Phool Gobhi ki Bhaji | Cauliflower Saute

With the temperatures diving into the 70s, the weather has turned rather autumnal around here. The leaves on the trees are still green, and there is no fall. But the sunshine seems to have acquired that mellow quality that makes autumn so incredibly beautiful. The flowers are still in bloom and we are seeing a lot of bumblebees, geese, and squirrels!! Its wonderful to enjoy the great outdoors and we have been stepping out every evening to enjoy the longer daylight hours too! That often leave me with a rather short window to rustle up a hot and fresh meal for dinner.

Patta Gobhi ki Bhaji | Sauteed Cabbage | Farm Fresh Produce

Cabbage is a wonderful vegetable. Apart from belonging to the family of cruciferous vegetables, it is packed with beta-carotene, Vitamin C, and fiber! My last visit to the farm yielded some beautiful heads of cabbage, kohl rabi, beets, and cucumbers. I was also able to get some glossy banana peppers and some fragrant lemon grass.But more about those later. Today I want to share a cabbage recipe I developed for the farm fresh cabbage I got last weekend.

Cumin Seasoned Warm Quinoa Salad with Broccolette, Carrots, and Kale | Farmers' Market Days

Summer is here and its time to make salads. I love shopping at our local farmers' market for fresh organic produce. Starting May the market is outdoors and so the pleasure of visiting it just doubles. The sunshine and vendors with bright flowers, fresh fruits, herbs, vegetables just makes shopping such a satisfying experience. Chatting with the farmers who grow the produce and getting to know is a the best bonus that one can ask for.

Chow Chow Curry | North Indian Style Chayote Squash Curry

 

Chayote Squash or what is commonly known as Chow Chow is not a vegetable I was familiar with in my childhood. I don't remember seeing Chow Chow in a big vegetable markets in Delhi, though I am sure some smaller vegetable vendors might have carried it regularly to customers accustomed to using it. I remember eating a lot of Doodhi (Bottle Gourd) and Karela (Bitter Gourd) but Chow Chow was never on our platters. So it comes as a sort of irony that today I can buy Chow Chow in any supermarket or farmers market I visit, but I get to see the best quality Doodhi and Karela only in season at my local farm.

Bandhkopir Charchari | Cabbage Fry

Cabbage is an extremely versatile vegetable. When cooked correctly, it can hold its own to pretty much any other vegetable. This of course means  - no boiling cabbage. I had read about boiled cabbage in so many English books but could never actually fathom how the vegetable could be eaten in this form. In my humble opinion, cabbage is not a vegetable that takes kindly to being boiled. It tends to wilt in the most unsavoury fashion and acquires the most unappetizing grey pallor!! To make matters it tastes pretty much like nothing on earth, a fact that I discovered in person when attending a conference in Northern England not too many years ago! Needless to say the experience confirmed my belief that soggy cabbage is inedible, but it did not dent my love of this vegetable.

Whenever I do a grocery round, I make a point to buy a nice head of cabbage, but I always try and make a different recipe with it. As cabbage is pretty much generic to cuisines across the world. especially India, this is not at all a difficult task. Today I am sharing a recipe that I have wanted to share for a long long time. It is Bandhkopir Charchari, a Bengali classic!! A simple and delicious vegetable to accompany Indian flatbreads, particularly the sinfully deep fried pooris!!

Beans Moongphali ki Bhaji | Green Beans Curry with Peanuts

Green beans are a staple in my home! I purchase organic green beans at a local store and now that we are in spring we are getting wonderfully tender beans. I usually make green beans in one of the many ways my Mum cooks them. But I do experiment with them a lot and you will see a good number of green bean recipes on this blog.

Brussels Sprouts ki Bhaji | Brussels Sprouts Stir Fry

I like a light weekday lunch, usually a roti, a cup of dal, and vegetable. Brussels Sprouts just fit the bill for a simple vegetable on the lunch menu. Though Brussels Sprouts are the bane of many a cook's existence, and often saved for a Christmas meal, at which time they are supposed to be a delicacy, I rather like their bitter nutty taste. This was one vegetable that I loved cooking throughout the year back in London. It really quick, very nutritious, and wonderful with chappatis!

Phool Gobhi Rassa | Cauliflower in Coconut Milk

Good quality cauliflower is a rare and prized vegetable here in winter. While in Delhi, we got some of the best cauliflower in this season. However with inches of snow covering the ground here we rarely get to see a decent head of cauliflower between December and March. All the vegetable comes from the warmer climes and has for so long sat in some cold storage chain that it becomes a challenge to cook it. But sometimes you get lucky and I got some really beautiful organic cauliflower at my local market the other day. I wanted to do justice to this lovely vegetable and so chose this delicious and simple curry to enjoy it in!!

Peas Nutri-Nuggets Curry | Curried Peas and Soy Nuggets

I love cooking with soy nuggets, they are so versatile and wonderful! What I like most about them apart from the fact that they are nutritious is that they absorb the flavour of pretty much any curry they are cooked in. I always keep a stash ready in my pantry especially for days what I want to make a one pot meal or simply a quick curry.

Caramelized Fennel and Onion Tart with Feta Cheese

I have been wanting to make something with fennel and bread for so long I can't even remember. Every time I bring some fennel home from the supermarket, it lands up in a bake or a soup!! Last friday I saw some super fresh and crunchy fennel at the local market I picked it up immediately. I also got some fresh yellow onions and a nice batch of feta cheese to go with it - the result was this yummy tart!!

Kuttu aur Aloo ka Bonda | Deep Fried Buckwheat and Potato Patties: Fasting Foods

Here is another deep fried treat for those of my readers who are fasting this Navratri. I made some farali Aloo Bondas with sendha namak, cumin powder, and potatoes. I used kuttu ka atta (buckwheat flour) to make the outer covering of the bondas. As always the kuttu did not disappoint and they turned out delicious. So delicious that they disappeared almost as soon as they were fried.

Rustic Mushroom and Corn Empanadas

The Daring Cooks September 2012 Challenge was Empanada Gallega! Yet another delightful recipe from the ever creative Daring Bakers!!! I made a vegetarian version, though not in pie form. I made individual Mushroom Corn Empanadas with caramelized onions. Oh, they were really good, kept well in the refrigerator for a few days and also warmed beautifully in the microwave later.

Lasun wala Shimla Mirch Aloo | Garlicky Green Peppers and Potatoes

We have been visiting the farm  every two weeks. The harvest has been fantastic and unexpectedly so given the heat we experienced this summer. I have been making pickles, chutneys, and we are enjoying fresh vegetables on our table every day now!! Last night I made a simple vegetable dish with farm fresh green peppers and potatoes. No store bought vegetable that has made it to the table via the cold chain can compare. Enjoy this simple and tasteful vegetable with chapatis, parathas, and plain curds (yogurt).

Summer Sweet Corn and Tomato Pie

Its coming up to the end of summer and corn and tomatoes are available aplenty here. I made this sweet corn and tomato pie last week to enjoy both the flavours at the peak of the season. We had picked up some sweet corn from a farmers market and the tomatoes I got from the farm where I get my summer produce!! The pink tomatoes were just so gorgeous that the moment I saw them all I could think of was making a pie with them.

Methi Matar Malai | Creamy Fenugreek with Peas

Methi Matar Malai is a wonderful and mellow fusion of sweet, bitter, sour, and tart flavours. I adore this dish and though it uses a good quantity of cream, the final result if worth it. Its a perfect dish for a treat, a party, or an add on dish to a complete table! Try it and I assure you there will will no protests at home!!

Chili Tofu | Indo Chinese Kitchen

Chili Tofu is a take on the very popular Chili Paneer served in Indo Chinese establishments! I tasted Chili Paneer many years at Sakoni's - a Gujarati restaurant in Wembley, London. It was such a popular dish that Desis (colloquial for South Asians) living in London would plan special trips to Sakoni's just for a stab at the dish. I was dragged across town by just such an eager friend. Unfortunately at the time the dish I was least impressed with was, you guessed it, Chili Paneer. I am guessing that it was overshadowed by other delicacies like Chaat, Lassi, Samosa, that I focused on during the meal!!

Gobhi Mussallam | Slow Cooked Marinated Cauliflower

Gobhi Mussallam is a wonderfully delectable dish that once again comes from the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. Heartwarming and delicious, this recipe is typically made in the winter as its stars are winter vegetables. Both cauliflower and peas, today available around the year, were to be found in the sprawling vegetables markets of the north only in winter. In fact, when peas did make an appearance out of season, people rarely purchased them, as they would often have a bitter aftertaste. Winter peas were always sweet!!

Mathura ke Dubkiwale Aloo | Mathura Potato Curry

Another delicious recipe from Uttar Pradesh is none other than Mathura Aloo. Famously paired with freshly fried poories or kachoris, they make the perfect weekend breakfast. The recipe is incredibly simple. This dish can come together in a pinch and is ideal as an add on in case of surprise visitors!!

Uchche Posto Jhuri | Khus Khus Karela | Bengali Style Bitter Gourd with Poppy Seeds

Karelas or Bitter Gourd have just started coming in at our local farm. We went Karela hunting last week, and got ourselves a stash of eight wonderfully fresh and tender karelas!! This apart from green beans, okra, and some wonderful beets!! My first karela recipe is Khus Khus Karela - this is bitter gourd made in a typically Bengali style with poppy seeds. It is a very simple recipe with just a few spices, but the taste is mind blowing!

Makkai ka Wada | Corn Vada | Sweet Corn Fritters

Its corn season out here and despite the heat, the markets are loaded with delicious fresh sweet corn. We get the very tasty tri-colour corn and I love to buy it to make all kinds of treats. Last week I got a batch of corn ears to make corn vadas. There are many recipes for corn vadas and they often involve grinding dals. I was not keen to make something quite as heavy so went for a lighter version of this deep fried treat!