Cauliflower Rendang Curry

Cauliflower Rendang is a vegan version of the spicy flavorful Malaysian curry made with lemongrass, red chillies and coconut milk.

Have you ever wondered how a fire breathing dragon feels? Fire in it's belly, fire in it's throat and fire on it's lips. I felt exactly the same way when I made this curry the first time. I was so excited with the bright red chilli paste that I ended up adding all of it and made this curry so hot that I felt like a fire breathing dragon for almost half the day. My tummy burned, by throat burned and my lips were literally on fire. Water didn't cool it off, neither did cold milk. 

Ever felt this way? What did you do to calm the fire?

Like lightening, in this case, the fire definitely did not strike a second time. I wised up. I used less red chillies. It was still hot, a Rendang is meant to be hot, but it was heat that I was comfortable with. Let me warn you though, I do eat spicy food at least 2-3 times a week, so I am spice tolerant. If you are not used to spicy food, I'd say go light on the chilli paste. You don't have to use all the chilli paste. You can store it in a glass jar in the fridge and use it to make some Honey Chilli Sauce or to add heat to other meals you cook.

I'll let you in on a little secret - I absolutely LOVE Asian curries!!! Yeah, well, no secret...

I was a big fan of Thai curries for a looong time, until I tried the Vegan Amok in Cambodia. And I kinda changed favorites. I've made that a couple of times with the Amok Powder I picked up in Siem Reap, it is sooo tasty, I feel like I'm cheating on Thai curry when I have it.

The only Asian curry that I had heard for a long time, but never had a vegan version was the Malaysian Rendang. Usually Rendang is made from Beef or Chicken, but since I consume neither, I wanted to make my own vegan version of it. I added Cauliflower, Cauliflower greens, and Sweet Potato to replace the beef or chicken in the curry. And girl... it was goooooood...

Have you ever tried sweet potato in a curry? If not, you really really should. I'm not such a big fan of boiled or roasted sweet potato, but when boiled in a curry, it is super tasty. I put it first in the Amok and now the Rendang, I've loved it both the times. Raj assumed he would be getting all the sweet potato in the curry, he was taken aback when he realised he had to compete with me in fishing them out in the curry.

To complement the curry, I made a simple cumin rice where I cooked short grained rice with salt and cumin. It went really well with the Cauliflower Rendang. Next time you feel like having curry, try this rendang out and take pictures and tag me @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram, or @OneTeaspoonLife on Twitter or share with me on Facebook.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Mushroom Cafreal - Vegan curry from Goa made by cooking mushrooms in a coriander sauce.
• Punjabi Dum Aloo - Vegan curry made from baby potatoes.
• Corn Tomato Bharta - Vegan curry made from grilled tomatoes and sweet corn.

Cauliflower Rendang Curry

Cauliflower Rendang is the vegan version of the Malaysian Rendang curry where Cauliflower and sweet potato are cooked in a spicy lemongrass, red chilli and coconut milk based sauce.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Asian
Prep Time:     20 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

1/2 Cauliflower
1 small Sweet Potato
200ml Coconut Milk
4-5 Lemongrass Stalks
5-6 dry Red chillies
1 tsp Cumin powder
1 tsp Coriander Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
4-5 Garlic cloves
1/2" Ginger
1 tsp Tamarind Pulp
1 tsp Sugar
2 Tbsp Oil
2-4 Tbsp Water
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the dry red chillies in a cup of hot water and keep aside for 10 minutes
Remove the outer layers of the lemongrass stalk until you reach the soft white center.
Break the cauliflower into florets and cut the sweet potato into chunks.
Drain out the chillies and remove the seeds.
Grind 3 of the lemongrass stalks, chillies, cumin powder, coriander powder, turmeric powder, ginger, garlic, tamarind and sugar along with a little water to a fine paste.
Heat oil in a pan and fry the paste for 3-4 minutes.
Bruise the remaining lemongrass and add it to the pan along with the cauliflower and the sweet potato.
Add salt and mix well.
Cover and cook on low heat until the cauliflower and sweet potato are almost done. They should be slightly undercooked.
Add the coconut milk and simmer on low heat uncovered for 8-9 minutes until you get the desired consistency and the vegetables are cooked. Adjust the sugar and salt as required.
Serve hot with rice.

Read more ...

Goan Mushroom Cafreal Recipe | How to make Mushroom Cafreal

Mushroom Cafreal recipe with step by step photo and video instructions. Mushroom Cafreal is a Goan semi dry curry made by stir frying mushrooms marinated in a coriander based green sauce. Mushroom Cafreal is vegan and gluten free.

In a hurry? Jump to Video or Jump to Recipe

This Mushroom Cafreal was the perfect finish to my weekend. I spent some quality time with my favorite girl in the whole wide universe and I had to end the day with some real quality food. 

What quality time you ask? With whom you ask?

I spent my weekend strolling through crowded lanes of local markets with my favorite girl, my sis Gee - some real awesome quality Sister Time. We went to the old Bangalore areas of Chickpet, Raja Market, Baba Market and walked through lanes and little markets that we had never seen before. While we did not have any real shopping to do, we literally bought nothing - NA DA, we did something we hadn't done in such a long time. We did this a lot when we were both single and had all the time in the world to do what we do best - Window Shopping! We'd pick a street or a market and walk through it gazing at all the goods, barely stopping for a meal. That's exactly what we did, we walked, talked and laughed and ate just one Vada-Pav each and came back.

And as a plus point, in a totally unexpected little corner, I found a dry fruit store that pretty much has every nut and seed that I've only read of in recipes but never set my eyes upon. They had pecans and cranberries and pine nuts and hazelnuts etc etc. That tiny shop packed a punch. I'm so excited about my find!! Now all I need to do is find awesome recipes, so I can go back there and buy whatever nut I need.

Back to my dish of the day - Mushroom Cafreal. Although Cafreal is usually made with chicken, but this vegetarian option also rocks!

This Mushroom Cafreal is absolute MAGIC. The mushrooms are full of texture, and the green sauce is a full on flavor bomb. Mushrooms are always great, I simply LOVE Mushrooms. But if you don't replace the mushroom in this recipe with potatoes or cauliflower and it will taste just as awesome. I did make a Potato version for Raj and he loved it.

This Mushroom Cafreal is a game changer. Most people's idea of a curry is something that starts with roasting spices and involves cooking slowly on the stove top until everything comes together to get a balance of flavors. But this curry is nothing like it. It has only three steps - blending, marinating and frying. Of course, there are spices involved, but no roasting or frying them. And no slow cooking at all. This curry is complete from start to finish in almost 30 minutes. Yes, that's it - Half an Hour!!

The Cafreal is all about the sauce, that is also the marinade. It is such a simple sauce yet so delicious and versatile. It can be used not just for making Cafreal, but also in Biryani or to add zing to so many other curries. The green sauce is made of humble ingredients - fresh Coriander leaves, Garlic, Green Chillies, Cinnamon, Cloves, Cumin, Pepper, Sugar (optional), and lime juice. While the traditional recipe may call for vinegar, I can't stand its smell, and I also prefer the freshness of the limes over the vinegar, so I used lime juice. To make the marinade, just grind everything with a little water. You can store this in a glass jar in the fridge for 1-2 weeks. Add salt whenever you are using it.

Rub in the marinade to the mushrooms and let them soak in all that goodness. Then heat oil in a pan and fry the mushroom in one layer. If using a smaller pan, then it can be done in batches. Once the first side is browned, flip and allow the other side to brown. Then add the remaining marinade and fry for a few minutes until the raw smell goes off. If you want, you can also add water at this point to make a gravy. Garnish with coriander and lime and serve it with Pao or bread.

If you made this recipe, let me know! Leave a comment here or on Facebook,  tag your tweet with @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter and don't forget to tag your photo @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram. You can also email me at onetspoflife@gmail.com I'd love to see what you are up to.

If you like this recipe, do not forget to share it with your friends and family! 

You can follow One Teaspoon Of Life on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest or you can subscribe to One Teaspoon Of Life and receive all the latest updated via Email

Video Recipe

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Goan Mushroom Cafreal Recipe | How to make Mushroom Cafreal

Mushroom Cafreal is a semi dry vegan Goan curry made by stir frying mushrooms marinated in a quick spicy coriander sauce.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Goan Mushroom Cafreal Recipe | How to make Mushroom Cafreal
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Total time:     40 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2

Ingredients:

200 gms button Mushrooms
2 cups fresh Coriander leaves
1 Tbsp Garlic, chopped
1 Tbsp Ginger, chopped
2-3 Green Chillies, finely chopped
1" Cinnamon stick
0.5 tsp Cumin Seeds
8-10 Black Peppercorns
2-4 Cloves
0.5 Lime
1-2 Tbsp Water
3-4 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste

Method:

1. Blend together coriander leaves, cumin seeds, cinnamon, black peppercorns, cloves, ginger, garlic, chilli, salt, lime juice with a little bit of water until smooth.
2. Clean the mushrooms and add in the blended marinade. Mix until all mushrooms are coated. You can halve the mushrooms if they are large.
3. Heat oil in a pan and add the mushrooms in a single layer. If using a small pan, this can be done in batches.
4. Cook on medium heat until the first side browns.
5. Flip and allow the other side to brown.
6. Add any remaining marinade and stir for 4-5 minutes or until the raw smell disappears.
7. If you want a gravy, you can add water at this stage to get the desired consistency and allow it to come to a boil.
8. Serve hot with pao or bread, or just like an appetizer.

If you liked this, you may also like:

Alsane Tonak

Mushroom Palak

Lahsuni Methi Mushroom

Read more ...

Pancharangi Dal | Panchmel Dal

Cozy Comfort Food. Three words to describe the dish of the day - Dal. When you want to feel that cozy under a blanket feeling not outside but inside you, I say make dal. It is warm, hearty and healthy. No guilt trips to the gym either.

Dal is such an essential part of Indian cooking. From north to south, east to west, every region has their version of dal. I have so many dal recipes with me that I rotate frequently, some have made it to the blog and some may never make it here. Try out this Spinach Dal or this Restaurant Style Dal Fry sometime.

For those who have never attempted to make dal, I encourage you to do so. It is such a forgiving dish. You can add anything or absolutely nothing to dal, and it will still taste good. The simplest dal we make is something called "Tove" where all you add is a simple tempering of mustard seeds, curry leaves and green chilli to already cooked pigeon pea lentils or toor dal. Salt is added after it is served. Dal can be that basic. Or it can be cooked with ginger-garlic, tomatoes and spices. Or with vegetables like this Heerekai Tove / Ridgegourd Dal.

Panchrangi Dal or Panchmel Dal is a mixed lentil dal that uses 5 different types of lentils - Toor Dal or Split Pigeon Peas, Chana Dal or Split Bengal Gram, Sabut Urad Dal or Black lentils, Moong Dal or split Mung Beans and the last is not really a dal - Moong or Mung beans. I learnt this recipe from my Aunt who lives in Gujarat. Pancharangi Dal or Panchmel Dal is a famous recipe across Gujarat and Rajasthan in Western India. These places are arid and hence, home to a lot of delicious spicy lentil recipes.

The dals are soaked for 30 minutes to 1 hour and then cooked until done. Dal is meant to be mushy in general. So cook until all the dals are well cooked. Then mush them up with a spoon. Fry finely chopped onions until translucent, then add the ginger-garlic paste and fry till fragrant. Toss in the chopped tomatoes and spices and cook well. Add the lentils and little water along with salt and simmer until you have the consistency you desire. 

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Spinach Dal / Palak Dal - Dhal cooked with spinach leaves
• Dal Fry - Restaurant style dal fry
• Heerekai Tove - Dal cooked with ridge gourd or toorai

Pancharangi Dal | Panchmel Dal

Pancharangi Dal | Panchmel Dal is a Gujarati Dal made from 5 different types of dals and beans. It is a spicy mixed lentil soup.

Recipe Type:  Main
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     45 minutes
Yield:                Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

0.5 cup Toor Dal (Pigeon Pea Lentils)
0.5 cup Moong Dal
0.5 cup Moong Beans
0.5 cup Chana Dal (Split Bengal Gram)
4 Tbsp Sabut Urad Dal (Whole black lentils)
1 Onion
2 Tomatoes
1 tsp Ginger Garlic Paste
1 tsp Turmeric Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
3 tsp Coriander Powder
2 tsp Cumin Powder
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Cumin Seeds
3-4 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

Soak all the dals in water for at least 30 mins.
Cook in a pressure cooked until cooked.
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the cumin seeds and allow them to brown slightly.
Add the chopped onions and fry until translucent.
Add the ginger-garlic paste and stir fry until for 2-3 minutes until fragrant.
Add the chopped tomato and cook for 1-2 minutes.
Add all the spices to the tomato and cook until the tomato is a paste
Add the cooked dal, salt and water. Simmer for 5-6 minutes or until you get the consistency you desire.
Garnish with chopped coriander leaves.
Serve hot with rice or roti.

Read more ...

Shavige Payasa | Semiyan Kheer | Vermicelli Pudding

Happy New Year!!!

I hope you had a great New Year's Eve!!

I ended 2016 with a sweet note. Read about it here.

In our culture, we start everything new with something sweet. I'm starting the new year with this sweet treat - Vermicelli Pudding or Semiyan Kheer or Shavige Payasa. Not that I need excuses to eat desserts, but then it is January, and I have resolutions made that I don't want to break in the very first week.

So, I just had one little bowl. But what a bowl it was, rich, sweet, fragrant, everything a kheer is meant to be.

Shavige Payasa is very commonly made for all festivals and is what we begin the meal with. It is one of the easiest desserts I know to make.

To make Shavige Payasa, we first need to roast the shavige or semiyan or vermicelli in ghee until golden brown. This is an important step as it prevents the vermicelli from clumping up when added to the milk. Also it imparts that rich taste of ghee to the entire kheer. You need to do this step carefully, stirring frequently and ensuring that the vermicelli does not burn. I always use wheat vermicelli that is not pre-roasted and is already broken into small pieces. I buy brands like MTR or Bambino

The second step is the dry fruits. I am a total "nut-case", I love nuts and dry fruits. I am extra generous with nuts and dry fruits when it comes to desserts and I also like to add a variety of them. This time I've used almonds, cashews, raisins and pistachios. The nuts and dry fruits need to be chopped and fried in ghee as well. Again, you need to be careful while frying in ghee. Ghee heats up quickly and you can end up with burnt nuts. So keep a watch on them. Stir frequently and keep the heat low. Fry the raisins separately as they burn quickly.

After this you are pretty much done with the "work". Just boil milk, add sugar and the roasted vermicelli. Give it a good stir to separate the strands of vermicelli and then allow it to simmer on low heat until the vermicelli is cooked completely but still retains it's shape. The vermicelli will give way when squeezed. About the sugar, I'd say start with less and add more if required later. Add around 3/4th the quantity in the beginning and you can add more after the vermicelli is cooked. Somehow, a lot of people think Indian Desserts are way too sweet and avoid them. But when you make it at home, you can adjust how much sugar you add depending on your taste. So Indian desserts don't have to be sickly sweet. Once the vermicelli is cooked and the sugar adjusted, add the cardamom powder and the fried nuts and dry fruits and mix well. If you have over reduced the milk and the kheer begins to look thick, add more milk and adjust the sugar.

Shavige Payasa is usually served hot to warm, but I like it at room temperature. I enjoy it even when it is cold.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Chana Dal Payasa - Kheer made from chana dal and coconut milk.
• Gajar ka Halwa -  North Indian carrot pudding made with grated carrots, milk, sugar, ghee and dry fruits.

Shavige Payasa | Semiyan Kheer | Vermicelli Pudding

Shavige Payasa | Semiyan Kheer | Vermicelli Pudding is a simple Indian dessert made by cooking ghee roasted vermicelli in milk.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            Indian
Prep Time:     5 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:                Serves 4-5

Ingredients:

0.5 cup Vermicelli or Semiyan or Shavige
4-5 cups Milk
3-4 Tbsp Sugar
1.5 Tbsp Ghee
3 Cardamoms
5-6 Cashew Nuts
5-6 Almonds
8-10 Raisins
4-5 Pistachios

Method:

Chop the almonds, cashew nuts and pistachios.
Heat ghee in a kadhai and add the chopped nuts. Fry them until they are a gentle brown. Do not allow them to burn. Keep stirring.
Remove the nuts and keep aside.
Add the raisins and stir fry them until they puff up. Remove and keep along with the nuts.
Add the vermicelli to the kadhai and on low heat roast the vermicelli until it is golden brown. Keep stirring frequently. Remove from heat and keep aside.
In the same kadhai, add 4 cups milk and bring it to a rolling boil.
Lower the heat and add sugar and simmer for 1 minute until the sugar dissolves.
Add the vermicelli to the milk and on low heat allow it to simmer until the vermicelli is cooked. Stir occasionally so that the vermicelli does not form lumps.
The kheer is done when the vermicelli is cooked. At this point if the kheer looks very thick, add the remaining milk and you can add more sugar and cook it until the sugar dissolves.
Crush the cardamom into a powder and add to the kheer. Simmer for 1 minute after mixing well.
Add the nuts and raisins and mix well. Remove from heat.
Kheer is usually served hot, but you can serve it at room temperature or even cold. As the kheer cools it ends up thickening. You can add a little milk to loosen the kheer while serving. You can add powdered sugar to adjust the sweetness as well.

Read more ...

Vegan Coffee Walnut Brownies

This is my LAST post of 2016 and it's been a wonderful year, definitely better than the last 2. The year had me complaining a lot about hectic schedules but it also had me winning an award at work (yay!!), completing 5 years of a wonderful marriage, taking a memorable vacation to Cambodia with the people I love the most in the world. It has also been the year where I have blogged the most. This is my 70th post of the year. It is much less than how often I would like to write but it is a start. So while I sign off this year, I'm leaving you with a little treat to celebrate 2016 and here's wishing you all a very Happy New Year!!

Coffee+Chocolate+Walnuts = AMAZING moist stimulating brownie.

These brownies are good for you, really. Waaah, you think I'm just throwing it around, don't you?

1) Walnuts are good for your brain. They also shaped like them. They help in improving memory, etc etc. Well, point to be noted is they are good for you.

2) These brownies are perfect energy boosters with the added Coffee.Some think that may be bad for you, but we don't associate with coffee haters anyway. I mean, is there a tastier way for you to have coffee, than in a Brownie?

3) Everybody says chocolate is good for you, don't they? Well, here's some nice dark chocolate.   Cheers for our health!!

Have I convinced you? I do hope I have because I wouldn't want you to miss out on this little piece of heaven.

For once, I simply made the brownies. No birthday, no celebration, no potluck, no get together. Just cause I wanted to treat myself, (yes, myself) to a dark moist chocolatey brownie. I've worked hard all year and I deserve it. So do you!! And when something tastes so good, it really does not need excuses or occasions. Of course, I shared this with family, but it was I who cut into them while still warm (not advised, but let's be honest, who can resist warm brownies) and ate to my heart's content before sharing it with anyone.

I feel happy and good when I eat things I love and chocolate usually ranks high on the list of foods that make me happy. What is it that you love to eat? What makes you happy? Let me know, may be I have a recipe just for that.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Eggless Almond Chocolate Brownies
• 40 minutes Eggless Chocolate Cupcakes

Vegan Coffee Walnut Brownies

Vegan Coffee Walnut Brownies are moist cake like brownies made from chocolate, coffee and walnuts.

Recipe Type:  Dessert
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     25 minutes
Yield:                Makes 9

Ingredients:

100gms Semi dark vegan Chocolate (grated)
3/4 cup Flour (Maida)
1/2 cup + 2 Tbsp Water
3/4 cup Powdered Sugar
8 tsp Oil
2 Tbsp Flour
3 tsp Coffee Powder
1/4 tsp Baking Soda
3 Tbsp chopped Walnuts

Method:

Microwave the grated chocolate and 1/2 cup water on high for 30 seconds until the chocolate is soft. Whisk to combine the chocolate and the water. If doing this on the stove top, do it on low heat.
Add the coffee powder and oil to the chocolate and mix well.
Add 1/2 cup sugar and mix well.
Sift the flour and baking soda together.
Add the flour to the chocolate and mix until combined.
Add more sugar or water as required. The batter should be sticky and thick.
Add half the chopped walnuts and mix.
Preheat the oven to 180 degree C.
Grease and line the baking tin with parchment paper.
Pour the batter into the tin and sprinkle the remaining walnuts on top.
Bake for 15-18 minutes.
Remove from the tin after 10-15 minutes and pull out the parchment paper.
Allow it to cool before cutting into squares.

Read more ...