Gotsu is a saucy, tangy, spicy cooked salsa made in most South Indian homes to accompany any type of rice dish. I shared a recipe earlier for an easy tomato onion gotsu that my Mom used to make to accompany a lentil and rice pilaf called pongal. Here I would like to share my Aunty Shashi’s recipe for an eggplant gotsu made with eggplant, juicy tomatoes, onions, bell peppers and lots of spices. Continue reading Eggplant Gotsu
Tag Archives: spices
Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. Hazelnut Apple Almond Crumble.
Last weekend I was invited to my friend Nishma’s home for a pre-Diwali dinner and for the party I was requested to bring my cardamom apple almond crumble. It was the perfect time to make this dessert as I had a bunch of garden apples from my friend Devi waiting to be consumed. This time though I made a slight change to my recipe, when I went to the store to pick up all the ingredients I noticed in the baking isle Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Meal. I grabbed a bag and made the apple crumble with a mix of hazelnut meal, almond flour and oats. It turned out awesome! Interesting observation that one of my kids made with the hazelnut addition is that this nut flour binds much better than almond meal, almost the same consistency as flour. This is one decadent healthyish dessert packed with good for you oats, nuts, fruit and spices with the sweetness of brown sugar. Give it a try! Continue reading Cinnamon Spice and Everything Nice. Hazelnut Apple Almond Crumble.
Shishito Pepper Stir Fry Coconut Rice
Here I was left with a large quantity of Shishito peppers from my farmer’s marker trip wondering what to do with so many, I’m talking over 50 peppers! Don’t get me wrong, I love Shishito peppers but even for our family there is a limit to how many Shishito peppers we can have. I was looking for a way to use up all these peppers when I got the idea to use them in a stir-fry rice. I cut up the peppers into bite size pieces, sautéed them until they were tender and charred, added fresh coconut, a couple of Indian spices, salt and sugar and I ended up with this delicious Shishito pepper stir fry coconut rice. The rice tasted so good that my family was having it by the bowl fulls. It tasted even better the next day as all the flavors had a chance to marinate and get absorbed into the rice. If you love Shishito peppers or Padron peppers like we do, this is an awesome recipe to use up a good amount of these peppers. Give it a try! Continue reading Shishito Pepper Stir Fry Coconut Rice
Indian Spiced Rice, Paneer and Zucchini Stuffed Peppers
Stuffed peppers are such an easy dish to make that I wonder why I don’t make it more often. For me hearing the word “stuffed” has connotations of a “hard recipe” but this recipe is easy as it can get. Have leftover rice, quinoa or couscous? Stuff them inside bell peppers seasoned with Indian spices and extra veggies like zucchini and you get a super healthy and delicious vegetarian meal in no time at all. Keep it vegan and stuff it with veggies and grains or add in some cheese like paneer to give the peppers heft. Generously spiced with ginger, garlic and onions and a fragrant amount of Indian spices; these stuffed peppers are a deliciously satisfying meal for lunch or dinner. Continue reading Indian Spiced Rice, Paneer and Zucchini Stuffed Peppers
Apple Date Tarts
Apples, plump dates and sweet spices, with these pure simple ingredients you get tarts that are gooey, sweet and delicious. Best part is how easy they are to make especially when made with store bought pastry dough. Here is a quick and easy recipe for delicious individualized apple date tarts. Continue reading Apple Date Tarts
Bell Pepper Potato Curry
Late summer brings with it a harvest of peppers in all shapes and sizes. Sweet peppers, spicy peppers, mild peppers, green, yellow, red, and orange peppers – you name it, it’s available at the farmer’s market right now. All these peppers are the inspiration for this curry that uses peppers in an Indian spiced potato curry. Continue reading Bell Pepper Potato Curry
Zucchini Eggplant Stir Fry Curry
Zucchini Eggplant Stir Fry Curry
Ingredients:
- 1 large Japanese eggplant or 2 medium sized Japanese eggplants cut into small chunks
- 2-3 medium sized zucchini cut into small chunks
- 4 garlic cloves finely minced
- 1 medium onion finely cut
- 1 tbsp finely minced ginger
- 1 tsp cumin seeds
- 1 tsp cumin powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 1/2 tsp turmeric powder
- 1/2 tsp chili powder (optional)
- 1 tsp garlic powder (optional)
- Salt
- Oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Cilantro for garnish
Shalini’s Coconut Chutney with Cilantro and Green Chili
Coconut chutney is such an ubiquitous side condiment in every South Indian home that at any given time there is almost always coconut chutney available and ready to be had with any food of one’s choice. Naturally with such a common dish every family has their own variation. I posted a recipe for a quick and easy coconut chutney a while back, in this new version I would like to share with you my friend Shalini’s coconut chutney recipe which has the added dimension of fresh cilantro and fresh ginger. Continue reading Shalini’s Coconut Chutney with Cilantro and Green Chili
Indian Summer Ratatouille
If you are looking for a great way to use up a large quantity of summertime tomatoes and veggies then this dish is the one! That’s the dilemma I faced that inspired this veggie-laden dish. I had loads of peppers, zucchini, carrots and tomatoes, and I knew it would take a few days to use all these up, but these veggies were ready to be had ASAP. I decided to make a giant pot of Indian stew/curry type of dish with all the veggies I could collect from the refrigerator. I also wanted this to be a saucy dish as I had soooo many tomatoes too. Indian Ratatouille, is the name the kids gave this stew. The name sounded pretty cool to me as this stew made with summer vegetables and Indian spices would have otherwise been called Carrot, Zucchini, Pepper Curry; but somehow the name Indian Ratatouille just sounds better. Continue reading Indian Summer Ratatouille
Warm Moong Beans with Fresh Mint and Turmeric
Moong beans are one of the healthiest dishes around. Packed with nutrients, low in calories, filling, and extremely healthy, this dish is a super food for vegetarians.It’s so good for you that many times it’s made as a side dish to go with any Indian meal. Continue reading Warm Moong Beans with Fresh Mint and Turmeric
