Thursday, March 28, 2013

Oats Dumplings (Kozhukatta)

One thing I must admit, I am quite impressed with the numerous cooking shows on South Indian channels that focus on healthy cooking. These segments are a welcome change from the usual deep fried or ghee laden recipes that come on other shows. There are many shows in the U.S. too that showcase healthy cooking, but it is not the same as seeing Indian recipes.
So here is a snack that you can make for your tea-time today!
Ingredients (Makes 14 small dumplings)
Oats – ½ cup
Moong dal – 1 ½ tbsps
Mustard seeds – 1 tsp
Chopped ginger – 1 tsp
Red chili – 1-2
Water – ½ cup
Gingelly/cooking oil – 1 tbsp
Grated coconut – 2 tbsps (optional)
Curry leaves
Salt to taste
Method
Soak the moong dal for at least 30 minutes.
Toast the oats until they give out a nice aroma. Allow it to cool, powder and keep ready. In a pan, heat oil and add the mustard seeds. As they start spluttering, add the curry leaves, red chili(s), and chopped ginger. Sauté for a minute and add the moong dal. Sauté for two minutes and add the powdered oats and salt. Mix well. Start adding water, little by little, and keep stirring continuously. Add the coconut and once the mixture comes together nicely (upma like consistency), take it off the heat and keep aside. 
Get your idly steamer/cooker ready. Lightly grease the idly plate. Roll out the oats mixture into balls of desired size and steam for about 10 minutes. Remove and serve hot.
These dumplings can be eaten as is or with a simple coconut chutney. Bon Appétit.

Friday, March 22, 2013

Indulge in a Healthy Sweet Treat!

This sweet treat was born out of a recipe that I saw on a TV show recently. The host of this show makes a variety of dishes using whole grains like foxtail millet, pearl millet, black rice etc. On one of the episodes, she made a laddoo with jaggery and foxtail millet and I was really impressed by the outcome. The first thing that struck me was that the millet resembled another ingredient that I had at home, any guesses? No? Then read on to find out what I used to make these nutritious laddoos.
Ingredients
Quinoa – ½ cup
Jaggery shavings – ¾ cup (or to taste)
Cardamom powder – ½ tsp
Almond slivers – 2 tbsps
Water – 1-2 tbsps
Optional Ingredients
Powdered ginger
Cashews
Coconut flakes/pieces
Raisins
Method
Toast the quinoa until it turns a shade darker (be aware that it also pops like mustard). Keep aside. In the same pan, add the jaggery and the water and let it melt. Once it starts bubbling slightly, add the quinoa and the raisins and keep stirring until the mixture thickens. After about 3-4 minutes, the mixture will start leaving the sides of the pan and hardening a bit. In this stage, take it off direct heat and place it on a double boiler. The water in the double boiler just needs to be warm, not boiling.
I had to do this because according to the recipe, the mixture could be rolled into balls even after it had cooled down, but mine started becoming very hard and needed some heat to keep it in the right consistency.
This is the slightly hard part; the rolling of the hot mixture. I had to keep patting my palms with cold water in between each rolling. Apart from that, this was one of the easiest sweets I have made!
Once cooled, store in an airtight container and enjoy. Bon Appétit.


Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Veggie Grill: Restaurant Review

A few weeks ago, when driving towards Sprouts Farmer's Market, I saw a banner 'Veggie Grill Opening Soon'. The name intrigued me and I looked them up on Google. I was all the more interested, because they have an all vegetarian menu. My husband ate from there last week, with a colleague and said the food was good. He brought home an appetizer for tasting and I enjoyed it. We finally went there for dinner last night and here's what we had:
Our Order

Sweetheart fries (sweet potato fries) (There was enough for 3 people to share)

Papa's Portabello Burger (Grilled mushroom, chopped tomato, basil, & garlic pomodoro, caramelized onions, pesto, lettuce, red onion, chipotle ranch) with a side of purple cabbage slaw for me. (Was quite big but was really tasty so I gobbled up the whole thing in a jiffy)
Papa's Portabello Burger
Santa Fe Chickin' Wrap
Santa Fe Chikin' Wrap (Fried Chickin’, lettuce, tomato, red onion, avocado, and spicy vegan mayo with a side of chili for my husband. (Was quite big too. For those who are really good with portion control, I think 2 people can share one appetizer and one entree :-))

Before you think, "I thought this was a vegetarian restaurant, what is Chicken doing on its menu?" Well, it is not chicken..it is chickin' (their trademark product made with soy).  

Our verdict

Positives
  1. I absolutely loved the portabello burger, the wheat bun and all the condiments. 
  2. The Santa Fe Wrap was delicious, the soy chickin' is quite close to the original in texture, so I think meat eaters won't mind an occasional vegetarian meal at the Veggie Grill.
  3. The service was really good, and fast.

Negatives
  1. The prices, especially for the appetizers, are on the higher side. But I guess that comes with the territory (of being a vegetarian restaurant with vegan and gluten free options)
  2. The food is not spicy at all, especially for an Indian palate that needs its heat.
  3. With many of the dishes featuring the chickin' it might get a little redundant. 
As of now The Veggie Grill has branches only on the West coast, I guess all you vegetarians on the other side of the country will have to wait a while!





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Thursday, March 14, 2013

Palak Paneer Stuffed Paratha

Sometime last month, my parents went to a Rajasthani/Gujarati restaurant in Chennai and raved about the different dishes they tasted. One of their favorites was a palak paneer stuffed paratha, which my mother described extensively…and of course I couldn't bear not to have been there!!! What was the alternative? Coming up with my own version.
Ingredients
Aatta – 2 cups (approx)
Finely chopped spinach (Chiffonade would be pretty) – 1 cup (approx)
Very finely diced paneer – 1 cup (approx)
Chilli powder to taste
Garam masala to taste
Salt to taste
Oil/ghee
Method
Add a pinch of salt to the aatta and while adding little water at a time, make a smooth dough (chapathi dough consistency) and keep aside for at least half an hour.





The unsuccessful version with bigger paneer chunks
Roll out two chappathis. Spread some of the chopped spinach and paneer on the chappathi, leaving a  half inch border. Sprinkle some salt, garam masala and chili powder on the spinach-paneer mixture (Alternately, you can mix the spinach-paneer mixture with the spices and keep ready. Just make sure that there is no water in the stuffing). Wet the border with some water, cover with the second chappathi and seal the edges.  
Make the remaining parathas in the same way. Meanwhile, heat a griddle or non stick pan and start cooking the parathas. Spread a little oil or ghee on the surface for more flavorful parathas.
What you should not do (personal experience):
Cut the paneer into slightly big cubes; the parathas cooks unevenly and the edges become hard.
What you could do:
If you do not like the taste of raw palak, cook it with the paneer, chili powder, garam masala and salt. Just make sure that the mixture isn’t watery.
Serve with a dollop of curd and your favorite pickle. Bon Appétit.
Announcement: I would like to bring your attention to a super interesting contest being hosted by Shastha Foods. Get creative and send in your innovative dosa recipes to The Dosa Contest and win a gift hamper.


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