Showing posts with label Lunch / Dinner. Show all posts

Healthy Miso Noodle Soup

This 30 minute vegan healthy Miso Noodle soup is perfect for those cold winter nights!!

Vegan healthy soup made with white miso, wholewheat noodles and fresh vegetables

Miso Soup... I'd read about it, seen it but never got a chance to try it. Reason? It usually contains fish. Even the ready to eat soup packets have fish in them. So I knew the only thing I could do was make it myself, without fish, of course. But for that I needed Miso Paste. Hard that it may sound, but not many people have actually heard of Miso Paste, not just in India but in a lot of South East Asian countries as well. I looked for it high an low in everywhere nope, I did not find it. It is more apt to say I did not find it in the quantity and the cost that I was actually looking for. I did find it in a Japanese store in Cambodia but it was over 1 kg in quantity and with everything written in Japanese on the cover, I was completely lost on what the ingredients were. It is available in India, however, it is either not too good or way too expensive. I finally purchased my first batch in Whole Foods, Chicago and have been loving it. It is fish free, salty-sweet and delicate in flavor. I could it just by the spoonful.

Miso is a paste of rice and soybeans that has been fermented using koji. Shiro Miso is the mild light colored one and also the one I used in this recipe. It just adds a hint of flavor but a lot of health to the soup. It is a great source of iron and protein. You can replace it with the red miso or Aka Miso, but definitely reduce the quantity as that is much stronger than the white miso.

Traditionally, the base of a miso soup is a Japanese stock called dashi which is made from sea kelp (kombu) and fish flakes (bonito flakes), but that is not something I would eat. So I skipped that totally and made it vegan. If you can find some sea weed like wakame or nori, add it to enhance the umami of the soup. I would have loved to, but I did not have any.

I know all my talk is about Miso here and it is a Miso soup, but even if you cannot find a good miso paste, don't be disheartened. Make the soup anyway, just call it Noodle Soup :) The soup is very healthy because of all the vegetables it contains. It is also super low in calories, with one serving being under 150 calories. All the more reason to make it, don't you think? It is absolutely guilt free. And if you thought it won't fill you up, let me warn you right away, you are wrong. I could never drink/eat 2 whole servings because all that fiber from the vegetables filled me up right away.

I used whole wheat noodles in the soup, you can substitute it with soba noodles. Udon noodles wouldn't be bad as well. This soup is the healthiest thing you can have on a cold winter night. And the best part, it takes less than 30 minutes to make.

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 upto.

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

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If you liked this, you may also like:

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Healthy Miso Noodle Soup

Vegan healthy soup made with white or shiro miso, wholewheat noodles and fresh vegetables.

Recipe Type: Soup
Cuisine: Japanese
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Yield: Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

3 tsp Shiro Miso Paste
50gms Wholewheat Noodles
1.5 Tbsp Dark Soy Sauce
1 Tbsp Sriracha Sauce
30gms Tofu, cubed
4-5 Mushrooms, sliced
3 baby Bok choy, chopped roughly
0.5 cup Broccoli florets
1 small Onion
1 cup Cabbage, shredded
1 small Carrot, julienned
3 tsp Oil
1 liter Vegetable Broth or Water
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Method:

Cook the noodles as per instructions on the packet. Drain and keep aside.
Heat oil in a deep pan and fry the onions until they are translucent.
Add the broth or water and bring to a rolling boil.
Dissolve the miso paste in half cup of water and add it to the pan.
Add the soy sauce, sriracha sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
Boil for 2-3 minutes.
Add the bokchoy, broccoli, mushrooms, cabbage and carrot and boil for another 2 minutes.
Add the noodles and tofu and serve hot.

Vegan Thai Green Curry

Fragrant, creamy and vibrant vegan Thai Green Curry made with fresh ingredients!!

Happy 2018 guys!!! I know I’ve been AWOL for way too long from the blog and I feel extremely guilty. It may be a new year but my excuses are the same – work, home and travelling took up so much time that I could not devote enough to my one passion – my blog. I’ve missed blogging much more than anything last year and I don’t wish to repeat that again. So hopefully, you’ll see more of me and more consistently in 2018. Cheers!!

If you’re following me on Instagram, then you know what I’ve been eating and where. No? What are you waiting for, go follow me here or search for @oneteaspoonoflife on Instagram.

How to make vegan thai green curry recipe, asian curry recipe, how to make thai curry without fish sauce, vegan green curry recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Just to catch you up a little, I spent the last week in Chicago freezing myself. I went from a comfortable 20 degrees C (Positive) and to -20 degrees C (negative) for one week. My fingers froze when they weren’t in the coat pockets and my ear hurt when it errantly slipped out of the cap. I applaud those who brave this weather regularly, but I’m not made for that chill. While it was an a nice to experience just how that cold feels, I’m happy to be back to warm weather where I don’t need even a light jacket and I can roam around in open sandals.

I am one of those weirdos who actually likes airline food. I look forward to meals on planes. But after 8 meals in a span of one week plus a week of eating in restaurants, I’m just simply glad to be back to eat warm clean food at home. A touch of spice, a lot less cheese and a lot of health – that’s how I like my everyday food.

So my first recipe of 2018, is this warm flavorful Thai Green Curry with lots of vegetables that is perfect for cold winters. Did I tell you how much I love it? It is simply delicious plus it is hearty, healthy, vegan, gluten-free and full of fiber. Serve it with a bowl of brown rice for a healthier meal. I also had so much fun making this curry. I found all the fresh ingredients in the market and they were such a colorful bunch. I enjoyed shooting this recipe, all those colors popped beautifully.

Back to the recipe, one might be discouraged by the number of ingredients, but I ask you to look beyond it. The number may be more, but the effort is really not too much. The prep here is more time consuming than the actual cooking. And this is the perfect recipe to engage your family – ask your partner or kids to help out in peeling, chopping and slicing. Make it a family recipe and you won’t be so daunted.

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

Honey Cake - Bangalore Iyengar Bakery style honey and orange cake. Video Recipe.
Banana Bread - Delicious dense banana bread/cake.
Fresh Fruit Tart with Mango Cream - Tart filled with a fresh mango cream and fresh fruits
No-Bake Strawberry Cheesecake - Strawberry cheesecake made without egg or gelatin.

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Thai Green Curry (Vegan)

Easy to make vegan Thai green curry that is made with a fresh green curry paste and creamy coconut milk along with lots of stir fried vegetables.

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Thai or Asian
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

For the Green Curry Paste:

3 Lemongrass Stalks
2 Tbsp chopped Ginger
4-5 cloves Garlic
1 small Onion
2-3 green Onions (spring onions)
2-3 green Chillies
1 Tbsp fresh Turmeric or 0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
Handful of Basil leaves
Handful of Coriander leaves
2 tsp Coriander seeds
1 tsp Cumin seeds
0.5 tsp Peppercorns
Zest of 1 Lime
1-2 Tbsp Lime juice
1 Tbsp Palm Sugar (Jaggery/Sugar)
Water as required
Salt to taste

For the vegan Thai Green Curry:

1 cup thick Coconut Milk
1 cup thin Coconut Milk
3 Tbsp fresh Green Curry Paste
75 gms firm Tofu (cubed)
0.5 diced Capsicum
1 cup Broccoli florets
0.5 cup sliced Zucchini
1 small Carrot sliced
4-5 Mushrooms sliced
0.5 cups cubed Sweet Potato (boiled)
1 diced Bokchoy or handful of Spinach
3-4 Tbsp Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

To make the Green Curry Paste:

1. Powder the coriander seeds, cumin seeds and peppercorns coarsely. I hand pounded these in a mortar with a pestle.
2. Remove the outer later of the lemongrass stalk and chop into slices.
3. Roughly chop the green chillies, onions, green onions and garlic.
4. Add the pounded spices, lemongrass, green chillies, onions, green onions, garlic, chopped ginger, chopped turmeric, coriander leaves, basil leaves, lime zest, lime juice, sugar/jaggery and 1 tsp of salt to the food processor or a mixer and give it a whizz.
5. Scrape the sides of the jar and grind again. Add water by the spoonful to get a smooth paste.
6. Adjust salt, sugar and lime as per your taste.
7. Fill in sterilized glass jars and store in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
8. This recipe makes approximately 1.5 cups of curry paste.

To make the vegan Thai Green Curry:

1. Heat oil in a wok or kadhai.
2. Drain the excess water from the tofu using a kitchen towel. Add the tofu to the wok and fry until golden.
3. Remove the tofu and keep aside.
4. Add the carrots, mushroom, zucchini, broccoli, bokchoy stems and capsicum and stir fry them for 3-4 minutes.
5. Add the bokchoy leaves or spinach and stir until they are wilted.
6. Cook until the vegetables are cooked to your liking and remove it from the wok and keep aside. Preferably, the vegetables should be crunchy and not overcooked and mushy.
7. Heat the remaining oil and add the green curry paste. Stir fry it for 1-2 minutes until fragrant.
8. Add the stir fried vegetables along with the boiled sweet potato to the wok.
9. Add the thin coconut milk and cook it for 3-4 minutes.
10. Add the thick coconut milk and salt and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
11. Add the tofu before serving. Serve the curry hot with steamed white rice.

Lentil Soup with Roasted Pumpkin and Dumplings

Warm hearty healthy vegan Lentil Soup with cumin roasted pumpkin and broken wheat dumplings for cold rainy evenings!

how to make vegan lentil soup recipe, roasted pumpkin soup recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

I'm blogging after a long time - one and a half months!! The last two months were tough. Too much happening at work, I was stressed out a lot and the thought of opening my laptop once I had shut down the office one was so stressful, I let the blog slide for a while. Add to that I had some unplanned weekend travel that left me exhausted. Toss in a sore throat and a runny nose with that and I'm sure you understand how bad the past 2 months were for me.

I did not stop cooking though, I cooked a lot!! Hoping to get all those recipes on the blog soon. First one comes today - Lentil Soup with Roasted Pumpkin and Dumplings!! (whew! long name)

Is it raining where you are? It definitely is pouring cats, dogs and elephants where I am and I have a higher chance of survival if I were a whale. Not sure if it is our friendly South West monsoons gone rogue or the effects of a depression in Bay of Bengal, but we've received a lot more rain than the city can handle. Flooded roads are adding to traffic and increasing travel time exponentially.

With rain, comes wind - sharp and cold!! And all this cloudy cold is making me crave is hot hot HOT.. What's hotter and more comforting than soup on a cold windy day? Let us assume that I'm only talking about food for now. So Soup it is!!

I was browsing through some really old magazines of mine and I chanced upon my sole copy of BBC Good Food magazine. I'm really upset they stopped the magazine in India. I hope they see the merit of starting it again someday. Waiting with crossed fingers! But yeah, the magazine had this exact recipe of Lentil Soup with roasted pumpkin and dumplings that I adapted from.

This soup has 3 components - Lentils, Pumpkin and Dumplings.

Lentils - While the recipe mentioned Puy lentils, I used whole red lentils or Masoor. This cut down my cooking time as well as expense in half. To start with, just boil the lentils in water along with a little salt until they are done. Stop cooking before they are mushy enough to become dal. The lentils should preferably hold their shape and have the slightest of the bite in them. Cook them in vegetable broth for added flavor.

Pumpkin - Red pumpkin is roasted along with olive oil, salt, chilli powder and lots of cumin. Cube it and then roast it to reduce cooking time. These taste fabulous, so advise you to make a little extra, you can nibble on them as you cook. I definitely lost a good quantity of them to Raj and Gee while I cooked. A part of the pumpkin is pureed with the lentils and added to the soup while the rest can be just tossed in adding to the texture of the soup.

Dumplings - The recipe called for fine Bulghar wheat, what I used was Dalia or broken wheat, an Indian breakfast staple along with some millets. I soaked both the dalia and fox tail millets (navane) for half hour before draining and mixing in chopped onions, chopped coriander, salt, pepper, a tiny teaspoon of oil and plain flour. Mixed it and shaped into marble sized balls. I boiled them in water for 15-20 minutes until the wheat was almost cooked. Boil them in stock for added flavor.

The last step was combining all the 3 components and simmering for 10 minutes until everything came together. Garnish with chopped coriander and you are ready to serve.

This soup is very hearty and filling, it can keep you going for hours.

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

Black Bean Soup - Mexican style black bean soup. Vegan.
Creamy Vegan Pumpkin Soup - Thick creamy vegan pumpkin soup.
Panchrangi Dal / Panchmel Dal - A dal from West India made with 5 different types of lentils.

You can find more soup recipes here.

Lentil Soup with Roasted Pumpkin and Dumplings

Lentil soup with added cumin roasted pumpkins and dumplings made of broken wheat.

Recipe Type: Soup
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 60 minutes
Yield: Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

150 gms Whole Red Lentils / Masoor
150 gms Pumpkin
4 Tbsp Broken Wheat / Dalia
2 Tbsp Foxtail Millet
2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour / Maida
1 small Onion
3 Tbsp chopped Coriander
1 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1 tsp Pepper Powder
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt to taste
Water as required
4-5 tsp Oil

Method:

Soak the lentils in water for 30 minutes.
Soak the broken wheat and foxtail millet in water for 30 minutes.
Boil 3 cups of water in a large pot and add 0.5 tsp of salt to it.
Drain the lentils and add to the pot of boiling water and cook until the lentils are done.
Drain out the broken wheat and millets. Add all purpose flour, finely chopped onions, 1 Tbsp chopped coriander, salt and 0.5 tsp pepper. Mix until combined. If it is runny, add more flour.
Shape into marble sized balls.
Boil 2 cups of water in a pot and add the dumplings into it. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the dumplings are cooked.
Dice the pumpkin into bite sized pieces. Rub with olive oil, red chilli powder, cumin and salt. Lay onto a baking sheet.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree C. Bake the pumpkin for 20-25 minutes or until done.
Blend 1/3rd of the pumpkin with 1/3rd of the lentils and add to the boiled lentils. Add salt and pepper as required. Add more water if required and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add the remaining pumpkin and the dumplings and simmer for 5 minutes.
Garnish with the remaining chopped coriander and serve hot.

Chhole Palak | Chickpeas and Spinach Curry

Chhole Palak - Vibrant mildly spiced curry made with spinach and chickpeas. Guilt-free and hearty. Get ready for compliments!!

how to make chhole palak recipe, chana palak recipe, spinach and chickpea recipes, vegan curry recipe, vegan chickpea curry at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

This week I resurrected two things, a phone and this recipe of Chhole Palak.

I am an Engineer, yet (or may be that is exactly why) I believe in if it isn’t broken, don’t fix it. So while my little nokia brick phone continued to work fine over the years, I never thought I needed a new phone. I had friends grumbling that I’m the only one who is not on WhatsApp while their grandma’s had embraced the new technology. My dad actually did it before me. Finally, 3 years ago, I agreed to move on with the world and buy a smartphone.

I was so used to a little thing that fit into my pockets and could be dropped a hundred times (sometimes in water too) and nothing would ever happen to it. I guess I kinda did the same thing to my not-so-robust smartphone and now it is broken. The verdict is out – it can never be fixed. My trusty (not so trusty anymore, isn’t it?) smartphone is gone and will never be back. At least I got my data off it. But by the time I decide what my next smartphone should be, I resurrected my little nokia brick phone and guess what? It works like a dream, till date.

I’ve been off all social media for a week. No WhatsApp, no Instagram, no Pinterest. Not good news for the blogger in me, but very good news for the reader in me. I had so much time; I finished 2 books in 4 days and was craving for more. I have a temporary smart phone now, but I also have 2 more books that I’m determined to finish. Wish me luck.

The second thing, I resurrected was this 2 year old recipe – Chhole Palak. Smooth vibrant green spinach gravy with just a hint of chilli and garlic and soft salty well cooked chickpeas. Pair it with some soft Naan bread or whole wheat rotis, and be ready to accept all those compliments.

Now the first thing I think of when I see spinach is Palak Paneer. The famous spinach and cottage cheese curry. Two years ago we went to a restaurant and had their palak pindi chhole and loved it. That was the first time I tried to make Chhole Palak. I wish I could smuggle that recipe out from the chef who prepared it, but until then, I'm trying out my own versions. While the restaurant version had finely minced spinach, I went ahead and blended it into a silky smooth puree just like in Palak Paneer. See how vibrant that green is? Secret to how to maintain that brilliant green is in the recipe below.

This was the first time I ever ate spinach with chickpeas. Common knowledge has it that spinach pairs really well with all types of cheese, but adding chickpeas, was definitely a revelation to me. I love chickpeas; there is no doubt about it. Whenever I cook chickpeas, I always make extra. They are brilliant to snack on, especially in the form of this Chhole Chaat or chickpea salad. Flavor rules always, but there is something else that has kept me coming back to this recipe. It is guilt free and filling. On the day I took it for lunch, it kept me from feeling hungry for a long time. Perfect for the days when I am looking for a healthy meal with minimal effort.

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

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If you liked this, you may also like:

Palak Paneer - Spinach and cottage cheese curry
Palak Dal - Dhal made with spinach and spices.
Pindi Chhole - Simple curry made with chickpeas and tea.
Amritsari Chhole - Chickpeas cooked with tea and then added to a tomato based spicy masala.

Chhole Palak | Chickpeas in Spinach Gravy

Chickpeas cooked in a spiced gravy made with spinach

Recipe Type: Main Course
Cuisine: North Indian
Prep Time: 8 hours
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: 2 Servings

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked Chickpeas (Chhole) or 1 Tin of Chickpeas

3 cups chopped Spinach

1 large Onion

2-3 cloves of Garlic

1/2 inch piece Ginger

1-2 Green Chillies

1 tsp Cumin seeds

3-4 tsp Mustard Oil

Salt

Method:

Soak the chickpeas overnight or for 6-8 hrs (if using uncooked ones).
Boil them with 1-2 tsp of salt and water until they are done and not mushy.
Drain the water and keep aside.
Wash the spinach thoroughly and drain it.
Heat water in a large pot and once it comes to a boil, add the spinach in.
Boil the spinach for 7-8 minutes without covering the pot. Turn off the heat and allow the spinach to stay in the hot water for another 2-3 minutes.
Drain the spinach and immediately immerse in cold water or water with ice cold water. This is what retains the vibrant green of the spinach.
Grind the ginger, garlic, onion and green chillies together with a little water until smooth.
Heat oil in a kadhai/pan and add the cumin seeds.
Once they are slightly browned, add the onion puree and fry until slightly browned or for 3-5 minutes on low heat.
Add the spinach and mix well. Simmer on low heat for 5 minutes. Do not cover. Covering the spinach while it cooks turns it from bright green to a more brownish green.
Add chickpeas and cook for another 2-3 mins.
Add salt. Be aware of the fact that the chickpeas are already salted.
Serve hot with rice/roti/naan.
If you plan to store it for later, allow it to cool to room temperature before covering the curry, else it will lose the vibrant green color.

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls - Greek flavored grilled vegetables and a zingy yogurt sauce, rolled in your favorite bread

How to make vegetable souvlaki recipe, souvlaki gyros, vegetarian souvlaki recipe, vegan souvlaki recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

I've been MIA for a while, I know. I've been super busy at work doing things I never did UNTIL last week. I was super excited and tired at the same time. I'm used to sitting uber low in my chair at office, getting up only to get a cup of tea or a drink of water (which is a lot of trips). But last week was nothing like that, I got to go to out in the field. So the trips for water and tea were much longer than in office and all that walking around and working from 8am to 7pm kinda got me tired and in no mood to blog.

The little free time I had, I was planning a vacation. It's been 6 months since our amazing last vacation to Cambodia and I'm now ready for more. I'm thinking July, but the weather is kind of deterring me right now. The monsoons will be full swing in India and surroundings, so it has been quite a challenge to pick a destination as of now. I am all open to suggestions, if you have any.

While I don't have a vacation planned, I definitely have a recipe planned for you. I have a wonderful super healthy recipe - Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls that will take you to Greece, at least temporarily. Souvlaki is generally grilled meat with a few vegetables, but I tell you, you are missing nothing when you go all veggies. It is healthy and so quick to make. And so colorful, don't you think so?

I thought about calling it Grilled Vegetable Rolls, but Souvlaki sounded so fancy and the marinade had oregano and Olive Oil, so Souvlaki it was!! The recipe isn't even really a recipe, all you need to do is dice vegetables, the more variety you have, the better. And I would say use all the colors you can get, a bright vibrant dish has more takers. Once you are done dicing, marinate the vegetables in good quality extra virgin olive oil, garlic paste, lime juice, oregano, salt and pepper. Leave it aside for 30 minutes, while you make the yogurt sauce to go with it.

Just whisk together yogurt, salt and pepper. I made the saucy zingy by adding the marinade leftover at the bottom of the bowl after the vegetables were grilled. It made the sauce taste all Greek... Grill the vegetables until they are slightly soft and they develop a char.

You can eat the Vegetable Souvlaki just like this, dip the vegetables in that zingy Yogurt sauce and you have a cool and refreshing meal right there. But I love rolls!! So does Raj. I went all Indian and used Naan bread for the rolls, you can be traditional and use Pita. I upped the healthiness by adding a simple salad of julienne cabbage and coriander leaves. Veggie Power!! Then put the Souvlaki and drizzle the yogurt sauce, roll the bread and your Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls are ready to eat.

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

If you liked this, you may also like:

Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl - Spicy grilled cauliflower tossed with black rice and a mint coriander oil.
Grilled Eggplant and Coriander Hummus Rolls - Coriander hummus wrapped in grilled eggplant slices.
Instant Paneer Tikka - Paneer marinated in spices and grilled until charred.

Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls

Vegetable Souvlaki rolls are Greek flavored Pita/Naan bread rolls with grilled vegetables and a yogurt sauce.

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: Greek
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 30 minutes
Yield: Makes 4 Rolls

Ingredients:

For the Vegetable Souvlaki:

1 Zucchini
0.5 Green Pepper / Capsicum
0.5 Yellow Pepper / Capsicum
0.5 Red Pepper / Capsicum
1 small Onion
2 Tbsp extra virgin Olive Oil
1.5 tsp dried Oregano
1 tsp Garlic paste
Juice of half a lime
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Yogurt Sauce:

1 cup thick Yogurt
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
2 Tbsp Marinade

For Assembling the Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls:

Naan bread or Pita bread
1 cup julienne Cabbage
1 Tbsp chopped Coriander leaves
Salt to taste

Method:

To make the Vegetable Souvlaki:

Mix together the extra virgin olive oil, garlic paste, oregano, lime juice, salt and pepper to make the marinade.
Dice the vegetables into chunks and mix them in with the marinade. Keep aside for 15-30 minutes.
If using bamboo skewers, soak them in water until ready to grill to prevent the skewers from burning later.
Skewer the vegetables, mixing and matching as you please.
Heat a grill pan and when hot, place the skewers. You can grill these on charcoal or in the oven too.
Once one side is charred, flip the skewers until the other side is done too.
Remove from heat when done and keep aside.

To make the Yogurt Sauce:

Whisk together the yogurt, salt and pepper.
Spoon in the marinade leftover at the bottom of the bowl after grilling the vegetables, and mix well.

To assemble the Vegetable Souvlaki Rolls:

Heat the naan or pita bread.
Mix together the cabbage and coriander leaves with salt and add some over the bread.
Remove the vegetables from the skewer and place over the cabbage.
Drizzle some yogurt sauce and roll the bread.

Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl

Summer in a bowl - Spicy grilled Cauliflower, chewy Black Rice, fresh vibrant summer salad all tossed with a mint coriander oil. What are you waiting for? Dig in!!

How to make grilled cauliflower recipe, spicy grilled cauliflower recipe, roasted cauliflower recipe, how to make black rice recipe, summer recipes, one bowl recipes at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

I love one bowl meals, so convenient. You spoon all that you want in one large bowl and then you mix together all the bits and pieces as you eat. Bowl meals are popular in so many cultures - Asians have bibimbaps and a variety of other bowl meals (I'm not sure what they are really called), there are Mexican Rice Bowls - I really really love this, I can never have enough of it. And I'm sure there are thousands more that I've never even heard of. What's your favorite bowl meal?

So while Summer hit its high notes, the weather had mercy and a few drops of rain in patches brought down the temperature a few degrees. Yay! Now I at least don't drag my feet to the kitchen. It was beginning to get so hot that I had almost wanted to give up cooking. Standing in front of a hot stove when the air around you is so hot, was definitely more unappetizing than take away food.

Being a food blogger, I cannot "not" cook food. What will I write about? Life of a food blogger, especially a part time one like me is not at all rosy. Full time office job that pays me a salary takes up all of my day and a good part of my evenings and nights. I'm either travelling or in meetings or on a call. It's not that I hate it, in fact I enjoy a lot of it, but all that leaves me with very little time for cooking. So most of my kitchen experiments or as I call it "Delicious Exotic Cooking" happens only on the weekends. Weekdays are for simple non spicy dinners like this Tendle Bibbe Upkari with chapati.

Today was a relaxing Saturday. I had planned to not cook anything. Breakfast was at Gee's place where she made this awesome Sabudana Khichdi. And when Sabudana Khichdi is there, I always over-eat. So we were in no mood for a regular heavy lunch. Binged watched movies on TV all day. All that lazing is doing wonders for me!! I finally feel like cooking.

But today we were in no mood for regular heavy spicy weekend lunch. We both wanted something fresh yet filling. Not so sure if he wanted filling, but I definitely am not cooking any snacks with evening tea, so lunch had to keep us full till dinner. So presenting, my Saturday kitchen experiment, *drum rolls* - Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl!!

This Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl has 4 main components - the spicy grilled cauliflower ( of course), black rice (I told you I cook exotic food), mint coriander oil (ah! so easy) and a fresh summer salad (so refreshing).

Start by making the mint coriander oil. It is the simplest part of the entire bowl, but also the thing that ties it all together. The mint and coriander need time to infuse into the oil. So I'd start with this.

Then comes the black rice. Why black rice, you ask? Because I had it!! You can use brown rice or even regular white rice. I loved the play of black and the other colors, plus I had to use the rice, so I used the sexy black rice. Black rice is very similar to traditional brown rice, it needs quite a bit of soaking and it takes time to cook. It also has that bite to it that's generally missing in white rice. Cook the rice you have just the way you want it and it should be good.

The Cauliflower - marinate it with olive oil, red chilli powder, cumin powder, garlic, lime juice, turmeric powder and salt. I love this marinade, and I use it for all sorts of things - Paneer, Tofu, Chickpeas etc. Let the marinade soak in, then grill the cauliflower until it is done. I did mine in the oven.

The salad is just a basic salad of raw vegetables with a light dressing of lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. I just mixed together colorful peppers / capsicum to brighten up the whole dish. Use whatever you feel like adding to the salad.

Finally just spoon everything in a bowl and enjoy!! I preferred eating it at room temperature as it was a warm day. You can serve it at any temperature you like.

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

If you liked this, you may also like:

Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl

Grilled Cauliflower Summer Bowl is a fresh summer bowl made with spicy grilled cauliflower, a fresh salad, black rice tossed with a refreshing mint coriander oil.

Recipe Type: Main
Cuisine: International
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Yield: Serves 2

Ingredients:

For the Grilled Cauliflower:

2 cups Cauliflower Florets
1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 tsp Red Chilli Powder
0.5 tsp Turmeric Powder
1.5 tsp Cumin Powder
1 tsp Garlic paste
1 tsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste

For the Summer Salad:

1 Cucumber
1 small Onion
1 large Tomato
1/2 cup diced Capsicum (mixed colors)
1.5 Tbsp Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Lime Juice
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Mint Coriander Oil:

2 tbsp finely chopped Coriander leaves
2 tbsp finely chopped Mint leaves
3-4 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Sugar
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

For the Black Rice:

1 cup Black Rice
2 cups Water
1/2 tsp Salt

Method:

To make the Mint Coriander Oil:

Mix together all the ingredients and keep aside until assembling.

To make the Black Rice:

Wash and drain the black rice.
Add water until covered and soak for 1 hour.
Drain the water.
Pressure cook the rice with 2 cups of water and salt until done but not mushy. You can cook it in a deep pot as well. Black rice takes longer to cook just like brown rice.
Fluff the rice with a fork and keep aside.

To make the Grilled Cauliflower:

Mix together all the ingredients except the cauliflower to make a marinade.
Add in the cauliflower and rub the marinade. Keep aside for half hour.
Lay out on a baking sheet and grill in the oven for 12-15 minutes until the cauliflower is done.

To make the Summer Salad:

Roughly dice the cucumber, onion and tomato.
Add the lime juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Mix well.

To Assemble the Summer Bowl:

Spoon the rice equally into bowls. Pour the mint coriander oil over the rice.
Place the roasted cauliflower and the salad over the rice.
Serve at room temperature or warm.

Tendle Bibbe Upkari

Fresh tender Cashew Nuts!!! This Konkani new year dish lets you enjoy the creamy tender nuts in a mild fry with ivy gourds and potatoes.

Konkani Recipes, how to make bibbe upkari recipe, how to cook tender cashew nuts, how to make tondekayee palya with cashew nuts recipe at www.oneteaspoonoflife.com

Fresh Cashew Nuts!! I cannot believe I was oblivious to their existence. Being Goan, my love for cashew nuts is obvious. But until today, all I had was dried cashew nuts, sometimes salted, mostly plain, sometimes flavored and once or twice, I have mustered courage to eat the fruit that causes throats to itch. Somehow, I totally missed getting on the fresh tender cashew nuts wagon, until now, of course. My friend Vindhya of A Million Morsels, introduced me to this tender creamy crunchy delicacy.

So when Raj went to Karkala for an extended vacation for Ugadi (Hindu New Year), he got me these tender cashew nuts or bibbo/ bibbe. They are sold in packets of 50 or 100 and are very seasonal. They are usually sold around Ugadi as this Tendle Bibbe Upkari is a specialty for Ugadi in a Konkani household. If you cannot find tender cashew nuts, you can replace them with dried cashew nuts that have been soaked in water overnight or for 4-5 hours until they are nice and soft.

Upkari is a simple palya or a dry vegetable curry. It is also super healthy, low on oil, high on seasonal ingredients, barely any spices. It is a refreshing fresh dish fit for Summer.

Tendle or Tendli / Tondekayee or Ivy gourds is the fruit of a creeper. Tastes best when harvested when they are raw and tender and green. As they ripen, they become red and soft. Ripe tendle can be used to make Tondekayee Chutney. My luck shined when Raj got me home grown fresh tendle from Karkala. I am a big fan of anything home grown and organic. The tendle he got me were so tender and cooked so quickly. They were delicate and crisp, just the way I love them.

Potatoes, you can add them or you can leave them. Sometimes, if one cannot find tender cashews or not enough of them, the quantity of the upkari is increased by adding more potato. I put them in as everyone loves potatoes.

Coconut, another homegrown ingredient in my cooking. I feel so lucky to get homegrown coconut. I don't grow them in Bangalore, but every time someone comes from Karkala, my mother in law makes it a point to send me coconuts grown at home. They are huge, sweet and juicy.. YUM!! The coconut here is much more than just a garnish, it is almost the heart of the dish that brings everything together.

This Tendle Bibbe Upkari has very little in the way of spices, just mustard seeds, urad dal and red chillies with a sprig of curry leaves. It uses very little oil, it is mostly cooked in water. As I said, it is very healthy. Tendle Bibbe Upkari is eaten as a side along with rice and dal or with chapati.

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

If you liked this, you may also like:

Tondekayee Chutney - Chutney made from ripe ivy gourds or tendle and coconut.
Saasav - Ripe mango curry from the Konkan coast.
Banana Blossom and White Peas Curry - Dry curry made with banana flower and dried white peas.

Tendle Bibbe Upkari

Tendle Bibbe Upkari is a Konkani vegatable dish made with fresh tender cashew nuts, tendle or ivy gourd and potatoes. It is usually made during Ugadi.

Recipe Type: Side
Cuisine: Mangalore
Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook time: 40 minutes
Yield: Serves 3-4

Ingredients:

20-25 Tendle (Tondekayee or Ivy Gourd)
1 cup Bibbe or tender Cashew Nuts
1-2 Potatoes
3 tsp Oil
1/2 tsp Mustard Seeds
1/2 tsp Urad Dal
3-4 dry Red Chillies
2 Tbsp grated fresh Coconut
8-10 Curry leaves
Water as required
Salt to taste

Method:

Boil 2 cups of water. Remove from heat once it comes to a rolling boil.
Soak the cashew nuts (bibbe) in the hot water for 1 hour. This will help loosen the skin.
Peel the thin brown skin of the tender cashew nuts.
Wash the cashew nuts thoroughly and split them into halves.
Cut the tips of the tendle and slice it into thin slices.
Peel the potato and slice them to the same size as the tendle
Heat oil in a kadhai and add the mustard seeds.
Once the mustard seeds splutter, add the urad dal, curry leaves and the dry red chillies.
Fry until the urad dal changes colour.
Add the sliced tendle and 0.5 cup of water.
Cover and cook until the tendle are half done.
Add the sliced potato and the tender cashew nuts.
Cover and cook until the potato and tendle are done.
Add salt and mix well.
Garnish with grated coconut.
Serve hot with chapati.