Potato, Peas and Broccoli Mash

Move over regular potato mash, a healthier one is here!

Yes, no butter and not just potato, it's loaded with the goodness of green peas and broccoli. Yes, broccoli. It has extra virgin Olive Oil and mint, salt and pepper. So you see, it isn't lacking in flavor. It definitely isn't lacking in color, Go Green Guys! and it is healthy. And no one will ever find out it has broccoli hidden in it.

Let's be honest, this isn't really my recipe. It is Jamie Oliver's. I'm a big fan of Jamie's 30 minute meals and I try to not miss any of them. While the main course is usually some form of fish or meat, he makes some really nice vegetarian sides. This is just one of them. I loved the sound of it, and now, the taste too...

Before I made the mash, I was wondering what to pair with it. Usually, mash is paired with some kind of meat (Google said the same). I've usually had mashed potato with a vegetarian sizzler or with veggie burgers. It will also go great with a lot of vegetarian options, such as:

• Grilled Portobello Mushrooms 
• Grilled Tandoori Paneer
• Grilled/Baked Spicy Tofu
• Roasted Cauliflower Steaks

I mean, serve it with anything big and chunky with a lot of texture and flavor and no one will complain. 

I was super bored to make anything to go along, so I made it a main instead of a side. We ate it just like that and did not mind at all.

Do you have leftovers that you don't know what to do with? Do what I did, I stuffed them along with some cheese in between butter slathered slices of bread and grilled it to make an extremely delicious sandwich. After this, you'll make the mash just for the sandwich.

The quantity of the ingredients is just a loose guideline, I'd say add more or less of each of the items based on your taste.

Potato, Peas and Broccoli Mash

Healthy vegan potato mash with added green peas and broccoli. Adapted from Jamie Oliver's 30 minute meals.

Recipe Type:  Side
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     10 minutes
Cook time:     30 minutes
Yield:                Serves 2-3

Ingredients:

3 Potatoes, medium sized
0.5 cup Green Peas, frozen or fresh
0.5 cup Broccoli florets, loosely packed
Handful of mint leaves
3-4 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Pinch of sugar
Pepper to taste
Salt to taste
Water as required

Method:

Peel and dice the potatoes.
Pressure cook them with water until they are done. Around 5-8 minutes or 2-3 whistles.
Wash the broccoli thoroughly and add it along with the peas to the pressure cooker and cook for 3-5 minutes or 1 whistle.
Drain and leave aside to cool for 5 minutes.
Finely chop the mint leaves and add a pinch of salt.
Add 1 Tbsp of boiling hot water and a pinch of sugar.
Mix well and keep aside for 5 minutes.
Mash the potato, peas and broccoli.
Add extra virgin olive oil, salt, pepper and the mint sauce and mash until creamy. If you would like to make this recipe vegetarian instead of vegan replace the oil with 1-2 Tbsp of butter.
Serve it hot.

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Travel to Cambodia - What to see? (Part 2)

Hiya folks!!

How was the weekend? I'm still reeling from the workload that accompanies return from a vacation. Dusty house cleaned, groceries purchased and laundry just doesn't seem to get over. But then, when the vacation was worth all the work post it, I should not complain much.

Last week, I posted about how we felt about Cambodia and its people (we LOVED them!), how to get there, where we stayed, some very personal views on the food and night life and some tips regarding visa and currency. You can read all about it here.

This post is all about why we went there in the first place - the Temples and the magnificent ruins. Some things can rarely be described in words, like the beauty of the Taj Mahal, the mesmerizing effect the temples had on me is one such thing. While Angkor Wat is the symbol of Cambodia, there are a lot more temples and ruins to be seen here.

The temples are divided into the small circuit and the grand circuit with a different set of temples covered in both the circuits. It takes 1 day per circuit, so keep aside at least 2 days just for the temples. You can buy a daily pass of $20 or you can buy a 3 day pass for $40 (obvious choice!). The 3 day pass allows you to visit the temples on 3 non consecutive days.

Some general tips:

• Wear good walking shoes. There is a lot of walking involved as the tuk tuk can only drop you at the gate. There are also lots of stairs to climb to see most temples. Be prepared.
• Carry lots of water. The amount of climbing and walking you will do along with the tropical heat, is bound to make you thirsty. They sell "Cold Coconut" (chilled tender coconut) outside most temples, don't miss it.
• Carry caps, hats, umbrellas. The sun is strong as in all tropical countries, you will feel the heat by 10am. If you are travelling in the rainy season, don't forget to carry an umbrella, it rains very heavily.
• Sunscreen up to protect your skin.
• Dress up conservatively. Wear something that covers your knees (no shorts) and a top with sleeves. Sleeveless tops or tops with really short sleeves are not allowed inside. Alternatively, you can carry a scarf or a stole to cover up your arms and a wrap-around to cover your legs while entering a temple.
• Shop for cheap t-shirts, pants, souvenirs outside the temples. You can get t-shirts for $1 and pants for $1-$2 here. The same will cost you a little more at the night market - $2 for t-shirts and $2-3 for pants. 
• Do not buy anything from the children selling trinkets outside the temples. This encourages them to skip school.
• Be aware that you will not get phone signal inside a lot of these temples. So decide with your driver where you will be meeting up after seeing the temple.
• If you don't want to take a guide, read up before you go so you can relate to the temple. The grand circuit does not require a guide, but I recommend a guide for the small circuit.

Small Circuit:

The small circuit covers the temples and complexes of Angkor Wat, Angkor Thom (Baphuon, Bayon, Palace, Elephant Terrace), Ta Keo, Ta Prohm, Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang and Phnom Bekhang.  There are a lot of smaller temples on both the circuits that you can see if you have the time and inclination.

Most of these temples are Hindu in origin, while some are Buddhist. No worship happens in most of them anymore. In the words of our guide, Mr. Chanty, "First there was Hinduism, then Buddhism and now Tourism". Aptly said, I think. But still to respect the sentiments of the place, it is expected that you wear clothes that cover knees and shoulders. No shorts or sleeveless tops allowed.

Although this is called the small circuit, it is the more hectic one of the two circuits. A lot of walking and climbing happens here. If you are short of time and can only do one day of temples, do this circuit.

Angkor Wat:

The main attraction of Cambodia. It has become so famous, it is even on their flag. You have not seen Cambodia, until you have seen Angkor Wat. It is the largest religious complex in the World and a UNESCO world heritage site.

While most of the Khmer Empire kings worshiped Lord Shiva and built temples for him, Angkor Wat is different, it was built in worship of Lord Vishnu. A Vishnu statue still stands there today in one of the chambers. Over the years, the temple was converted to a Buddhist temple. Although, no worship is officially performed at the temple, the inner sanctum or the Bakan is closed for public on certain auspicious Buddhist days according to the Lunar Calendar. The Bakan is not a very stable structure and hence, at a time, only 100 people are allowed inside. The staff manages that well, you needn't be worried. Most people stay inside for 10-15 minutes so the queue moves fast. Pregnant women, children below 12 years and people with cardiovascular diseases aren't allowed to climb to the Bakan, but don't worry, if you are in any of the 3 categories, you aren't missing much. There is so much to see even without the Bakan.

Ram, Laxman and Hanuman

The walls of the temple have carvings of the Kurukshetra war on one wall and Ramayana on one wall. There is Sagar Manthan depicted too. There are carvings of how hell, earth and heaven were imagined to be. Taking a guide along is highly recommended. While all of us already knew all the Mahabharata and Ramayana stories, we would not have been able to identify them on the walls. Our guide helped us in identifying them. If you are unaware of the Hindu epics, it would help to read a brief about them online, before going to the temple to appreciate the beauty of the carvings.

Angkor Wat is unusual in its facing. While most Hindu temples face the East, Angkor faces the West. This is one of the reasons it make a beautiful Sunrise spot when the sun rises from behind the temple. People gather as early as 5am to catch a spot to view the temple's reflection in the water just around sunrise. It is a beautiful sight and I would say try to go if you can. Most hotels pack a breakfast box or like us, you can return to the hotel, have breakfast and then proceed to the next spot.

Bayon:

The temple of faces, that's what this is. There are so many smiling faces carved all around. There are supposed to be 216 faces carved out of sand stone here. The faces are supposed to represent the king who built the temple. It is one of the newer temples in the complex and was built as a Buddhist Temple as opposed to a Hindu Temple. Definitely not to be missed. You will see similar faces all across the temple gates or Gopuras.

Baphuon:

This temple is right near the Bayon temple. It was built in worship of Lord Shiva. Due to the war, the restoration of this temple also was not completed. Be aware that there is a lot of climbing to be done here. There are stairs but they tired me out. But the silver lining was the view from the top. It was beautiful.

Palace and Elephant Terrace:

A part of the original palace still survives but you aren't allowed to enter it.

The Elephant Terrace is just a platform from which people watched men training elephants.

You can give both a miss, if you are short on time or too tired to walk.

Ta Keo:

This was meant to be a Shiva temple, but it was never completed. The climb to the top of this temple is very steep and it is better if done either earlier in the day when the sun is low. There are 2 levels to the temple, there are wooden stairs present to reach the first level (they are also pretty steep).When we went here it was raining, and that brought down the temperature, making it easier for us to climb at around 3pm. If you are tired or unable to climb much, you can give this temple a miss.

Sprinting to the top, obviously, I'm losing :(

Ta Prohm:

The jungle temple, Lara Croft temple, it is known by many names, but the official name is Ta Prohm. This temple has been made famous by the movies shot here. The beauty of this temple, or rather it's ruins lies in the fact that the forest around the temple, has taken over the temple. This is where nature got married to man made structure.

The temple was abandoned for very long and in this period, Mother Nature showed its might and trees have grown into the structure and in many places, it is these trees that are helping the structure stand erect. This temple was built to honour the King's mother. This temple is being restored by the Archaeological Society of India and there are no plans to cut any of the trees growing on the temples. Fortunately for us, this temple had no climbing involved. This is definitely one of the "Don't miss" temples.

Banteay Kdei, Srah Srang:

Srah srang is just a man made lake with an overlooking platform. It is right opposite Banteay Kdei.

Banteay Kdei is very similar in architecture to Ta Prohm and Preah Khan, except that it is smaller in size. The temple has several enclosures with one chamber leading to many more. It is again a temple that requires no climbing and is ideal to visit towards the end of the tour when you are all tired. If you are visiting Preah Khan, this temple can be missed.

One of the gates

Phnom Bekhang:

This is just a small temple atop a hill, but it is a famous sunset point. The hill has to be climbed on foot, or a two wheeler or you can also climb on an elephant. No tuk tuks are allowed to go up. The climb is not steep and takes around 15-20 minutes. The temple on top isn't very stable and only 300 people are allowed to stay on top to see the sunrise. Most of the crowd starts accumulating at around 4pm, make sure you are there before that. The wait is boring as sunset happens around 5.30-6pm because of the latitude of Cambodia. You can also see Angkor Wat from here. Unfortunately, when we went it was raining and there was cloud cover everywhere, so we did not wait until sunset.

Grand Circuit:

The grand circuit covers Preah Khan, Ta Som, Neak Pean, East Mebon and Pre Rup. It covers fewer temples but the distance covered is more. The temples are far apart and you need a vehicle to cover them all. Read up on the temples you plan to visit before you go and you won't need a guide. We did not hire one for this circuit, and we did fine. This circuit is less tiring than the small circuit and we finished it by lunchtime.

Preah Khan:

Chambers, chambers and chambers, that is what this temple is all about. There are so many chambers here. This temple was built to honour the King's father. Wikipedia gives elaborate information on the structure and it's history, and is best read there. The temple is worth a visit, just to see the beautiful carvings and it's huge structure. This temple also has trees growing out of it like Ta Prohm but at a smaller scale.

Ta Som:

This is one of the temples that has not been restored. It is the first temple that is being managed by an all Cambodian staff who were trained while working on Preah Khan. The temple is said to have been purposely destroyed. The gates and gopuras of this temple are beautiful.

East Mabon:

This temple was once surrounded by water which has since dried up. There are life sized stone elephants on all 4 corners on 2 levels that are still intact. Stone lions greet you at the entrance. The space on top of the doorway or the lintels of the little towers have some very intricate and beautiful carvings. I spotted a Lord Ganesha carving.

Pre Rup:

The architecture of Pre Rup is very similar to that of East Mabon. This temple is believed to be associated more with funerals than with worship. This is one of the few temples in the grand circuit that requires you to climb a long steep staircase. Hence, it is also another popular Sunset point. We did not see many carvings here as the temple appears to be built out of smaller bricks rather than larger stones. My personal opinion is you could either see it or leave it, it does not make much difference.

Neak Pean:

Now of all the temples we went to, this one by far is the most different one. I've seen a few blogs where they say this can be skipped, but I won't say it. It was one of my favorite temples of the grand circuit. The temple by itself isn't anything great, it is located on an island that we do not have access to. The water around it was green with algae. But the walk to the temple was what sealed the deal for me.

You have to walk on a wooden plank bridge that is surrounded by water on both sides to reach the temple. It is this walk that I enjoyed. The water was still and you could see the sky in the water. There were dried up trees for a long distance that were in the water, adding to the scenic beauty of this place. This temple is nothing like the others and warrants a visit just because of its uniqueness.

Other Attractions in Siem Reap, Cambodia:

Apart from the temples, there are several other sights that you can see in and around Siem Reap:

Phare, the Cambodian Circus is a highly rated and recommended by a lot of people. The entire act consists of 5 different stories that are acted out by former street children. The acts are moving and apparently gravity defying. We did not go for this, but you can read about it here.

Apsara Dance is the national dance of Cambodia and there are several places that have performances along with dinner included. The prices range from $18 to $50. The hotel we stayed in - Silk D'Angkor has also newly started the performance at an introduction price of $18 on certain days of the week. We had other plans and could not attend it.

Apsara Dance

Rosana Broadway is a "Lady-Boy" show similar to those in Bangkok. We actually went for this one and enjoyed it. There were several performances with songs, cabaret, folk dances of all the South East Asian countries. The tickets cost you $30 for deluxe seats at the back and $40 for the VIP seats in front. The must watch performance in this is the "One man woman" where one person is dressed half as a man and half as a woman. The show includes a pick up and drop in tuk tuk.

There are museums like the National Museum and Landmine Museum that you can also see. There is also the floating village which can be visited. Apart from these, there are cooking classes and pottery classes that one can go to.

Thanks for staying with me till the end, I hope you found it useful. Leave me a comment if you want more details on anything that we visited.

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Travel to Cambodia - An unforgettable experience! (Part 1)

We are back!!! Almost a week ago and I've been wanting to write this post from the moment we landed, but you know, the lazy me... Editing the mountain of photos we clicked had be bogged down the whole week. Back to the essence of the post - Cambodia.

We loved Cambodia and none of us wanted to come back.

All of us at Angkor Wat

I admit I was once not even interested in going to Cambodia (thankfully that changed) until I saw pics of Angkor Wat. After that, Cambodia as a vacation destination made place somewhere in the corners of my mind. 

What I saw and experienced in Cambodia in a short time of one week can only be described in many many words and hence, I'm splitting this post into two parts. The first part to describe my experience, how to travel, visa, food, shopping, stay etc and the second part is dedicated to the sights to see. Watch out for the second part next on www.oneteaspoonoflife.com.

Angkor Wat at Sunrise

The Experience:

What strikes you first when you land in Cambodia is not the magnificent temples, or the heat, it is the people of Cambodia. I believe it is the people that make a country and the people of Cambodia make a very fine country. Everywhere we went we found people always smiling and ever courteous, which is very heartening to see. Something our guide Mr. Chanty said to us, stayed with us – “We were fighting for so long, we forgot to develop our country”. He informed us that Cambodia has been at war for centuries, and one would expect that people from a war ravaged country would be bitter towards everyone. However, this is not the case here, the people welcome you wholeheartedly.

Among the four of us, we’ve been to 10 different countries, and Cambodia was our 11th, and we all felt that of all the countries we’ve been to, Cambodia had the softest, the nicest people. The Cambodian people speak softly. While most of them speak better English than you will find in the rest of South East Asia, even those who barely scrape through with English will try their level best to communicate with you. They understand when you say “No”. The tuk tuk drivers or the Night market vendors will ask you just once if you want something, they don’t pester you.

We did not find one rude soul there. If I go back to Cambodia, it will be more for the people there than the sights to see.

Apart from the people, we also loved the Temples, the Food (Yay!) and the Shopping.

Travel  + Visa:

Cambodia is well connected by air. You have many other local and major airlines flying into to Cambodia. Check what works for you in terms of cash and convenience. You can fly into Phnom Penh or Siem Reap airport, but if you plan the temple trail, then Siem Reap works best.

We took a Thai Air Asia flight via Bangkok on a Friday night and reached Siem Reap on Saturday morning. The flight from Bangalore to Bangkok takes around 3.5 hrs and Bangkok to Siem Reap takes about 1 hour. Thai Air Asia does not have any vegetarian food on board, so it's better to eat at the airports. You are allowed to carry your own food, but not eat in on board.

Siem Reap Airport

Visa is on arrival and they provide the forms in the flight. The Visa costs $30 per person. All you need is a completed visa application form, a passport size photograph and the money. The speed of the officials who approve the visa is commendable. We were done with our visa in 15 minutes. Immigration and baggage clearance takes a little longer but neither of that should hold you in the airport longer than 30 minutes.

If you plan on buying a SIM card, you can at the exit of the airport. There are representatives of several service providers stationed there. You can get a SIM card for as low as $5.

Tuk Tuks are the way to travel in the country once you are there. They are cheapest and best mode of transport according to me. Since the temple trail is pretty much surrounded by forests and there is minimal pollution, the open air travel seems nice and fresh as compared to a closed AC car.

Tuk Tuks

Hotel:

We booked our stay through www.agoda.com. We booked Silk D'Angkor Boutique Hotel on Charles de Gaulle Boulevard. It is located around 9km from the airport and 2km from the city center. It is a quiet hotel with exceptionally friendly staff. We had requested them for airport transfer and they sent us 2 tuk tuks for 4 of us. We were greeted by ever-smiling Daniel, the manager, at the reception who helped us plan out the next 2 days of our travel. The hotel arranged for 2 tuk tuks and a guide to take us around the temples. One tuk tuk cost us $19 and the guide $40. This may work out cheaper if you hire an independent tuk tuk or go through a travel agency. However, the tuk tuk drivers were nice and our guide was knowledgeable, so we had no regrets paying a little extra.

Extremely friendly staff at the Hotel

The stay included breakfast. The breakfast was a standard fare and tasted good. The hotel also had a pool, a restaurant and massage facilities. We tried the Khmer massage and I recommend it only to the brave. Do not expect a soft sweet massage, Khmer massage includes a lot of kneading and while it can seem painful at the moment, the pain does not last beyond the massage. There are massage parlors all over town that offer it for very low rates, you can also get it done there.

Food:

What can I say about the food except that it was FANTASTIC!!! I love my Thai curry and Cambodian curry did not disappoint. Infact, it may have just beaten the Thai curry to become my favorite. I could not have enough of it. I even picked up some curry powder there and am dying to try it out.

In Siem Reap it is very easy to find awesome vegetarian food. For all you non vegetarians out there, I believe there is no shortage of food you'd want to try. You get everything from your regular chicken to fried insects.

Peace Cafe ROCKS!!!

For all you vegetarians like me, there are several cafes around the city that serve veg food like Peace Cafe, Banlle, Artillery Cafe, Chamkar House to name a few. There are several Indian restaurants in the city like Currywalla, Vanakkam, Maharajah, Namaste, that serve you a mix of South and North Indian food, both in veg and non veg.

I tried a lot of things there like the Khmer Red Curry, Thai Green Curry, Vegetarian Amok, Fried Rice, Durian Ice Cream, Bubble Tea, Coconut-Rice cake (num krok) along with some western cuisine like Spinach Pizza, Veggie Burgers, Nachos, California roles etc. I loved everything we tried.

Vegetarian Amok

I specially recommend the Vegetarian Amok, Cambodian's national dish at Peace Cafe. Peace Cafe is a beautiful restaurant surrounded by greenery. They serve only vegetarian food that is fish sauce free, MSG free and shrimp paste free. They have a long exhaustive menu and we tried a lot on it and it very soon became our favorite place to eat. They also have a small but slightly overpriced gift shop that holds beautiful things. I picked up my curry powder from here. They also conduct Yoga classes. You can find out more from their site.

We loved the "Flying Zebra" for Pizza. It is a tiny little place in the city with a wood fired oven. We tried their Spinach Pizza which was amazing, so was their Cheese Garlic Baked Potato. Just don't kiss and tell, they are generous with their garlic. We also tried the vegetarian pizza and a quirky spicy mango pizza which you can try for an experience.

Also, there are a lot of French Bakeries across Siem Reap where you get amazing bread. The cakes may be good too, but I did not try any. I just fell in love with the bread and sorely miss it here in Bangalore.

Last but not the least, you cannot leave Siem Reap without having the "Cold Coconut" which is tender coconut kept under ice. It is nice and sweet and healthy. You will find it being sold outside pretty much every major temple and is a must have. It cools you down instantly. Be aware that these coconuts are huge and extremely filling. They cost $1.

The average cost of a meal ranged from $5 to $10 per person for us.

Night Life:

Pub Street is the place to be when the day starts to fade. It is the most happening place in town. Noisy and fun. You can buy draft beer for as little as $0.5. The Angkor What? is the most famous pub which has tourist flocking in there just to say "we went there" and to leave their mark on the walls of the pub. The other pubs around are slightly cheaper and some also serve food. Some pubs serve traditional barbecues while others can get you filled up on regular burgers and fries.

We were on Pub Street on the night of the Halloween Party and it was amazing. A little too loud, but fun nevertheless.

You have not experience Siem Reap, until you've been on the Night Scene

There are also several carts all across that serve you everything from the coconut-rice cakes, to fried ice cream rolls, pancakes, insects to cocktails. Yes, you have carts that sell you cocktails along with carts that sell you fruit smoothies.

I cannot describe night life without the Night Market. My favorite activity in Siem Reap was bargaining at the night markets. There are several night markets around the city. Almost all sell you similar stuff and at similar prices. Don't pay what the vendors ask you for, haggle for at least half the price. Look around the market and don't buy at the first place you see.

Most Night Markets are open from 4pm-11pm, however some are open throughout the day. We liked shopping at the Angkor Night Market and the Noon Night Market. The vendors speak manageable English and are excited to sell their goodies. Clothes are sold here at a bargain and unless you already bought them outside the temples (where they are sometimes cheaper), I highly recommend buying them here. T-Shirts are for $2, and you can buy 3 for $5. Same with the cotton pants. This is also a nice place to shop for souvenirs and gifts.

Currency:

Thanks to Matt from LandLopers, we did not exchange our US Dollars into Riels, the Cambodian local currency which worked just fine. In major cities, all the vendors deal in USDs only. So if you by something for $3.5 and pay with a $10 bill, they will return $6 in USD and the $0.5 in Riels. However, if you travel to interior places or to small villages, you may need to carry Riels.

Watch out for my next post on what to do and see in Siem Reap, Cambodia. Until then, you can read my reviews on Trip Advisor:

• Angkor Wat
• Neak Pean
• Ta Prohm
• Flying Zebra
• Peace Cafe

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Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart

I promised, and here it is - Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart...

But first, how was Diwali? I hope you all had a safe and fun Diwali. Belated Diwali wishes for all those who missed my wishes on Facebook.

Did you eat sweets till your tummy hurt? I'm so used to doing that on Diwali. The whole month's diet goes for a toss on a single day, and yet, it is totally worth it. But this year, I'm missing that. Did you forget, I'm on my super-duper-awesome trip to Cambodia? Read all about my plans here and get my latest updates on Twitter.

Back to my recipe of Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart.

When I made Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart for myself and Gee, I made this Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart for Raj. The whole idea of making either of these tarts actually started when I went ahead and finally bought "Blue Cheese". I like blue cheese, but I've never bought any. I've had it in restaurants or cheese platters elsewhere, but never at home. I'd been toying with the idea of buying it for a long time. I knew I liked it, but I definitely cannot eat the entire slab, and I wasn't sure Raj would like it, he really isn't into funky foods. He finally got fed up of seeing me standing at the cheese counter eyeing blue cheese and forced me to buy some. Yay!!

Tangy salty blue cheese and sweet beets work wonderfully well together. For this tart, the beetroot was first cooked until almost done. Then peeled and sliced into bite sized pieces. After that I fried it with little oil in a frying pan along with some sugar, pepper and balsamic vinegar, just to caramelize it. Hey, I was having caramelized onions, he deserved caramelized beets. Just the beets and the blue cheese taste great together so skip everything else if you want. I added sauteed capsicum and strips of fresh basil just to oomph up the tart.

You may notice I haven't added a lot of the blue cheese. I wanted to, but it was his first time having blue cheese and I definitely did not want to overwhelm him, so I kept it to a minimum, where there is a hint of the tang and the salt, but it is subtle. If you love blue cheese, go on and replace the regular cheese with more blue and it should be your little mouthful of cheese heaven.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart - Tart made with sweet caramelized onions, pepper sauteed mushrooms, an easy vegan pastry and creamy rich cheesy white sauce.
• Beetroot Burger - Spiced beetroot, cauliflower and beans patty combined with some eggless mayo to make a Veggie Burger.
• Stuffed Potato Skins - Baked potato skins stuffed with an instant tomato sauce, fried green Capsicum and Mozzarella cheese.

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart

Beetroot Capsicum and Blue Cheese Tart is an eggless tart made with caramelized beetroot, sauteed capsicum, basil and a creamy rich blue cheese sauce held together in a crispy pastry.

Recipe Type:  Breakfast / Snacks
Cuisine:            International
Prep Time:     30 minutes
Cook time:     60 minutes
Yield:                6 Tarts (3.5" each)

Ingredients:

For the Pastry:

1 cup All Purpose Flour
0.25 cup Olive Oil
0.5 cup cold Water
0.25 tsp Salt

For the Sauce:

3 Tbsp Olive Oil
1.5 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
1.25 cups Milk
25gms Cheese or 2 Cheese Cubes
2 Tbsp Blue Cheese
3-4 cloves Garlic
0.25 tsp Nutmeg
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Filling:

1 small Beetroot
0.5 Capsicum
8-10 Basil Leaves (Optional)
0.5 tsp Balsamic Vinegar
1 tsp Jaggery Powder or Sugar
5-6 tsp Oil
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Water as required

Method:

To make the Pastry:

Whisk together 0.25 cups of water and the oil to form an emulsion.
Take the flour in a large bowl, add salt.
Add the emulsion to the flour and mix with a spatula or hands until combined.
Fold the dough 4-5 times, do not knead.
Wrap the pastry in plastic wrap and rest in the refrigerator for 15 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Grease the tart tins.
Divide the pastry into 6 equal parts. This recipe uses 6 individual tart tins of 3.5" diameter. If you plan on making one large tart, do not divide the dough.
Dust the counter with flour and roll out the pastry until it is big enough to cover the tart tin.
Place the rolled out pastry in the tin and gently press the pastry in tin. Remove any excess pastry from the sides.
Put in baking beans and bake the pastry for 12-15 minutes or until done.
Allow them to cool a little and then remove the pastry shells from the tins and keep aside.

To make the Sauce:

Heat oil in a pan.
Once the oil is hot, add in the flour and fry for 45-60 seconds.
Add the milk and allow it to come to a boil.
Lower the heat and add the salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Continue to simmer for 1-2 mins until the sauce thickens.
Grate the cheese into the sauce and mix well.
Simmer for another 2-3 mins and remove from heat. If the sauce has become very thick, add 1-2Tbsp milk to loosen it.

To make the Filling:

Boil the whole beetroot without peeling it.
Once the beetroot is almost cooked, remove it from water and allow it to cool.
Once it is cool enough to handle, peel it and cut it into small chunks.
Heat 2-3 tsp oil in a pan.
Once it is hot, add the beetroot. Add a pinch of salt and mix well,
Fry the beetroot on low heat until cooked.
Add the balsamic vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar or jaggery and mix well.
Cook for 2-3 mins and remove from heat.
Cut the capsicum into small pieces.
Heat oil in a pan and when it is hot, add the capsicum.
Add salt and pepper.
Saute the capsicum for 2-3 mins and remove from heat.
Julienne the basil leaves into thin strips.

Assembling the Tart:

Preheat the oven to 200 degree C.
Place the beetroot, capsicum and basil in the tart.
Spoon in the sauce.
Sprinkle another layer of beetroot and capsicum on top.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the top browns.

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Banana Blossom Cutlets

Finger Food Fridays !!!

And this time with a Healthy Pan fried Banana Blossom and white peas spicy cutlet.

Speaking of Friday, guess where we are off to today??? 

SIEM REAP, CAMBODIA.... Really!!! (I'm still pinching myself)

I'm super excited. I was in a state of disbelief until I had to pack. I hate packing. May be a little less than unpacking though. But YESSS... the tickets are booked, hotel's spoken for, the bags are packed and the Passports are out and ready to be stamped. It's been so long that we took a vacation, and we've been all working so hard in office, that this is such a welcome break.

I'd never heard of Cambodia, while Raj went on and on that we should go there once in our life. This was waaay back some 5 yrs ago. I ignored him then and we went to Phuket (which I loved loved loved). But then I saw photos of these magnificent temples online and I wanted to see them NOW. So here we are, a few hours away from actually seeing those beautiful temples, but before that we have miles to go and lots of airport wait time.

Has anyone of you out there been to Cambodia and can give me tips on what to see and where to eat and where to shop? I'm all ears. 

What this means next Tuesday, I won't be blogging live, it will be a scheduled post. Watch out for it though, it is on the lines of Caramelized Onion Mushroom Tart, only minus the mushrooms and plus some colorful ingredients, but just as delicious. But I will (hopefully) be active on Twitter tweeting our latest photos of sites we saw, food we ate (I'm excited to try out the Khmer curries, I've heard wonderful things about them) and knick-knacks we shopped for (dying to see what Siem Reap has to offer in the night market) - don't miss it out, follow @oneteaspoonlife on Twitter.

Back to Friday's finger food - Banana Blossom Cutlets. Banana Blossom or Banana Flower as it is sometimes called is a popular in South East Asian cusine (so perfect for today's post). Banana flower is very much like an artichoke in structure and in flavour. Usually, a typical Banana Blossom Cutlet uses potato along with the banana blossom to bind it. But here, I've used mushy white peas and a little bit of besan or chickpea flour to bind them. The banana flower in itself has no taste, (but it is loaded with texture), so generously use spices. 

Preparing a banana blossom needs patience, but the reward at the end is worth it. Did you know it acts as an anti-depressant? So by the time you are done eating, you WILL be happy! So back to preparing, 

• The maroon outer layer is to be discarded, the tiny flowers attached to the stem are for keeps. 
• Continue peeling away the layers until you reach a white heart where distinguishing the layers becomes difficult. 
• Chop this heart finely and immediately soak it in water with added lime juice to prevent browning. 
• For each of the tiny flowers, remove the inner filaments and chop the flowers finely and add to the water. 
• These need to be soaked for 4-5 hrs or overnight to remove any bitterness it may contain. 

The white peas need soaking too, until they can be cooked. So this would be the right time to soak them too.

After 5 hrs, cook the peas until mushy and cook the banana blossom until done. Drain both and mix. Add in besan or chickpea flour, spices, salt and mash well. Shape into patties and pan fry while spooning oil on each of the cutlets.

If you liked this, you may also like:

• Goan Banana Blossom Curry - Semi dry curry made with banana blossom and white peas in Goan style
• Sabudana Vada - Shallow fried vadas or poppers made with Sabudana/Sago, Peanuts and mashed potatoes.
• Raw Banana Fry - Dry spicy curry made with raw banana or plantains in South Indian style.
• 10 minute Plantain Chips - Goan style chips made by pan frying finely sliced plantain dipped in spices and fine semolina.

Banana Blossom Cutlets

Banana Blossom Cutlets are vegan pan fried snacks made from cooked banana blossom, mushy white peas and spices.

Recipe Type:  Snacks
Cuisine:            South Indian
Prep Time:     8 Hours (includes soaking time)
Cook time:     1 Hour
Yield:                10-12 cutlets

Ingredients:

1 cup Banana Blossom, chopped (Refer to the post on top to see how to prepare banana blossom)
0.25 cup dried White Peas
2-3 Tbsp Chickpea Flour or Besan
1/2 tsp Red Chilli Powder
1/2 tsp Turmeric Powder
1/2 tsp Garam Masala
Oil to fry
Salt to taste

Method:

Soak the chopped banana blossom in water overnight or for 4-5 hours. 
Soak the dried white peas in water overnight or for 8-10 hours.
Drain out the water and pressure cook for 1 whistle or cook in a sauce pan until done.
Separately pressure cook the white peas with 1/2 tsp salt for 2-3 whistles or until done.
Drain out the water from the banana blossom and the peas.
Combine the banana blossom and peas and mash them slightly.
Add in the turmeric powder, garam masala, red chilli powder, besan and salt and mix well.
Shape into cutlets.
Heat a frying pan and grease it.
Place the cutlets on the pan and spoon 1 tsp of oil on each of them. Cook on medium heat.
Flip them when the first side browns. Cook until the second side browns.
Serve hot with ketchup or chutney.

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