.

The related species Origanum onites (Greece, Asia Minor) and O. heracleoticum (Italy, Balkan peninsula, West Asia) have similar flavours. A closely related plant is marjoram from Asia Minor, which, however, differs significantly in taste, because phenolic compounds are missing in its essential oil. Some breeds show a flavour intermediate between oregano and marjoram.

The dish most associated with oregano is pizza. Its relatives have probably been eaten in Southern Italy for centuries.

Nutmeg

From the pages of Wikipedia:
The nutmegs Myristica are a genus of evergreen trees indigenous to tropical southeast Asia and Australasia. They are important for two spices derived from the fruit, nutmeg and mace.

In Indian cuisine, nutmeg powder is used almost exclusively in sweet dishes. It is known as Jaiphal in most parts of India. It may also be used in small quantities in garam masala.

In Middle Eastern cuisine, nutmeg powder is often used as a spice for savoury dishes. In Arabic, nutmeg is called Jawz at-Tiyb.

In European cuisine, nutmeg and mace are used especially in potato dishes and in processed meat products; they are also used in soups, sauces and baked goods.

Japanese varieties of curry powder include nutmeg as an ingredient.

Bay Leaf

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Bay leaf in Greek Daphni (plural bay leaves) is the aromatic leaf of several species of the Laurel family (Lauraceae). Fresh or dried bay leaves are used in cooking for their distinctive flavor and fragrance.


Bay leaves are a fixture in the cooking of many European cuisines (particularly those of the Mediterranean), as well as in North America. They are used in soups, stews, meat, seafood, and vegetable dishes. The leaves also flavor classic French dishes such as bouillabaise and bouillon. The leaves are most often used whole (sometimes in a bouquet garni), and removed before serving. In Indian cuisine, bay leaves are often used in biriyani and many salans.

Bay leaves can also be crushed (or ground) before cooking. Crushed bay leaves impart more of their desired fragrance than whole leaves, and there is less chance of biting into a leaf directly.

Cardamom

From the pages of Wikipedia:
The name cardamom is used for herbs within two genera of the ginger family Zingiberaceae, namely Elettaria and Amomum. Both varieties take the form of a small seedpod, triangular in cross-section and spindle-shaped, with a thin papery outer shell and small black seeds. Elettaria pods are light green in color, while Amomum pods are larger and dark brown.

Cardamom has a strong, unique taste, with an intensely aromatic fragrance. It is a common ingredient in Indian cooking, and is often used in baking in Nordic countries. One of the most expensive spices by weight, little is needed to impart the flavour. Cardamom is best stored in pod form, because once the seeds are exposed or ground, they quickly lose their flavour. However, high-quality ground cardamom is often more readily (and cheaply) available, and is an acceptable substitute. For recipes requiring whole cardamom pods, a generally accepted equivalent is 10 pods equals 1½ teaspoons of ground cardamom.

Cinnamon

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Cinnamon (Cinnamomum verum, synonym C. zeylanicum) is a small evergreen tree 10-15 meters (32.8-49.2 feet) tall, belonging to the family Lauraceae, native to Sri Lanka and Southern India. The bark is widely used as a spice. The leaves are ovate-oblong in shape, 7-18 cm (2.75-7.1 inches) long. The flowers, which are arranged in panicles, have a greenish color, and have a distinct odor. The fruit is a purple one-centimetre berry containing a single seed.

Cinnamon bark is widely used as a spice. It is principally employed in cookery as a condiment and flavouring material, being largely used in the preparation of some kinds of desserts, chocolate, spicy candies, tea, hot cocoa and liqueurs. In the Middle East, it is often used in savoury dishes of chicken and lamb. In the United States, cinnamon and sugar are often used to flavour cereals, bread-based dishes, and fruits, especially apples; a cinnamon-sugar mixture is even sold separately for such purposes. Cinnamon can also be used in pickling. Cinnamon bark is one of the few spices which can be consumed directly.

Cloves

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Cloves (Syzygium aromaticum, syn. Eugenia aromaticum or Eugenia caryophyllata) are the aromatic dried flower buds of a tree in the family Myrtaceae. It is native to Indonesia and used as a spice in cuisine all over the world. The name derives from French clou, a nail, as the buds vaguely resemble small irregular nails in shape. Cloves are harvested primarily in Zanzibar, Indonesia and Madagascar; it is also grown in Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka.

Cloves can be used in cooking either whole or in a ground form, but as they are extremely strong, they are used sparingly. The spice is used throughout Europe and Asia and is smoked in a type of cigarettes locally known as kretek in Indonesia and in occasional coffee bars in the West, mixed with marijuana to create marijuana spliffs (zigzags). Cloves are also an important incense material in Chinese and Japanese culture.

Cloves have historically been used in Indian cuisine (both North Indian and South Indian). In the north Indian cuisine, it is used in almost every sauce or side dish made, mostly ground up along with other spices. They are also a key ingredient in tea along with green cardamoms. In the south Indian cuisine, it finds extensive use in the biryani dish (similar to the pilaf, but with the addition of local spice taste), and is normally added whole to enhance the presentation and flavor of the rice.

Fenugreek

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) belongs to the family Fabaceae. Fenugreek is used both as a herb (the leaves) and as a spice (the seed). It is cultivated worldwide as a semi-arid crop.

The rhombic yellow to amber colored fenugreek seed, commonly called Methi, is frequently used in the preparation of pickles, curry powders and pastes, and is often encountered in the cuisine of the Indian subcontinent. The young leaves and sprouts of fenugreek are eaten as greens, and the fresh or dried leaves are used to flavor other dishes. The dried leaves (called kasuri methi) have a bitter taste and a strong characteristic smell.

In India, fenugreek seeds are mixed with yogurt and used as a conditioner for hair. It is also one of the ingredients in the making of khakhra, a type of bread. It is used in injera/taita, a type of bread unique to Ethiopian and Eritrean cuisine. The word for fenugreek in Amharic is abesh, and the see is reportedly also often used in Ethiopia as a natural herbal medicine in the treatment of diabetes. It is also sometimes used as an ingredient in the production of clarified butter (Amharic: qibé, Ethiopian and Eritrean Tigrinya: tesme), which is similar to Indian ghee. In Turkey, fenugreek gives its name, çemen, to a hot paste used in pastirma. In Yemen it is the main condiment and an ingredient added to the national dish called saltah. The Arabic word hulba for the seed resembles its Mandarin Chinese counterpart hu lu ba. Fenugreek, or Şambélilé in Persian, is also one of four herbs used for the Iranian recipe Ghormeh Sabzi.

In Egypt, fenugreek seeds are prepared as tea.

Fenugreek seeds are a rich source of the polysaccharide galactomannan. They are also a source of saponins such as diosgenin, yamogenin, gitogenin, tigogenin, and neotigogens. Other bioactive constituents of fenugreek include mucilage, volatile oils, and alkaloids such as choline and trigonelline.

Cummin

From the pages of Wikipedia:
Cumin (Cuminum cyminum) (sometimes misspelled cummin) is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae, native from the east Mediterranean to East India.

It is a herbaceous annual plant, with a slender branched stem 20-30 cm tall. The leaves are 5-10 cm long, pinnate or bipinnate, thread-like leaflets. The flowers are small, white or pink, and borne in umbels. The fruit is a laterall fusiform or ovoid achene 4-5 mm long, containing a single seed. Cumin seeds are similar to fennel seeds, but are smaller and darker in colour.

The flavour of cumin plays a major role in Mexican, Thai, Vietnamese, and Indian cuisines. Cumin is a critical ingredient of chili powder, and is found in achiote blends, adobos, garam masala, curry powder, and bahaarat.

Peanut Chutney

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup peanuts
2. half of a medium onion
3. 2 pieces garlic (small size)
4. 1/2 tespoon tamicon paste or one teaspoon tamarind pulp
5. 5-6 red chillies
6. For the tempering: 1 teaspoon mustard seeds, 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, 1 teaspoon bengal gram dal, 1 teaspoon black gram dal, a few curry leaves
7. salt to taste ( not more than 1/2 teaspoon)

Method:

1. First, heat a little oil in a pan and roast the peanuts. Keep aside and let cool.
2. Chop the onion into big pieces. Roast the onion, garlic and red chillies, till the onions take on a brownish shade. Keep aside and cool completely.
3. Powder the roasted peanuts in the grinder. After they are ground, add the roasted onion, garlic and red chillies with tamarind and one cup water. Grind till it becomes a semi solid paste. Add the salt.
4. Do the tempering. In a pan, heat all the ingredients for tempering and when the seeds splutter add it to the chutney.
Serve with idlis, snacks and dosa.