Potato and Coconut soup with Coriander Cashew Pesto

With temperatures hitting subzero, a bowl of soup is a treat these days.
But we enjoy our soup all year round. Usually Sunday nights are soup nights. Sunday lunch is quite elaborate and traditional and we prefer something light for dinner. A bowl of soup accompanied with homemade bread or salad makes a hearty comforting meal. I simply love that combination.



I have happily swapped by evening tea for soup many a times. It was also my favourite snack for those sudden bouts of hunger during my pregnancies.

This soup doesn't need a long list of ingredients. Just some pantry basics. 
It is also a great way to use up leftover boiled or mashed potatoes. The soup could of course be had sans the pesto. But the pesto complements the creamy soup well and adds loads of flavour. So I highly recommend it

Potato and Coconut Soup with Coriander Cashew pesto

Serves 2-3

Ingredients -

3-4 medium potatoes, boiled and mashed
half cup coconut milk + a few tsps extra for garnish
1 small onion
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup vegetable stock/water
1 packed cup of coriander leaves, stalk and all
handful of cashew nuts
2 tsp olive oil + extra for garnish
1-2 green chilli
chilli flakes for garnish

Method -

Prepare the pesto
Grinder coriander, cashew, 1 tsp oil and green chilli until a slightly coarse paste forms.

Make the soup
Heat 1 tsp oil in a large saucepan and fry the onions until transparent.
Add garlic, potatoes, vegetable stock, salt and bring to boil. Turn heat down and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
Puree with a hand mixer or blender and return to saucepan.
Add the coconut milk and bring to boil again. Switch off heat.
Serve hot with a dollop of coriander cashew pesto, garnish with chilli flakes, coconut milk and olive oil.

Technorati Tags: Soups,potatoes,light

Delhi style Pumpkin stir fry

My recent holiday to India has sure made me lazy. I was spoilt by my family and got away without doing any chores. Its been weeks and am still reminiscing about the wonderful time I had.






But its time we got back to business. With my little girl starting to walk, she is busy exploring the world…the kitchen cabinet and drawers being her favourite!! And the little boy starting kindergarten, they do keep me on my toes and our meals are getting simpler. Elaborate cooking is limited to weekends and special occasions.
This stir fry or sabzi is easy but full of flavour. The pepper and nigella seeds  especially render a very unique flavour. Ive used butternut squash here. But any variety of pumpkin should work.

Delhi style Pumpkin stir fry

Adapted from Madhur Jaffrey's World Vegetarian

Yeild - 3-4 servings

Things you need -

1 small butternut squash, peeled, deseeded and cubed
1 tsp whole pepper corns
1 tsp nigella seeds(kalonji)
1 tbsp oil
1-2 dried red chilli(or use a tsp of paprika powder)
1 tsp cumin seeds
half tsp fenugreek seeds
half tsp fennel seeds, optional
salt, as per taste
1-2 tsp sugar
1 tsp amchoor powder(dried mango powder) or juice of half a lemon

How its done -

1. Heat oil is a non stick pan on medium-high heat.
2. Put the cumin seeds, nigella seeds, fennel seeds, fenugreek, peppercorns and red chillies.  Stir for a few seconds and add the pumpkin. Stir for a minute.
3. Reduce the heat to low and cook covered for about 20-30 minutes stirring frequently until the pumpkin is tender.
4. Add salt, sugar, amchoor powder and stir gently.
5. Sever hot with flatbread or as a side dish to any rice.

Technorati Tags: indian,curry,healthy

Poppy seed kissed Sweet Pumpkin fritters

I havent grown up eating much of pumpkins. Dad was never too keen on this vegetable. Mom never bothered to cook much with it. But occasionally she did make these sweet fritters. These are called Gharge or Ghargi in Maharashtra and north Karnataka.
All these years I almost forgot about this delicacy. Last week we visited a farm hosting a pumpkin harvest event. I couldnt resist buying the bright orange beauties and went a little overboard with it. I had pumpkin soup and a few other savoury dishes in mind. But a craving for some thing sweet(its diwali right!) got me thinking about these gharge.







They are crisp on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. These little bites can be quite addictive. The poppy seeds are optional however I highly recommend using them for a unique nutty flavour. I made these over Diwali weekend and we snacked on them over tea time.
A very Happy Diwali to all who celebrate it!!
So, what did you make this Diwali?

Poppy Seed kissed Sweet Pumpkin fritters

Yield – 16-20 pieces

Things you need -

2 packed cups grated pumpkin (any sweet pumpkin variety will do. I used Red Kuri)
1 cup powdered jaggery or light brown sugar (see notes)
1.5 cups whole wheat flour
1-2 tbsp poppy seeds, optional
oil for deep frying + extra for moulding the fritters
half tsp cardamom powder
2 tbsp ghee/clarified butter

How its done -

1. In a heavy bottomed vessel/pan , heat the ghee and add the grated pumpkin to it. Stir for a minute or two.
2. Add the jaggery and cardamom powder and mix well. The mixture will start to turn mushy. Keep stirring occasionally on medium to low heat until moisture has evaporated and a smooth and sticky mixture has formed. This takes 20-30 minutes.
3. Allow the mixture to cool down. Add the wheat flour little at a time to the pumpkin jaggery mixture and knead it into a dough.
The dough consistency has to be tight enough to form balls. Make golf sized balls and slightly flatten them with your palm. Use a few drops of oil on your palm to help you with this.
Sprinkle some poppy seeds on both sides and press lightly so that the seeds stick to the surface of the fritters.
4. Heat oil in a frying pan. Lower heat to medium-low and deep fry the fritters until golden brown. Transfer them to a absorbent kitchen paper towel to discard excess oil.
5. These taste best a day on from preparation. They can be stored in an air tight container up to a week.

Notes -

Brown sugar can be substituted for jaggery. It may take slightly more time for the moisture to evaporate. So cooking time may vary.
You may also add 2-3 tbsp of rice flour to the wheat flour. This makes them extra crispy.

Technorati Tags: sweets,indian,pumpkin

Palak Paneer – A Guest Post by Sowmya of Messy Kitchen Stories

This space has been quiet for some time now. A lot of travelling, family, friends kept me busy. Finally we are back from our long vacation. We ve packed in so many memories in the last 2 months that I am struggling to get beyond my holiday inertia. While I take my time to get back to my old routine, my sweet friend Sowmya of Messy Kitchen Stories happily agreed to share a recipe on my space.



Sowmya was my first friend in the blogoshpere. When I discovered her blog, I was smitten. We got to know each other(virtually of course) and we shared similar interests in food and photography. So it was great to chat about our experiences, doubts.
I am grateful to her for doing this post for me. Over to Sowmya now!
 
Hello all..
Shruti was the first person who emailed me and shared her experiences with me and fascinated  me with her warmth and talks. Always full of curiosity and energy, she was my first friend in blogging world. Her character and personality reflects on her pictures,words and recipes .. so colourful , lively and mouth-watering. I was honoured when she asked to guest post on her blog while she is on vacation .Thank you so much Shruti !!
Now coming to the recipe, Palak Paneer is an indian classical dish comprising of soft paneer cheese in a spinach gravy. It needs no introduction - the quintessential north Indian dish that everyone loves.
 

 

Palak Paneer

Ingredients: (Serves 2)

• 2-3 tbsp of Oil
• 10-15 cloves of Garlic
• 1 tsp of Cumin seeds
• 4-5 Green Chillies, finely chopped
• 2 Medium sized onions, sliced
• 1 Cup of Fresh yogurt
• 1 tbsp of coriander powder
• 1/2 tsp of turmeric powder
• 1/4 tsp of black salt
• salt to taste
• 200gms of cottage cheese (paneer)
• 2 Cups of Spinach (Blanched,boiled and pureed)
• 1 tbsp of freshly ground coriander paste
• 1/2 lemon, squeezed and juiced

Method :

• Wash the spinach leaves thoroughly under running water to remove dirt and stones. Fill a large pot with water and bring to boil. Add spinach leaves to boiling water and allow them to cook for 30 secs,until the leaves turn bright green.Remove the spinach leaves from pot with strainer ,draining the excess liquid. Place the leaves immediately in a large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Drain the excess water and squeeze the excess water out of spinach and puree in a blender and set aside
• Heat oil in a pan on medium high. Once heated, add cumin seeds and finely chopped garlic till slightly light brown.
• Next, Add sliced onions and finely chopped green chillies ,cook until it turns translucent
• Reduce the heat to low, Add a cup of yogurt , coriander powder, turmeric powder and black salt and salt required . Heat on low flame for 3 mins.
• Cut the paneer into cubes and set aside. Always place the cottage cheese in hot water for 10 mins before adding to the gravy. It always helps in softening of cheese.
• Add the pureed spinach to the yogurt mixture and some fresh coriander paste for fresh taste. Check for spices and salt and cook well for 3-4 mins on low flame.
• Add paneer cubes to the gravy and cook for another 1 min and switch off the heat.
• Squeeze some lemon juice over it before serving.

Technorati Tags: paneer,palak,indian,curry,spinach