Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Phool Gobhi ki Bhurji | Scrambled Cauliflower

Mashed cauliflower - always reminds me of school dinners - tasteless, dull, watery!! Now think cauliflower bhurji - creamy, melt in the mouth, divine. Bhurji (scrambled) is a popular way of cooking vegetables in the north of India. Deliciously spicy vegetable bhurjis are in fact quite common in a Uttar Pradesh Kitchen. In a bhurji, the vegetables are overcooked just a bit so that they soften and can be coarsely mashed. Then suitable spices added, and the vegetable refried at the end of the cooking process to get a creamy well cooked consistency. Cauliflower is one vegetable that makes for a wonderful bhurji - select a tender, fresh, organic piece for this recipe.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Cinnamon Raisin Bread with Oats | Eggless Baking

The one bread I have become rather partial to in the last few years is Cinnamon Raisin Bread. The thing, however, that I do not like about the store bought brands is that they are invariably made with white flour and other ingredients that one cannot get one's tongue around!!

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Do Kaddu Erisseri | Two Pumpkin Erisseri

If you eat pumpkin, you will love this recipe!! On the other hand, I am tempted to say if you always ignored the this humble vegetable, this recipe may win your taste buds and possibly your heart. The spiciness of the curry paste and the sweetness of the pumpkin give this dish a delicious flavour. You can make this with any kind of pumpkin, but I like to prepare it with a combination of the acorn squash and butternut squash. The combination of these two different types of pumpkin helps balance the flavours in this dish beautifully.


Sunday, December 19, 2010

Daring Cooks December 2010: Homemade Sundried Tomato and Pine Nut Seitan Sausages

The vegetarian sausage recipe is superb - loved this challenge. Will pen in details of my alterations as time permits:) Thanks Jenn and Jill for this wonderful Daring Cooks Challenge.

Post Script: Jenn and Jill have challenged The Daring Cooks to learn to perfect the technique of poaching an egg. They chose Eggs Benedict recipe from Alton Brown, Oeufs en Meurette from Cooking with Wine by Anne Willan, and Homemade Sundried Tomato & Pine Nut Seitan Sausages (poached) courtesy of Trudy of Veggie num num.

All content, text and photographs in this blog, unless otherwise noted, are Copyright of © Annarasa 2007 - 2011. All Rights Reserved. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

Friday, December 17, 2010

Matar Khumbi Ki Bhaji | Peas Mushroom Stir Fry

Cooking is a passion. I love reading the food pages in the Sunday papers, mags, and in cook books, trying new ideas and cuisines, and experimenting at my leisure!! But most of the everyday meals I cook tend to be simple, balanced,  and wholesome home cooked meals - something I picked up from my Mum :)

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Crunchy Vegetable Salad with Yogurt Dressing

I just crave the taste of garden fresh vegetables in the winter. Though we are under 9 inches of snow here and it is bitterly cold here, we are lucky to get crisp and juicy salad vegetables in our favourite stores. Last week, I bought sweet bell peppers: red, yellow, and orange, crunchy cucumbers, and some beautiful tomatoes for a salad. This is a salad I love - it has a light home made dressing that I make with yogurt and lots of nuts and seeds to add to the crunch!!


Thursday, December 9, 2010

Methi Matar Tofu Malai | Fenugreek Peas Tofu Curry

Tofu is one of my favourite foods. I use it in a variety of ways including to make Indian style vegetables and curries. Last night I paired it with one of my favourite vegetables - methi or Fenugreek. Fresh methi leaves are not very easily available to me so I tend to get the fresh frozen variety or the dry ones. For making methi vegetable, the fresh frozen variety is best.


Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Khumbi-Matar Pulao | Mushroom Peas Pilaf

I always have a box of mushrooms in the refrigerator. They perk up stir-fries, pasta sauces, bakes, soups, grilled toasts, and salads!! Interestingly, mushrooms do well with Indian dishes as well - they can and do take on the flavour of Indian spices and herbs beautifully.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Rustic Savoury Crostata: A Daring Baker's November

As always a winner from the Daring Bakers. I tweaked the recipe for the crust quite a bit to avoid eggs!! As for the filling - well it just had to be savoury:) This Crostata came out lip-smacking yummy!! The use of multiple flours in the crust gave a really nutty flavour and the filling was delicious. Don't be scared off by the darker crust - the colour comes from the Ragi or Finger Millet flour!! All I can say is that this recipe is a keeper and I am delighted that I decided to fiddle with it to suit our tastes!!


Wednesday, December 1, 2010

Jeweled Quinoa Pilaf with Pepitas and Cranberries

Quinoa has been a great favourite of mine ever since I discovered it!! I use it not only as a grain substitute but for an amazingly wide range of cooking. Its extremely versatile and can be combined well with a really wide multitude of flavours. It inspires creativity :)