Baked sweet potato with salad

Indians bake. But mostly Cakes and breads. And I had not baked in days. Navrathri just got over and Diwali is in the offing. So, today I baked sweet potato and served with a simple salad and Mushrooms.

So easy to make. Just pop everything into the oven; mix your salad and serve!

Oven Temperature : 200C

Ingredients:
Sweet potato - 3 (250 gm each)
Mushroom - 200 gm (optional)
Garlic - 10 pods (optional)
Onion - 1 medium
Tomato - 3 medium
Green chilly - 2
Coriander leaf - 3 tbsp (garnish)
Spring onion - 1 tbsp (garnish)
Lemon - 1
Olive oil - 4 tbsp
Salt
Pepper

Method:
Preheat oven for 10 minutes.
Wash and scrub the sweet potato to remove all grime and dirt.
Pat dry.
Brush olive oil over the potatoes and sprinkle salt.

Lay on a tray covered with aluminium foil (shiny side up) and bake for 45 minutes. Turn each potato after 20 minutes.
If you want to add mushrooms and garlic do the same as you did for sweet potatoes and put them into the oven when there is still 20 minutes baking time left. (I have added 1 quartered onion too.)

Salad:
Cut the onion and tomato into strips. Add sliced green chilly.
Just before serving, add salt and lime juice. Mix well.

Serving:
Slit the sweet potato down the middle and top with the salad.
Serve with baked Mushroom (garnished with pepper), baked garlic, onion and a slice of lemon.
Garnish with Coriander leaf and spring onion.

Mushroom and Spinach Risotto

Risotto....
Rice from Italy....
We love Italian food at home and mushroom is an all time favorite vegetable.
Spinach and mushroom make a perfect combination.
Must I add that it tickles the taste buds and is pleasing to the eye too?
Please do try making plain risotto too.

Ingredients:
Arborio Rice - 250 gms
Spinach - 1 bunch
Dried Mushroom - 50 gms
Vegetable stock - 3 litres
Onion -1 small
Garlic - 4 large cloves
Celery - 2 sticks
Wine - 1 cup (optional)
Salt to taste
Parmesan cheese - nearly 1 cup
Olive oil - 2 tbsp

Soak the mushroom in hot water and chop the onions, garlic, celery and spinach.
Keep the stock to boil, and once it starts boiling, reduce flame and keep warm.

Saute the onion, garlic and celery in olive oil until transparent.

Drain the mushrooms, squeeze the water and add the mushrooms to the onions.
Add the mushroom soaked water to the vegetable stock.

After a minute of frying on medium flame, add the rice and salt. Fry on medium flame for 2 minutes.

Increase flame. Make a well in the centre and add the wine.

Mix well. Once all the wine evaporates, add a ladle of warm stock.

Once this stock gets evaporated, pour in the next ladle. Continue this process till the rice cooks al dente.

Once the rice is cooked to your desired level, turn off flame.
Add the spinach and half of the parmesan cheese to the risotto.

Mix well and keep covered for 2 minutes.
Taste to check salt.

Serve with more cheese on top.
If you have left over Risotto, make arancini.

Mushroom Ularthiyadu / Kerala style spicy Mushroom with coconut shavings

Kerala. The food here is full of masala, very spicy, coconutty and lip smacking.
This Mushroom dish has all the usual flavorings you would find in a typical Kerala dish!
Serve with idiyappam or Appam or simply as a starter and enjoy the authentic taste of Kerala.

Ingredients:
Button Mushrooms - 600 gms
Ginger - 1 and 1/2 tsp , chopped fine
Garlic - 1 and 1/2 tsp, chopped fine
Onion - 2 medium or 1 large, chopped fine
Green Capsicum / bell pepper - 1 large , cut into small cubes (optional)
Dry coconut / copra, cut into thin slices - 1/2 cup
Coconut oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp
Red chilly - 2, broken
Curry leaf - 3 sprigs
Salt
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilly powder - 3/4 tbsp
Coriander powder - 1 tbsp
Vinegar - 1 tbsp

Powder the following spices together for the Masala powder:
Perum jeerakam / fennal seeds -1 tsp
Cinnamon stick / patta - 1 inch piece
Clove / grambu - 5 pieces
Star anise / takkolam - 1/2 of a whole
Pepper corn - 10

Method:
Wash and clean the mushrooms and halve them.
Tip it into a thick bottomed vessel with a tight lid.
Add the powdered masala, salt, turmeric powder, chilly powder, coriander powder and vinegar. Mix well and cook covered for 15 minutes on a low flame. (If using Pressure cooker, then give 2 whistles)
The mushroom would be wilted and there would be lots of water in the vessel.
Heat the coconut oil in another vessel.
Fry the dry coconut / copra slivers till golden brown and remove it from the oil using a slotted spoon. Keep aside until required.
In the remaining oil, splutter the mustard. Then add the red chilly, curry leaf, the onion, ginger and garlic.
Once the onion turns transparent, add the capsicum, fried copra and mushroom with all the water.
Fry on a high flame till all the water evaporates and the curry starts to dry.
Continue frying till the mushroom starts to get a golden hue.
Serve at room temperature with a dash of pepper and some fresh curry leaves on top.

Serve with appam.

Tawa White Pizza with Mushrooms

All the things in a pizza are here.

A base, sauce and topping.

But unlike a traditional pizza, this has white sauce and is not baked in the oven.

Ingredients for 4 - 5 small 'pizzas':

Base:

Maida / All purpose flour- 1 and 1/2 cups

Baking powder - 1 tsp

Salt - 1/2 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp 

Knead all the above ingredients together with ample water to make a smooth dough.

Keep covered and refridgerated until use.

White sauce

Topping:

Mushroom - 200 gms, sliced thin

Onion - 1 medium, chopped fine

Rosemary (optional) - 1 tsp

Garlic (optional) - 1 pod, chopped fine

Salt

Pepper - 1 tsp

Oil - 1 tbsp

Spring onion for garnish

Heat the oil and fry the garlic and onion till translucent. Add the rosemary towards the end.

Add the mushroom and cook covered on low flame for 5 minutes.

When you open the lid, you will find water inside.

Add salt and pepper. Mix well and cook uncovered till all the water evaporates and mushroom starts browning.

Additional ingredients :

Oil for frying

Spring onion for decoration

Assembling :

Divide the base into 4 or 5 equal balls and spread into a thin round, the size of your tawa.

Heat the tawa and add 1 tsp oil.

Put the prepared round on the hot oil and when it starts getting golden brown, flip.

Reduce flame.

Spread the white sauce liberally on top and spread the cooked mushroom over it.

When the bottom gets golden brown, remove carefully to a plate and serve decorated with spring onion.

Chinese mixed vegetable soup

A wholesome soup with vegetables and noodles. Almost a complete meal.

Ingredients:
Ginger - 1 tsp
Garlic - 1 tsp
Green chilli - 1 tsp
Onion - 3 tbsp
Carrot - 1/2 medium, cut into rounds
Mushroom - 3
Cabbage - 2 tbsp
Tomato - 1 medium
Mint leaves - 1 tsp (optional)
Coriander leaves - 1 tsp
Capsicum - 1 tbsp
Corn flour - 1 heaped tbsp mixed with 1/2 cup water
Soy sauce - 1&1/2 tbsp
salt (add less in the beginning )
Pepper - 1 tsp
Noodles - 1 cup, broken
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Oil - 1 tbsp

Preparation:
Keep all the vegetables chopped and every other ingredient close by. We have to do the initial cooking on high flame.

Take a heavy bottomed vessel ( I used a pressure cooker bottom).
Heat the oil on high flame and when it starts smoking, add in the ginger, garlic and green chilli.

After 30 seconds, add the onion.

After 30 seconds, add in the mushroom and carrot.

Stir this for a minute , but take care to not break the mushroom.
Next add in the rest of the chopped vegetables.

After 1 minute of frying, add the salt, pepper and soy sauce.
Pour in 4 cups of water and bring to a boil.
Add in the broken noodles.

Reduce flame and cook without covering till the carrot softens.
Mix in the corn flour slurry.

When the soup thickens, turn off flame.

Add the vinegar, while it is still hot.

Taste and adjust the salt / pepper level. Add more soy sauce if you want.

Serve hot and enjoy!

Mushroom and broccoli in soy sauce

A fairly easy chinese curry with 2 exotic ingredients - mushroom and broccoli
.
Mushroom (button) - 150 gms

Dry shiitake Mushroom - 4 numbers , soaked in hot water and sliced thin (optional)

Broccoli - 1 small , broken into small flowerets

Ginger - 1 tbsp chopped

Garlic - 1 tbsp chopped

Green chilli - 1 tbsp chopped

Corn flour - 1 tbsp mixed with 1/2 cup water

Water - 1 1/2 cups

Salt

Pepper

Olive oil / sunflower oil - 2 tbsp

Mix the following together:

Soy sauce - 1 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tsp

Tomato sauce - 1 tbsp

Heat the oil and add the ginger, garlic and green chilli.

Next add the button mushroom and sauté stirring continuously on medium flame till it wilts.

Add the shiitake mushrooms, if using and mix well.

Add the salt, pepper and the mixed sauces.

Add 1 cup water and stir well.

When it starts to boil add the broccoli and reduce flame for 1 minute.

(If necessary, add more water.)

Add the corn flour slurry and turn off flame while stirring continuously. Curry will thicken.

Serve hot with fried rice or noodles.

Pasta with bread crumbs

Pasta with bread crumbs? Wondering what that is? That is what you get when 2 recipes from different sources merge in my brain! One is by a famous cook and food stylist - Donna Hay and second recipe is from BBC Good Food magazine. And when these 2 asked for ingredients I did not have... Viola! A different new dish!

Pasta - 400gms

Olive oil - 3 tbsp + extra for garnish

Zucchini / cucumber  - 1 small 

Onion - 1 medium

Garlic - 4 cloves

Bread crumbs - 4 tbsp heaped

Rosemary / thyme - 1 tsp

Dried Mushroom - 5 no:s soaked in hot water and diced fine.

Salt 

Pepper

Cook pasta in plenty of salted water and drain well. Keep aside after coating with olive oil so that they don't stick.

Heat olive oil and add the cucumber / zucchini. Once it turns golden add the garlic. Sauté for a minute and remove the 

Vegetables using a slotted spoon.

Into the same oil add the onion and cook on low flame till transparent.

Add the bread crumbs , rosemary / thyme and fry till crispy.

Add the mushroom and continue cooking for 2 more minutes on low flame, mixing well.

Add the cucumber / zucchini , salt and pepper to this and keep aside till serving time.

Just before serving, reheat bread crumb mixture and add the pasta.

Heat till pasta becomes hot.

Serve immediately drizzled with more olive oil on top.

Mushroom peas korma

This recipe is little on the sweet side because of the pineapple and raisins. My younger daughter and I loved it, but my husband thought may be I could have avoided the raisins. 

Mushroom - 10 , cut in half

Green peas - 1/2 cup

Onion - 1 large

Tomato -1 large

Green chilli - 1 or 2

Ginger garlic paste - 1 tsp

Pineapple fresh - 1 /2 cup

Sugar - 1 tsp 

Cashew nut broken - 1 tbsp

Raisins - 1 tbsp (opt)

Ghee - 2 tbsp

Oil - 2 tbsp

Jeera - 1 tsp

Salt

Turmeric powder - 1 tsp

Garam masala - 1 tsp

Chilli powder - 1 tsp

Milk - 1 cup

Garnish

Coriander leaf - 1 tbsp

Capsicum - 2 tbsp

Boil green peas with salt, 1 /2 tsp chilli powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala. When half cooked add the mushroom. Cook till peas are tender. Keep aside.

Heat 1 tbsp ghee in a kadai . Fry the cashew and raisins and remove using slotted spoon. Keep aside.

Boil the pineapple in water and once cooked, add the sugar. Mix well (add more water if necessary) and cook till all the water evaporates.

Into the kadai, add rest of the ghee and oil. Splutter the jeera.

Fry the onions and ginger garlic paste till onions becomes golden brown.

Add the salt, turmeric powder, rest of the chilli powder and garam masala. Fry for 1/2 a minute.

Add the tomato , green chilli and fry till they soften. Leave to cool.

Once cooled grind to a paste.

Return the paste to the kadai and add the milk.

Add the mushroom and peas. Boil for 2 minutes.

Add the cashew , raisins , pineapple , capsicum and coriander leaf.

Mix well and serve hot.

Chinese Chop Suey

Each time I watch an American film / tv show and I see the characters eat chinese takeaways, my mouth waters. I want THAT! So one day last week - The Big Bang Theory made me make this delicious chinese meal! And towards the end of cooking I was just too tired to top it with deep fried crispy noodles, so I served it topped with spring onion and toasted peanuts. Thus it became 'Healthy'!

Noodles - 200gms, boiled 

                + 50gms boiled and then deep fried (opt)

Carrot - 1 large or  2 small - Julienned (meaning cut into thin strips)

Beans - 4, cut diagonally into thin slices

Cabbage - julienned and then measure 1/2 cup

Green capsicum - 1/2 medium , julienned

Red capsicum - 1/2 medium, julienned

Yellow capsicum - 1/2 medium , julienned

Mushroom - 4, cut into thin slices (opt)

Onion - 1 medium, sliced thin

Garlic - 6 pods, chopped

Chilli flakes - 1 tsp

Oil - 3 tbsp

Sugar - 1tsp

Sauces

The below mentioned quantities are to be adjusted as per your taste. For example if you like your sauce spicy, add the whole 4 tbsp otherwise start with 2 and then icrease if you feel necessary.

Chilli sauce - 2 to 4 tbsp

Tomato sauce - 4 to 6 tbsp

Vinegar - 1/2 cup

Soya sauce - 4 tbsp

Sugar - 1 tbsp

Mix all the above with 1/2 cup water and taste. Boil and simmer on low flame for 3-5 minutes.

Garnish 

Peanuts toasted

Spring onion 

Deep fried noodles

Note : This recipe has to be made on a high heat. Do not reduce the flame. Therefore keep all the ingredients ready before you start. 

Heat oil and add the garlic. When it starts turning colour, add the chilli flakes.

After about 15 seconds, add the mushrooms and onions.

After a minute, add the carrots and beans.Toss well.

Next goes in the rest of the vegetables - cabbage and capsicums.

When they start wilting, make a well in the middle and add the 1tsp sugar. When this starts caramelising mix well.

Add the boiled sauces and mix well. Boil for a minute.

Arrange the noodles on the serving plate and top with the vegetables and sauce.

Garnish with the peanuts, spring onionsand deep fried noodles. Serve piping hot.

Pasta with grilled vegetables and Tomato sauce

Another way of relishing the grilled vegetables!

Grilled vegetables like mushroom , zucchini and coloured capsicum.
Tomato sauce
Pasta - al dente
Mix and enjoy!

Pasta with grilled vegetables and pesto

As I had said in my earlier post -Plancha / grilling is the IN thing at home. This was dinner!

Grilling vegetables is easy. Try with different colored capsicum, zucchini and mushroom. Omit the tomatoes and onion. Refer http://www.globalvegcooking.com/2012/06/grilled-vegetable-sandwich-with-lemon.html

Boil pasta , al dente
Make Pesto

Mix the boiled pasta with the grilled vegetables and add the pesto. How easy is that? Enjoy!

Grilled vegetable sandwich with lemon mayo dressing

My husband bought me a PLANCHA!! Yipee!!!
So it is grilling all the way and my daughter takes grilled sandwiches with different dressings to school.
Today it was with lemon mayonnaise.

Vegetables are so easy to grill - just mix with a splash of olive oil and some seasoning (salt and pepper) and keep aside for 2 minutes. Grill.
Important : Tomato must be grilled with only salt on top - do not mix with olive oil and keep aside.

Grill the vegetables and grill your bread.
Mix a tablespoon of mayo with 2 or 3 drops of lemon.
Spread the mayo on the bread and layer the vegetables. Press hard.
Done!

Veg Banderillas

When there is a party and you want to cook in advance an easy fancy colourful dish, THIS is your answer!

Capsicum - 1 each of red , green and yellow
Button Mushroom -  200gms
Olives - 20
Salt
Fresh ground pepper - 2 tbsp
Olive oil - 5 tbsp
Skewer sticks or tooth picks - soak in water for half hour

Cut each capsicum in such a way that each yields 18 large squares.
Put a thick heavy bottomed non stick pan with a long handle on heat.
Mix all the capsicums together and add half the olive oil, salt and pepper. They should not remain marinated for more than 2 minutes. Toss well.
The pan will be hot by now. When it gets real hot, tip the capsicum into it.
DO NOT STIR.
You will here popping noises; now move the vessel around and toss the veggies so that another side of the capsicum rests on the pan.
Repeat this in 1 minute intervals for about 4 minutes, so that the ends and skin get a bit charred but the colour of each capsicum is visible.
Remove from pan and keep aside.

Clean the mushrooms and cut each into 2 pieces.
Coat with olive oil, salt and pepper. Keep aside for not more than 2 minutes.
Heat the pan and add the mushrooms. Cover and cook on low flame for 1 minute and cook on high flame till all the water gets evaporated. Now start tossing them, do not stir ; till the mushrooms start turning golden brown.

Skewer the capsicum, mushrooms and olives in an attractive way.

Mushroom coconut milk curry - Cicy curry

My dear friend Cicy Berly kept talking about her Grandmother's cooking skills and how she especially likes the way her grandmom makes 'meen paal curry'.
Since we do not eat 'meen' or Fish, I made used the same recipe to make a really yummy Mushroom curry.

Ingredients:
Mushroom - 200 gms ( preferably Button mushroom)
Small onion - 15
Ginger - 4 inch
Garlic - 8 pods
Curry leaf - 16
Tomato -2 large
Vinegar - 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Turmeric powder - 1 tsp
Chilly Powder - 2 tbsp
Coconut Milk - 1 cup
Coconut Oil - 3 tbsp
Mustard seeds - 1 tsp

Method:
Grind together half of the small onions, ginger, garlic and curry leaf.
Chop the rest into small pieces.

Heat the oil and splutter the mustard.
Now add both the ground paste and cut onion, ginger, garlic and curry leaves.

When it turns light brown add the turmeric powder and chilly powder.

Fry for a minute and add the chopped tomato.

After another minute add the vinegar and salt.

Cook for 5 minutes on a medium flame till tomatoes are very soft/ mushy.

Add the coconut milk and washed mushroom.
Cover and cook for 5 more minutes.
Serve hot with appam or idiyappam.