Pumpkin green peas curry

I opened my new pack of fennel seeds, the aroma triggered the invention cells in my brain :) Fennel seeds, peanuts and coconut are best friends. They taste amazing when put together. Made this pumpkin curry, probably one of my best inventions so far. :)

Ingredients: 

• 250 gms yellow pumpkin - cubed


• 1 red onion- chopped fine (some goes into the curry, some into blender)


• Green peas - a handful


• Roasted Peanuts-15


• Black Mustard seeds-1 and 1/2 tsp


• 10 curry leaves


• 1 tsp rice bran oil


• Fennel seeds- 1tsp


• 2 garlic pods chopped fine


• Salt-to taste

To Grind:

• Coconut-3-4 tbsp


• Dry red chilli-2 (vary this based on your spice limit)


• Fennel seeds - 1 tsp


• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp


• A handful of chopped red onion


• Garlic - 3 nos

Method:

• Grind the ingredients to be blended into a smooth paste.


• In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil, add mustard seeds, once it pops, add curry leaves, fennel seeds and chopped garlic. Saute for a minute before you toss the onions in


• Add little salt and sprinkle water to soften them. Add the chopped pumpkin, peanuts, green peas and saute for a minute and then add the blended paste, salt close and cook until pumpkins are real soft. Sprinkle water if needed.


• Once pumpkin is soft, add 2 tsp of cornflour to make the curry dry.

Quinoa with Rasam

Rasam is my all-time favorite -  A tangy Indian soup eaten with rice. Usually tomato/tamarind are the base for rasam, Either you can love rasam or hate it completely. When India was under Brits rule, Brits loved Rasam so much that they came up with their version of Rasam- Mulligatawny soup. It translates to Pepper water in Tamil.

There are different ways to make rasam. Every place in South India has their signature rasam. There are ones which take less than 10 mins to cook or some complicated ones which take more than 45 mins.

This is the most easiest recipe. Are you bored by adding quinoa to salads? If you are looking for an alternative, this is what you do. Make Rasam and add quinoa to it. :)

Ingredients: 

• Roma tomatoes - 3 big nos


• Turmeric - a pinch


• Coriander leaves- 6-7 leaves

To grind to fine paste 

• Garlic- 5 nos


• Green chilli-1


• Cumin seeds - 1 tsp


• Peppercorn -8 nos

To season:

• Oil-1 tsp


• Mustard seeds-1 tsp


• Curry leaves- 10


• Red chilli-broken into half

Method

• Bring water to boil, add the tomatoes in and close the pan, let tomatoes boil for 5-6 mins/until the skin starts peeling off. Cool and blend it to a fine puree.


• In a pan, add 1 tsp oil, add mustard seeds and curry leaves and add the ground paste in. Lower the flame. Fry for a couple of minutes and add the tomato puree, salt, 1 and 1/2 cups water, salt and wait until it froths.


• Remove off heat and top with coriander leaves

Baby Kale Thoran

Coconut is my drug. I am addicted to it. I can add coconut to every dish I am eating without flinching my face. Any dish doesn't turn out the way I want it to, I add coconut. My ancestry has traces of Kerala heritage, which is one of the most beautiful places in India and coconut is one of the main ingredients in most of the dishes there :) (No wonder, I love it)

If you have an onion, a garlic, coconut meat and chilli, Thoran is your time savior. You can make thoran out of every vegetable possible, and without a doubt, it will taste good. Thoran is vege-stir fry with coconut.

When I went to Woolworths this week for my grocery shopping, I got few packs of Baby Kale, one of the most nutritious greens ever.

Ingredients 

• 1 red onion-finely chopped


• Baby Kale - 1 and half packets


• Coconut meat - 1 handful


• 2 garlic pods-finely chopped


• Salt -to taste

For seasoning

• Black Mustard seeds-1 and 1/2 tsp


• 10 curry leaves


• 1 fresh green chilli-slit (if you don't want it to be spicy at all, just drop the chilli in)


• 1 tsp rice bran oil

Method

• In a pan, heat 1 tsp oil, when it is real hot, add black mustard seeds, when it starts to pop, add curry leaves in, green chilli, onion and garlic in. Toss some salt in


• Sprinkle water and soften the onions


• Add Kale and bit of salt in and it takes a while to cook Kale.


• Once it is dry/devoid of water, add coconut in and turn off the heat


• Ready to eat :)

Kale Quinoa cooked Moroccan style

Had baby kale and boiled black-eyed beans sitting in my fridge looking at me saying "Add us together" and I did put them together with quinoa. Cooked them in Moroccan style. Was yum.

Ingredients 

• Red quinoa- cooked 1 cup


• Red onion-1-finely chopped


• Baby Kale-a handful


• Moroccan seasoning - 1 tbsp


• Boiled black eyed beans - 1 handful


• Coconut-1 tbsp


• 1 tsp oil


• 1 tsp cumin or mustard seeds


• Few curry leaves (optional)


• Salt- to taste


• Lemon juice- from half lemon

Method

• Cook red quinoa without salt.


• In a pan, add 1 tsp oil, add cumin/mustard seeds and curry leaves and add the onions in.


• Once they are soft, add kale and boiled black eyed beans, the Moroccan spices, coconut and stir them until it is dry.


• Add the red quinoa in, add salt, mix them well. Take it off heat and add half a lemon juice.

Vegan Thai Green Curry

This Thai curry recipe was given to me by a thai student of mine.. This tasted real good.. I am so glad that  she passed me the recipe. Yummy :) Chopping takes around 30 mins. If you have the ingredients ready, this curry is the easiest :) 

Ingredients for the vegan green curry paste - blend them real fine. 

• Basil leaves-a handful


• Kaffir lime rind-a quarter- That was way too strong for me- 1 used 4 kaffir lime leaves


• Coriander leaves-1/2 handful


• Inner most section of lemon grass- 1 stalk-finely chopped


• Garlic pods-8


• Ginger-1 small piece


• Coriander powder-1 tsp


• Green chilli-3


• Soya sauce-1 tsp


• Half red onion/2 shallots


• Peppercorns-3


• Clove-1

Ingredients for the curry

• Brown muchrooms-4 length-wise chopped


• Small carrot -1 - julienne


• 1/2 brocolli head- seperate them into tiny florets


• Firm tofu-broken into bits - 2 tbsp


• Green peas- to taste


• 10 Basil leaves


• 1/2 Eggplant-finely chopped


• 1/2 a can of light coconut milk


• Red onion-1-finely chopped


• Salt- to taste


• 1 bay leaf, 2 kaffir lime leaves

Method

• In a pan, add 1 tsp oil, add 1 bay leaf, 2 kaffir lime leaves, onion, fry, add water and try to brown them, add all the veges, green curry paste, toss some salt, 1/2 cup water and let the  veges boil.


• Keep adding water until the carrots boil. That's when you add  few bits of crumbled tofu and 1/2 a can of light coconut milk and the basil leaves and that's it :) Ready with green curry.


• Tastes awesome with Kale quinoa

Blueberry banana choco magic

Sorry that I wasn't able to post for the last month and a half. Vacation to Tasmania and semester started.. Back to work. I know they are all excuses. :( I will try to keep up blogging regularly :)

I got a 125 gms pack of Tasmanian blue berries. Having tasted them in Tassie, I knew they would taste great and milkshake is what you you put them in

Ingredients

• Banana-1


• Blueberry - 75 gms


• Dates- 3 for sweetness


• Sun flower seeds -2 tsp


• Chia seeds -1 tsp


• Dietary fibre - 1 tsp


• Soy milk - enough to blend into a thick milkshake


• Raw Cacao powder - 1 heaped tbsp


• Almond meal- 1 tsp

Method

• Blend them all together [except almond meal] in a high speed blender and top with almond meal and a blueberry