The beneficence of the vegetables in gastronomical matters is well known. In ingestion, the well-treated vegetable pleases the palate and in digestion, it gives no cause for problems. In this Bharath inspired recipe, you can see that brussels sprouts are well treated. They are on intimate terms with herbs and spices, and they combine smartly with other glories. Yet they seem to believe wholeheartedly in their own importance. Resulting in a tasty dish that would delight the brussels sprouts believers.

Brussels Sprouts Borugulu
(serves two to four)

250 grams of Borugulu (Murmura or puffed rice) from Indian grocery
12 Brussels sprouts, cleaned and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 red onion, skin peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise
1 carrot, grated, about a cup
1 cup, sprouted moong (mung)
2 tablespoons of minced, fresh green chilli
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric
2 tablespoons each- Fresh cilantro and roasted, shelled peanuts
For curryleaf tadka: a tablespoon of peanut oil, a pinch each -cumin&mustard seeds, a sprig of fresh curry leaves

Borugulu: Take a big pot and fill half of it with water. Add borugulu and with your hands push into water to soak them well. After about 5 minutes, take handfuls of borugulu and firmly squeeze the water out. Place them in a colander. This is done to clean the puffed rice. What must stay behind in water are any sand, dust and chaff of the puffed rice. To see this process in photos, click here.

Brussels Sprouts: Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add and fry curry leaves, mustard seeds and cumin to fragrance. Add onions and sauté to brown. Then add the brussels sprouts, carrot and moong sprouts. Cook, until they are barely tender. Add green chilli, salt and turmeric. Sprinkle cilantro and peanuts. Stir and sauté turning the vegetables over and over again for about five minutes.

Brussels Borugulu: Add the puffed rice to this hot brussels sprouts mixture. Squeeze some lime juice if you prefer. Combine well gently. Serve as soon as you prepare.

I also added some pappula podi at the end, for some extra ruchi. Vegetables, sprouts and borugulu, it was a simple yet wholesome, tasty meal.

Brussels Sprouts Borugulu ~ for Meal Today

Wakeup, Work, Watch. Wakeup to wintry silence.
Wakeup. Work. Watch. Work an endless whirlwind.
Wakeup. Work, Watch. Watch the world pass by.

In a rhythmic routine that revolves around night, dawn, noon, dusk, and night…, bed, work, prayer, table, TV …, sleep, work, eat, meditate and watch… once in a while, for a change, having a bowl of basmati… It’s a refreshing experience!

Brussels sprouts are in season right now and I wanted to cook something new. When I added them to biryani, these wintry, cute ‘cabbage mini me’s’ woke up wonderfully to the flavor warmth of Bharath basmati. Excellent recipe for that special occasion. Give it a try.

Brussels Sprouts Basmati
(serves four or six)

Recipe happens in four steps.

Step 1: Basmati
2 cups of good quality, aged basmati rice and 4 cups water
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric or saffron soaked in a tablespoon of milk

Take the basmati rice in a wide pan. Add water and turmeric or saffron infused milk. Mix, and cover the pan. Cook over medium heat until the rice is done to tender individuality.

Step 2: Ruchi
2 tablespoons, grated fresh coconut or cashews
1 teaspoon, grated ginger
1 plump garlic clove, skin peeled
2 sprigs, fresh cilantro
2 fresh green chillies
Take the above in a grinder. Add two cloves, 1-inch piece of cinnamon, a tablespoon of coriander seeds, quarter teaspoon each, cumin and black peppercorn. Grind the ingredients to silky-smooth paste. Add few teaspoons of water if necessary for easy blending.

Step 3: Brussels:
1 tablespoon, ghee or peanut oil
2 tablespoons, golden raisins
2 tablespoons, cashew pieces
1 red onion or 2 or 3 shallots, sliced thinly lengthwise
12 brussels sprouts, sliced thinly lengthwise
1/2 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon turmeric

In a skillet, heat ghee or oil. When it is hot, add the cashews and golden raisins. Sauté until golden. Add onions and cook until brown. Add the brussels sprouts and sauté to tender. Sprinkle salt and turmeric. And add the masala paste from step 2. Mix well and stir-fry, stirring often for about five minutes.

Step 4: Brussels Basmati
Spoon the brussels sprouts mixture on top of the cooked basmati rice in the pan. Cut and juice a lemon or a small sweet orange. Mix well and adjust salt to your taste. Serve hot with kurma or raita or with some boiled eggs for an excellent meal.

Brussels Sprouts Basmati in a Boiled Egg ~ for meal today

“You remember the potluck party on Saturday evening? I am making a list of the dish each of us will bring to the party. What should I put your name on?” …My friend on the phone.

“Let me think for a minute. mmm… Malai kofta. How does that sound?”

“Perfect for the holiday mood. Love it.”

I don’t know what prompted me to say malai kofta. Even though, malai kofta is my all time favorite dish, I rarely make it at home. To prepare it from scratch, some serious work is involved and if I do all the work, I feel like the romance is gone from experiencing this delicious dish. I prefer to keep it as a standard order for an indulgent mood at an Indian restaurant. Well, whatever prompted me to say malai kofta, I was glad I offered it. I had a chance to make it after longtime. The good thing is it came out well and we had some fun time at the party.

This is how I made the malai kofta on Saturday morning.

Malai Kofta for a Potluck Party of 25

Ingredient List:

For koftas (25×2=50 koftas):
1 gallon, whole milk and 2 limes- to make fresh paneer
5 russet or red potatoes, medium-sized
2 big carrots, grated
1/2 cup, cashews
1/4 cup, golden raisins
1 teaspoon, salt
1/2 teaspoon, chilli powder
To deep-fry the koftas:
1 cup, chapati flour
3 cups, peanut oil

For Malai Sauce:
2 red onions, jumbo sized
10 roma or vine ripe tomatoes, big size
2-inch ginger piece, skin peeled
2 plump garlic cloves, skins removed
1/4 cup, finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
1/4 cup each, cashews and golden raisins
1/4 cup each, fresh paneer and grated fresh coconut
1×1-inch, cinnamon stick
6 cloves
1 tablespoon, coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon each, cumin and fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon each, black pepper and turmeric
2 teaspoons, salt
1 teaspoon, chilli powder
1 cup, whole milk or 1/2 cup, cream

Method:

To prepare malai kofta from scratch, for a party of 25, it would take at least two hours, four burners of heat and decent amount of concentration. We need to make a minimum of 50 koftas and enough malai sauce to accommodate them.

Step 1 – Preparation for Paneer and Sauce: Prepare the ingredients for koftas and for malai sauce by placing four pots on four burners. Cook simultaneously for energy and time efficiency. Here is how I did it.

Burner 1 for Paneer: Pour one gallon of milk in a big, wide pot. Bring the milk to boil. Cut and add limejuice from 2 limes to the boiling milk. Milk starts to cuddle immediately. Stir continuously. When the white, fluffy clouds of paneer get big and separated from watery whey, pour the entire contents into a muslin cloth lined pot. Twist and squeeze the cloth several times to strain the paneer completely whey-free. Hang to drip-dry if possible. Divide the paneer into two parts – 3/4 (for koftas) and 1/4 part (for malai sauce).

Burner 2 for Potatoes: Wash and cut each potato into two. Take potatoes in a pressure-cooker. Add just enough water to cover them. Cook to fork tender. Drain the water. Peel the skins and mash the potatoes coarsely.

Burner 3 for Tomatoes: Place a pot on the stovetop and add a cup of water. Bring water to boil. Add tomatoes and cover the pot. When tomato skin starts to break, turn off the heat. Remove the cover to cool.

Burner 4 for Onions: Peel the skin and cut onions to chunk pieces. Heat a tablespoon of oil in an iron skillet. Add onion, and sauté to brown on high heat, stirring in-between.

Step 2 – Preparation for Koftas and Malai Sauce: Grind the prepared ingredients for koftas and for malai sauce. Connect a food processor and a Sumeet style mixer into power outlets and follow the procedure.

In food processor, add paneer, mashed potatoes, grated carrot, salt, chilli powder, cashews and golden raisins. Pulse few times first and then run the processor to combine the ingredients well. Remove the mix to a bowl. This will be shaped into koftas.

Clean the food processor. Put the tomatoes and blend. Add the water tomatoes simmered in for smooth run. Remove the tomato puree to a bowl.

To the food processor, add roasted onions. Blend into fine paste. Remove the onion paste to a bowl.

In a mixer, take cashews and grind to smooth paste. To this paste, add coconut, paneer, ginger, garlic, fresh cilantro leaves, golden raisins, black peppercorn, cumin, fennel, coriander seeds, cinnamon, and cloves. Grind the ingredients to fine consistency. The masala paste has to be extremely smooth. So run the blender for at least 5 minutes, adding few tablespoons of water when required.

Step 3: Simmer the Malai Sauce and Fry the Koftas

Simmer the Sauce: Place a wide, deep pan on the stove-top. Add and heat a tablespoon of oil. When oil is hot, add the roasted onion paste, masala paste. Saute for five minutes on medium heat, constantly stirring. Add the tomato puree, turmeric, milk or cream and 2 cups of water. Combine well. Have a taste and add salt and chilli powder if required. Cover and simmer the sauce on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, stirring in-between. Avoid high heat and take care not to blacken the sauce at the bottom of the pan. When the sauce starts to thicken, turn off the heat.

Make Koftas: In another burner, place a skillet suitable to deep-fry. Add and heat peanut oil. While oil is getting hot, shape the koftas from the paneer mixture into small rounds of 1-inch diameter. Roll the paneer rounds into chapati flour, lightly coating the surface. This will keep the koftas intact during deep-frying process and prevents any breaks or spillages into hot oil. Prepare them all this way and line them in a tray.

When oil is hot, add the paneer rounds in batches and deep-fry to gold color. Remove and place them on a paper covered tray.

Step 4 – Serving Suggestions:

Keep the sauce and koftas separate in two containers until the party time. Because koftas are so delicately made, they tend to disintegrate when soaked in sauce for long period of time. When the food is arranged on the table and just before mealtime, gently place the koftas in rows in malai sauce. Warm the tray in oven for ten minutes on lowest heat setting, if required. Serve with chapati, paratha, naan or rice.

Malai koftas are without a doubt one of the best tasting Bharath recipes out there for parties, and I was glad to have a chance to enjoy them with friends during this holiday season.

I did manage to take few photos of the process. Here they are:

Grated Carrot, Mashed Potato, Freshly Made Paneer, Cashews and Golden Raisins ~ Ingredients for Koftas

Tomato Puree, Masala Paste and Roasted Onion Paste ~ For Malai Sauce

Blending the Ingredients for Koftas in a Food Processor

The Blended Mixture is Shaped into Round Koftas and Covered with Chapati Flour

Deep-fried Koftas

Malai Kofta, Mingling with Others at a Potluck Party

Malai Kofta, One Among Many, Finding its Place in Someone’s Plate

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

I always thought I would not enjoy eating raw cabbage. That has changed when I tried a kosambari Vijay made last weekend with cabbage and carrots. I was surprised by how much I liked the combination. It is a simple recipe with barely there India-Inspired dressing. Vijay’s curried coleslaw can be prepared hurriedly, looks festive enough for a party and tastes wonderful. Thanks to this treasured trifecta, now, I think cabbage is one of the most versatile and underrated salad ingredients. This changed thought opens up so many cabbage combinations, which I can’t wait to try in future.

Cabbage-Carrot Kosambari
(a side dish, for 1 or 2 meals)

1 cup, shredded cabbage
1 cup, grated carrot
1/2 teaspoon, chat masala powder
1/4 teaspoon each, salt and crushed black pepper
1 tablespoon, limejuice
1 teaspoon, honey

Take cabbage and carrot in a bowl.
Sprinkle chat masala powder, salt and black pepper.
Add limejuice and honey.
Gently combine. Serve.

Cabbage-Carrot Kosambari ~ for Dinner Today

Kosambari = Salad of South India with “Raw Rocks” attitude.

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

“Have you ever met a vegetable that you didn’t like?”

“There is no comparison to the comfort you bring.”

“You are a charming legume.”

“Cuddle with me.”

The result of this legendary love affair between cute cauliflower and charming chickpea is a hearty stew called Gobi Chole. This classic of Bharath cooking is very easy to make and very forgiving. No need to fuss or fidget over the ingredients or lack of. All it needs is love.

Gobi Chole
(for 2 or 4 for 2 or 1 meal)

1 tablespoon, peanut oil
1 tablespoon, kasuri methi
1/4 teaspoon, cumin seeds
1 onion – finely chopped lengthwise, about 1 cup
4 ripe tomatoes – finely chopped, about 2 cups
1 small head of cauliflower, florets cut, about 3 to 4 cups
1 cup, cooked chickpeas
1 tablespoon each, garlic-ginger-cilantro paste and garam masala powder
1 teaspoon each, salt and red chilli powder or to taste
1/4 teaspoon, turmeric

Place a large, wide pot over high heat and add oil. When hot, put in the kasuri methi and cumin. Let them sizzle for few seconds. Add onion and sauté to soft brown. Add the tomatoes. Stir and cook until they collapse to soft mush.

Add the cauliflower florets and chickpeas to cooking tomatoes. Stir in ginger-garlic-cilantro paste, garam masala powder, salt, red chilli and turmeric. Add about a cup of water. Cover, and turn the heat to low and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.

To thicken the gravy, I usually blend two tablespoons of coconut, cashews or poppy seeds, depending on what I have at that moment in the kitchen and add the smooth paste to simmering gobi chole along with other seasoning. Alternately, blend and add few tablespoons of cooked chickpeas for a low calorie thickener.

Serve the warm gobi chole over hot chapati/paratha/naan or rice. Simple relish made with onion and chillies, and some homemade dahi adds an authentic dabha experience.

Gobi Chole for Meal Today
© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

It is unusually cold here in Houston for the past one week. As soon as the cool weather sets in, it’s only natural to crave something garama garam. Isn’t it? So, I made some cabbage pakodas this evening with the shredded cabbage I saved from last week’s 5c=A+ equation. Preparation of pakodas was easy compared to the procrastination I went through since morning. Diving into deep-frying is still a difficult process, requires deep thought and doesn’t always happen on demand at my home. After some in depth dawdling:), the decision was made for a happy heart. Garama garam cabbage pakodas and cardamom tea on this cool fall evening.

Shredded Cabbage In Besan Flour

Cabbage Pakodas
(for about 25 medium-sized pakodas)

2 cups of shredded cabbage (coleslaw mix from grocery also works)
2 cups besan (chickpea flour)
1/4 cup rice flour
1/4 teaspoon ajwan (vaamu) (helps with the digestion)
1/2 teaspoon each – salt and red chilli powder
A pinch of baking soda
3/4 cup water
Peanut oil for deep-frying

Take the besan, rice flour, salt, chilli powder, ajwan and baking soda into a bowl. Mix well. Add the shredded cabbage and gently toss to cover the cabbage with besan flour mix. Slowly add water, mixing as you go, to make a batter of thick consistency.

Pour about 2 cups of peanut oil in a large frying pan and set the pan over high heat. When the oil is frying hot, pick up a handful of cabbage mixture from the bowl and gently drop the batter into oil in small portions. Fill the pan until there is no more space. Fry the pakodas, turning frequently until they are reddish brown and crisp, for about 5 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place the pakodas on a paper towel covered tray to drain. Make the pakodas till the batter is finished.

Serve the cabbage pakodas hot with some tea or coffee for a tasty snack, or with some savory chutney as a part of a meal. They are best when eaten as soon as they are made.

Cabbage Pakodas to Warm up a Autumn Evening

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Cabbage
Carrot
Coconut
Chana dal
Curry leaf Tadka

The 5 C’s. When combined and cooked together would create an A+ dish.

This great cabbage curry is a childhood favorite. The refreshing flavor of a full-grown fall cabbage is accentuated by the addition of carrot and coconut sweetness, nutty chana dal crunchiness and curry leaf tadka’s ethereal aroma.

Served over couscous, chapati or rice, the 5 C’s makes a delicious and complete meal. It’s great all on its own too. This quick and easy recipe will be even more convenient if a mandoline or food processor is used to shred the cabbage and carrots.

Cabbage and Carrot with Indian Spices
(for two or four – for two or one meal)

Cabbage: Shred 1 small cabbage, about 6 cups
Carrot: Peel the skins and grate carrots, about 2 cups
Coconut: grate the fresh coconut, about 2 tablespoons
Chana dal: 2 tablespoons, Rehydrate by soaking in water for 30mts.
For Curry Leaf Tadka: 1 tablespoon peanut oil, 1 sprig of fresh curry leaves and from masala dabba, a pinch each – cumin and mustard seeds
Onion: 1, finely chopped
Spices: Turmeric, salt and chilli flakes – to taste

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add curry leaves and toast to gold. Add cumin and mustard seeds and when seeds start to pop, add the onion and chana dal. Saute, stirring often until they are light brown.

Stir in cabbage and carrot. Saute until cabbage has slightly wilted. Add coconut, turmeric, salt and chilli flakes. Mix well and cook for another five minutes on medium heat. Turn off the heat before the whole thing turns into a mush pile. You know what cabbage says – If you want to love cabbage, eat it raw or cook it just right – but don’t over cook it.

Serve the curry hot over couscous/chapati, or with rice and dal for tasty meal.

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

We were invited to a baby shower party last weekend. The blessed friend is a long time reader of Mahanandi recipes. For a present, instead of another plastic thing, I wanted to gift something nourishing for the twins-expecting mother. After giving it a thought for sometime, I came up with an idea. Carrots, coconut and pecans brought in. Carrots and coconut grated, pecans chopped. Baby bananas substituted eggs and to make it truly a party treat, I experimented by adding some condensed milk to the whole-wheat batter.

The effort was a sweet success…some great looking carrot–coconut mini cakes came out of the oven. I didn’t have the heart to spoil their healthy glow with cheesy coverup. I took them to the party, as they are without the phony makeup, hoping they would receive with “I like you very much, just as you are.”

Carrot and Coconut ~ Grated to Greet the Cake Batter

Carrot-Coconut Cake
(the batter makes about 24 mini cakes)

Ingredients:
Special (wet):
Coconut: Break a fresh coconut. Grate the coconut. – 2 cups.
Carrots: Peel the skin and grate the carrots.- 2 cups.
Pecans: Finely chop pecans. – 1 cup.
Bananas: 2 baby or 1 big, ripe one. Mash the bananas to smooth – 1 cup.
Oil: I added peanut oil – 1/2 cup
Condensed milk: 1 cup
Milk : 2 to 3 cups

Dry Ingredients:
2 cups whole-wheat flour
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour or cake flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cardamom powder

Preparation:

Take the dry ingredients listed above in a big bowl. Mix well. Add the wet ingredients – grated carrot, coconut, chopped pecans, mashed banana, condensed milk, milk and oil. Combine thoroughly until well mixed. If the batter looks dry and crumbly, add more milk or water in a slow, steady stream, folding continuously. Consistency of the batter has to be more on the wet side and easily spreadable.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F. Generously apply ghee or oil to cake pans. Keep them ready on baking trays.

Transfer the batter to the cake pans and fill them upto ¾ths. Place them in oven and bake until the top is light golden brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean, for about 30 to 45 minutes. Remove the cakes to cool completely and then unmold.

Enjoy the tasty carrot coconut cake, just as they are.

Carrot Coconut Cake Batter

Carrot Coconut Mini Cakes ~ Fresh Out of Oven

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Last Saturday, I was surprised to see bushels of guava at Fiesta, a local Mexican market.

From a distance the guava looked like good quality limes. They were small, pale yellow in color and smelled promisingly sweet. At pound $ 1.99, I couldn’t resist those yellow beauties.

After mangoes and cherries, guavas are my favorite fruit. I don’t know what it is about them, I could easily go into nostalgic ga ga over familiar fruits. Here I was in 2006, going on and on about guava. They inspire such longing, don’t they?

After I had my fill of raw fruit, which were delicious and sweet, I’ve thought of making something new with guava today.

Guavas with salt and pepper are a common roadside snack growing up in Bharath. These guavas I purchased are from Peru. To honor their origin, what’s better than an addition of avocado? Like I’ve imagined, the guava gave the avocado some sweetness and nice hint of aroma. Plain guacamole is always good, but guava guacamole tasted supreme. I loved this Aztec and Bharath combination for my meal today.

Guava Guacamole
(makes about two small cups)

1 big-sized, semi ripe avocado
3 lime-sized, semi ripe guavas
1 lime, for juice
Pinch each – salt and red chilli flakes

Cut avocado to half. Take out the pit. Cut the fruit to tiny pieces.
Cut guavas to small, bite sized pieces.
Place avocado and guava pieces in a bowl. Sprinkle salt and red chilli flakes. Squeeze lime juice. Gently combine. Serve.

Meal Idea: Generously apply guava guacamole on a warm chapati, paratha or pizza for a taste that defies description. We had it with thin crust pizza for dinner. Good meal.

Guava Guacamole ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Vratha Pusham ~ Nandi Vardhanam (Crepe Jasmine) from Backyard

Morning:
2 khaman with tomato chutney
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
A cup of dal (Bok choy with toor dal) in rasam consistency
A cup of leftover chard with chickpeas
A big bowl of hot cilantro soopa
Half apple and half carrot, grated and mixed with homemade yogurt

Evening:
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Night:
A cup of Kay’s cabbage thayir saadam. Wonderful recipe and excellent taste. Parents also liked this combination. I had it with four jackfruit chips.
A cup of Bok choy dal
A cup of hot cilantro soopa

Workout:
An hour walk: 4 miles, and an hour pilates – morning
Gardening – evening

In retrospect:
Pleasant day. But miss rice and roti very much.

Kay’s Cabbage Thayir Saadam

“Take a cup of cabbage poriyal, and add a cup of thick yogurt. Mix well. Enjoy it with your choice of pickle or side dish.” Talented Kay wrote in one of her daily food logs. I had to try and it happened today.

Like Kay mentioned, cabbage and yogurt combination make a good substitute for thayir saadam (dadhojanam) and with right texture too. I noticed that the taste improves on refrigeration. Good recipe with cabbage.

Preparation is two step:

Step 1 – Prepare Cabbage Curry: Grate cabbage extremely thin using a mandoline or grater. Grated cabbage mimicks fine rice grain/noodle in shape and texture, so the thinner the cabbage gets, the better it tastes in this recipe.

Heat oil in a skillet. Add and toast cumin, mustard seeds and curry leaves to fragrance. Add presoaked chana dal and finely chopped onions. Saute to crisp. Next goes the grated cabbage. Stir in salt, turmeric and coconut to taste. Cook until cabbage has wilted for few minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the curry to cool.

Step 2 – Add Yogurt: Serve a ladleful of cabbage curry in a bowl. Top it with homemade yogurt. Mix well and adjust salt to taste. Serve right away or refrigerate an hour for super experience.

Cabbage Thayir Saadam with Jackfruit Chips ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Sanna Jaaji (Jasmine) from Backyard

Morning:
2 pesarattus (moong dosa) with peanut chutney
A cup of ragi ganji without sweetener

Noon:
1 pesarattu with a cup of brinjal-tomato curry. The brinjals are homegrown and tasted quite good with tomato masala.
A cup of moong dal rasam
Half carrot and half apple

Evening:
A glass of cold ginger buttermilk

Night:
A cup of steamed cauliflower florets with salt and black pepper
A cup of brinjal tomato curry
A cup of moong dal rasam
For dessert: apple grated and added to a cup of soy milk

Workout:
Cleaned the whole house. Vacuum, mop the tile floors etc, two hours of sweat inducing workout – morning
Stitched new curtains for the living room. Felt very accomplished and tailory – evening

In retrospect:
Complaint-free day.

Steamed Cauliflower

Tears stream when cauliflower appears on the plate, those were the days from The Wonder Years. From running away to reluctantly having and now actually enjoying cauliflower, I finally feel I made peace with this white ghost like haunting vegetable. When steamed and served, even without any special seasonings, cauliflower shines with sweet simplicity. A delayed revelation.

Steamed cauliflower preparation is easy. Cut cauliflower into big sized florets. Take them in a steam basket.

Bring a pot of water to boil. Insert steam basket and cover. Steam until the cauliflower florets are just tender. Remove the basket and serve the florets warm.

I prefer mine plain. Sometimes I also add a sprinkle of salt, black pepper and lemon juice. Good food.

Steamed Cauliflower Florets ~ For Meal Today

© Recipe and Photos Copyright 2009 Indira Singari.

Nitya Malli (Vinca/Periwinkle)

Morning:
A glass of ragi ganji without sweetener
Was in a rush, so just had few pieces of apple

Noon:
Half cup of leftover Pea Sprouts Soopa with Kale
One cup of Spinach sautéed with onion and fresh garbanzos
One cup of Tomato dal in rasam consistency

Evening:
A glass of ginger flavored buttermilk from homemade yogurt

Night:
One cup of cut carrots and cucumbers
One big bowl of hot tomato rasam
For dessert: half apple grated and added to a cup of cold soymilk. No smoothie but tasted good on this warm summer night.

Workout:
Weights and Abs class, and an hour walk at the gym – morning
Gardening in the evening

In retrospect:
Busy day, stressed out by evening and that triggered carbo cravings. Big bowl of hot, hot tomato rasam and cold ginger buttermilk saved the day.

Indian Yogurt, Ginger and Kavvam

Ginger Flavored Buttermilk (Allam Majjiga)

Ginger buttermilk saved the day many times in my life. My mother prescribes it to comfort stomachache, headache, sunstroke and lack of energy. It’s a cure-all elixir in her world. Continuing the tradition is this amma’s daughter. There is a saying in the Sutras “Just as nectar is for Gods, buttermilk is for humans”. I believe it.

Preparing buttermilk at home is very easy.

Take a ladle full of homemade yogurt in a glass. Add a pinch of salt. Churn with a Kavvam (traditional wooden churner from Bharath) until well blended. Then add a cup of water and churn again until a light froth appears on top.

To flavor the buttermilk with ginger: Take a thumb sized fresh ginger. Peel the skin and grate it finely. Take the grated ginger with your fingers and squeeze the ginger juice into buttermilk. Churn again until well mixed.

Enjoy this refreshing drink after a meal. You could also add few pieces of crushed ice or ice cubes for that cold effect. Ginger buttermilk is a neat alternative, if you are trying to avoid caffeinated drinks.

Allam Majjiga ~ for Today’s Meal