Red Leaves Keerai Poriayal

Red Leaves/Amaranth/Thotakura Poriyal


Red Leaves Keerai is something I always get in my local Indian grocery store. Off late I have been making Chapathi more than a couple of times in a week and this makes a great side dish to eat with Chapathi.

Ingredients:

1 Bunch chopped Red Leaves/Thotakura
1 cup black eyed peas(cooked)
1 onion, finely chopped
1 dried red chillie, broken into pieces
½ tsp urad dal
3 garlic cloves, chopped finely
¼ tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp red chilli powder
1/2 tsp cumin powder
Salt to taste
1-2 tbsp olive oilI have added blacked eyed peas in this keerai poriyal. Microwave the black eyed peas for 5-7 mins so that it is 75% cooked.

Heat oil in a pan, add dried red chillies, urad dal, onion and garlic and fry onion turns translucent. Add chopped red leaves and the cooked black eyed peas. Add turmeric, red chilli powder, cumin powder and salt to taste and cook covered until the red leaves are cooked.

Cook uncovered on high heat until all the water evoparates. Remove from heat and serve with hot Chapathi/Roti

Kothavarangai/Cluster Beans Pakoda

Cluster Beans Fritters

My husband travels to his client location once a week and prefers to take his favorite food Tomato Rice for his packed lunch. I had some cluster beans lying in the fridge and was thinking of making the usual cluster beans poriyal, but my taste buds said a big "No" to the poriyal. So I searched around for Cluster beans recipes on the internet and came across some Vada and Bajji varieties with kothavarangai as it is called in Tamil.

I was not very keen on making a vada and came up with this pakoda recipe. This is just a slight variation to the mixed vegetable pakora that I usually prepare.

Ingredients:

1 lb - Cluster Beans
1 Onion (chopped)
3/4 cup Gram flour (besan)
1 tsp fine rava(Sooji)
2-3 Green chillies
1/2 inch Ginger piece(finely smashed)
1/2tsp - Red chilli powder
Salt to taste
Oil to fry

Method :
Wash and steam cook Cluster Beans.Chop green chillies and finely smash ginger with a morter and pestle, alternatively you can grate ginger. Chop the Cluster Beans into small pieces
Add gram flour and mix with Chopped Cluster Beans, Onion, green chillies, ginger and red chilli powder till the batter is of semi-solid consistency. Add salt to taste.Add water if required since the besan can be mixed in the water retained from the steamed beans itself.

Heat the oil in a deep pan.Now take the batter and drop in small portions into the oil. Cook on medium fire till the pakodas are of light brown color.Makes a good evening snack with hot tea or serve as an appetizer for your lunch/dinner.

Whats in Oil

In my cooking experiments in the past couple of years, the one thing that has been on my mind while cooking has been the nutrition and health effects of using Oil.

While discussing with friends and family the most common answer I get is about Olive Oil and the lovely monounsaturated fats it provides to our body. Yes I switched to Olive Oil for my everyday curry and stir fry needs but continued to use Sun Flower oil for all my deep frying.

Today I was reading a article about Olive Oil and how it loses its health benefits at smoking point. I hastily forwarded the article to my family and friends and then sat back to think about it for a second. I made my own little research on the internet and came to the conclusion that Olive Oil when used below its smoking point is definitely beneficial but is not a good candidate for my deep fry, high flame stir fry needs. That led me to write this entry.

Here are the smoking points for some of Oils that I have used:This above information made me do my little research on what is Saturated, Unsaturated Fats:

Saturated Fats:

Saturated fats are mainly animal fats and are solid at room temperature. These fats include butter, cheese, whole milk, ice cream, egg yolks, lard and fatty meats. Some plants fats are also high in saturated fats such as coconut oil and palm oils. Saturated fats raise blood cholesterol more than any other food you eat.

Unsaturated Fats:

These fats can come from both animal and plant products. There are three (3) types:

Monounsaturated Fats - Usually come from seeds or nuts such as avocado, olive, peanut, and canola oils. These fats are liquid at room temperature.

Polyunsaturated Fats - Usually come from vegetables, seeds, or nuts such as corn, safflower, sunflower, soybean, cotton seed, and sesame seeds oils. These fats are liquid at room temperature.

Trans Fatty Acids - Trans fats are produced when liquid oil is made into a solid fat, such as shortening or margarine. This process is called hydrogenation. Trans fats act like saturated fats and can raise your cholesterol level.

Finally to conclude, the reason smoke points are important is because if an oil burns and starts smoking, it forms nitro-compunds that are harmful to health and have been thought to lead to insulin resistance and hence diabetes

Crunchy Fish Appetizer

Ingredients:

1 lb boneless Salmon(I have used boneless salmon. Any Boneless Fish can be used)
2 Medium sized Potato
1 Small Onion(finely chopped)
2 tsp fish masala (store bought)
2 small green chillies(finely chopped)
1 Egg beaten finely
2 tbsp bread crumbs
Oil for frying.


Method:

Cook the fish in a little water and salt(I normally microwave the salmon for 5 mins, also remember that salmon cooks faster). Also boil the potatoes and mash them well.

Heat oil in a pan and add finely chopped onion, green chillies. Add the fish masala, cooked fish and mashed potatoes. Mix well and check salt, add more if needed. Remove from heat.

Make into small balls.

Heat Oil for frying. Now take each ball, dip in egg then dip in bread crumb and fry until golden brown in oil.
Believe me this is one appetizer your guests won't pass up!!

Simple Peas Pulao/Pulav

This one is a simple and yummy dish for a quick meet up with friends. Goes well with any kind of kurma for vegetarians and non-vegetarians(like Veggie, Goat, Chicken, Crab).

Method:

Ingrediants:
2 cup basmati Rice
1 cup fresh Peas
1 small onion (finely chopped)
2-3 green chilly
1 tsp shahi Jeera
1 tsp ginger/garlic paste
1 small strip Cinnamon
3 cloves
2 cardamom
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 small bay leaf
salt, to taste
Soak the basmati rice for atleast 30 mins.

Heat a little oil in the pan and add Jeera, Cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, bay leaf and fry for a second. Now add onion and saute until it turns translucent. Add ginger/garlic paste and fry until the raw smell goes away. Add green Chilli and Turmeric. Saute for a minute and then add peas.

Now add 4 cups of water(I am using a 1:2 ratio for rice:water). Bring everything to boil and then add the rice. Cook on medium heat for 10 mins. Check the rice. Once it is 75% done put the heat to low and leave it covered for 10 more minutes. Switch off the stove once the rice is cooked and leave on the heat. Peas Pulao is ready to be served.
Note: I've added turmeric for some color. You can skip this if not needed.

Chicken Fried Rice

Chicken Fried Rice

Well, this is one of the recipes that I have cooked a few times, but never got the time to post it. Today I took some pictures while I made it and here it is.
When you are cramped for time and have some left over white rice, this is the recipe for you. Mine is a Thai version, so I am going to be using soy sauce and fish sauce. You can find these in the local Asian grocery stores.

Ingredients:

2 cups - White Rice (left over rice is the best)
1 small - Capsicum (any color)
3-4 cloves - Garlic
2 - Thai green chili (more if you want more spicy)
1/2 lb - Chicken breast(cut into small strips)
3 tbsp - Soy Sauce
2 tbsp - Fish Sauce
1 tbsp - Oil
Salt to tasteI have found it useful to use a wok to cook my fried rice, but if you do not have it, make it in a pan.

Method:

Smash the garlic and chili using a mortar and pestle. If you do not have a mortar, then you can cut the garlic and chili into fine pieces.

Heat Oil in a pan and add the smashed garlic and chili. Fry only for a second and then add the cut chicken strips. Keep cooking for 5 mins on medium heat. Now add soy sauce and fish sauce and stir in.

Next add the rice and mix it. Turn up the heat. Now you are on very high heat and be careful not to burn the rice. Once mixed well, check the salt. Soy and Fish sauce have a lot of salt in it, so normally there is no need to add salt, but if you find that you need more salt, add a little bit more.
Add the capsicum and been stirring with a spatula on high heat for the next 5 minutes. The capsicum need not be completely cooked since this will add a crunch to your rice. Remove from heat and serve hot.

The Knitting/Crochet Frenzy

Recently I have been introduced to another engaging hobby which I enjoy during my free time and that is one of the reason for not posting much.

Knitting and Crochet are fueling my creative energy in a whole new dimension.

Here's a sneak peak:
The scarf and cap set was my first take on knitting and I absolutely love exploring the different knitting techniques creating the lovely patterns.
This is one of my most treasured crochet project and needless to say I was a little impressed with myself...lol