Pongal is a South Indian Tamil rice dish made with rice and lentils that are cooked like a thick porridge. Rice and lentils are cooked together with salt and turmeric until very tender and then mixed in with ghee and toasted black peppercorns. As comforting a dish as it can get, this is a pure clean flavor that tastes awesome with a side of spiced tomato sauce called gotsu. Continue reading Pongal. South Indian Tamil Rice and Lentil Porridge
Tag Archives: legumes & grains
Bharazi. Black Eyed Peas in Coconut Milk
Looking for a totally different black-eyed pea recipe to make for good luck in the New Year? A dish from East Africa? Try this black-eyed pea stew called bharazi created by Indians living in Kenya. Bharazi is an Indianized Kenyan dish made with black-eyed peas or pigeon peas, coconut milk, and spices. Continue reading Bharazi. Black Eyed Peas in Coconut Milk
Baby Spinach, Persimmon & Quinoa Salad
Baby Spinach, Persimmon & Quinoa Salad is a dish that our friend Van brought to our mutual friends Dave and Rose’s dinner gathering that I absolutely couldn’t get enough of. I must have had two to three plate full’s of this salad. I liked it so much that I wanted to ask Van for her recipe, but I really didn’t need to, as it had just four wholesome ingredients – baby spinach, red quinoa, sunflower seeds, and persimmons; all tossed in a simple vinaigrette. Continue reading Baby Spinach, Persimmon & Quinoa Salad
Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry
Take a traditional Indian chickpea curry called chole and add some fall-inspired butternut squash and what you get is this delectable butternut squash and chickpea curry. I love this curry so much I have been making it often this fall. The butternut squash adds a nice sweetness to the dish, and the addition of peppers and potatoes combined with chickpeas makes this an awesome one-pot meal. Served with naan or chapatis or ladled over steaming rice or quinoa – either way you have it this curry is delicious. Continue reading Butternut Squash & Chickpea Curry
Kale Quinoa Pilaf
This very quick and easy quinoa pilaf has been one of my favorite go-to dishes when I want to make something fast. What makes this pilaf a breeze to make is the frozen quinoa and kale blend that I buy at Costco and keep in the freezer. The frozen quinoa has four individualy wrapped packets, each with cooked quinoa and super green such as kale. This way I can use one, two, or three packets depending on how many people I am serving. All this recipe requires is cutting an onion, a pepper and a few garlic cloves. Then just cook the veggies with spices and add them to the quinoa. That’s it. For a scrumptiously delicious quinoa pilaf in as little as 15 minutes give this quinoa blend a try. Continue reading Kale Quinoa Pilaf
Bok Choy Fried Rice
Bok choy fried rice is a dish I had at a cute little Asian restaurant in San Francisco called Chubby Noodle. We got the recommendation for this eatery from one of my daughter’s friends who lives in SF and suggested we try their weekend bottomless brunch. With two locations in the city, the one we were told to head to was the Chubby Noodle in the Marina District on Lombard Street Chubby Noodle Marina. Folks, this is an awesome place for awesome food. The decor is eclectic, space intimate, and the wait staff super friendly. Sprinkle in family and friends and it’s absolutely perfect. Awesome food, awesome service, awesome decor – what more does one require for a great eating out experience? If you are looking for a fun place to grab a long 90-minute brunch with friends and family give this Asian restaurant a try – Chubby Noodle. Continue reading Bok Choy Fried Rice
Chanterelle Wild Mushroom Risotto
Last week I went shopping for produce at Costco and came across these gorgeous looking wild mushrooms called chanterelles. Usually I find wild mushrooms to be pricey at the grocery stores and even at the Famer’s Market, but at Costco for a large carton of about 4-5 cups of chanterelle mushrooms it was just more affordable and they looked so fresh too. I picked up a carton and decided to make wild mushroom risotto that same night. Gorgeous golden colored chanterelles look and taste amazing in a creamy risotto. Continue reading Chanterelle Wild Mushroom Risotto
Broad Bean Salad
I can’t say enough great things about my friend Shalini and her culinary skills. She has to be the most creative cook I know. Any time I am at a party where Shalini is invited I always look forward to tasting her interesting new veggie dishes. Dinner at our mutual friends Swati and Tarak’s place was one of those occasions when Shalini once again brought a couple of her creative and delicious vegetarian dishes – a broad bean salad and a spicy roasted butternut squash. Both were exceptional. I will post the recipe for her spicy butternut squash soon, here I am sharing Shalini’s delicious broad bean salad recipe which is easy to make and requires minimal effort. Continue reading Broad Bean Salad
Royal Rice. A fusion of Mexican and Indian flavors.
An issue of Food and Wine magazine arrived in the mail and I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was completely dedicated to the cuisine of Mexico. In this issue the two recipes that got me intrigued were vegetarian dishes that combined Mexican and Indian flavors. One of the recipes was for a dish called royal rice and the other one was for Indian pakoras made with chickpea flour, Mexican herbs, and Mexican lager beer. The rice dish is really interesting because it is a blend of Indian and Mexican flavors all mashed up into one main dish that can be had with yogurt raita or as a side with fish or chicken. Continue reading Royal Rice. A fusion of Mexican and Indian flavors.
Black Bean Salad with Yellow Squash, Celery & Arugula
This black bean salad with white balsamic vinaigrette tastes fresh, flavorful and filling. Vegetables like yellow squash and celery, and black beans all add substance to the salad while the arugula and green onions lighten it up. Tossing veggies like squash with a sweet white balsamic vinaigrette really enhances the flavor of squash that to me tasted like raw mangoes after it was marinated in the dressing. Give it a try. Continue reading Black Bean Salad with Yellow Squash, Celery & Arugula
