CookingShooking : Hyderabadi Veg Dum Biryani

CookingShooking : Hyderabadi Veg Dum Biryani: Oh my.. How long have I waited to write this, I just can't tell you. Though the video recipe is right up here (click me) since a week. ...

Quinoa and brown rice for lunch

I am not really sure about the term “Bus do minute”( just 2 min)  cooking concept but yes “Bus 12 Minutes" I surly can buy that argument.

So here is a simple brunch recipe with quinoa and brown or wild rice.

Ingredients:

½ cup quinoa

½ cup brown rice

½ Onions chopped (optional)

½ tsp Ginger chopped

1 Tomato

1 green bell pepper

1 Red or yellow bell pepper

¼ bunch Parsley or coriander chopped

1 packet taco seasoning spice mix

Salt to taste

¼ tsp Black pepper

4 tbsp olive oil

I added 2 jalapeno peppers, totally optional

Other 'add on' vegetables are mushrooms, celery, zucchini.

Be creative and try adding olives, sprinkle Parmesan cheese( after your dish is done)

black bean and Oh! the list is endless.

If you have a sweet tooth like me then please do not hesitate to add 2 to 4 dates or/and one small apple chopped

Method:

Boil brown rice and quinoa together

In pressure cooker takes about 10 min

On stove top maybe around 20-25 min

In olive oil,  sauté ginger and onions. When onions are translucent add chopped tomatoes. Do not wait for tomatoes to soften.  Add rest of the vegetables and spices

Let it cook for 10 minutes with no lid on, you want to leave them little crunchy.

Incorporate rice and vegetables and add chopped walnuts raisins and sun flower seeds about ¼ of a cup. Do not cook with dry nuts. ( this can be optional too)

And you are done!

Enjoy your healthy brunch in a bowl. 

Suggestions for My Indian friends :  Instead of yogurt why don’t you try some salsa with it!

PS:  (If you add mushrooms, I suggest you sauté them separately so the raw, weird smell disappears )

Left over Chapati Uppama and Left over brown rice Pilaf

Left over wheat tortillas /chapatti

Who would like to throw away leftover chapatti or wheat tortilla sitting in fridge for couple of days. I really don’t. So I have been looking for recipe to make best use of chapatti or left over rice.

Rice is much simpler and has many variations but chapatti!!! …Well I tried on a friend’s Pallavi’s suggestion, a recipe I will be adding more often to my breakfast menu. 

Here are two recipes, tried and tested experiments with left over chapatti and brown rice.

I have tried  pav bhaji masala instead for the first time in rice.

I used 3 whole wheat tortillas as I did not have enough Chapatti. And I don’t see why next time when I do make again, I might just use wheat tortilla directly from the packet instead.

6 Chapatti or wheat tortillas

1 large onion

2 or 3 green chilles

½ tsp Cumin seeds

1 Tbsp Coconut flakes

¼ cup peanuts

6 to 8 cashew nuts

Curry leaves

Coriander leave

Lemon juice , salt and red chilies powder : add according to your taste

In 3 Tbsp of oil,  add all of the above ingredients except lemon juice and wheat tortillas. Fry for 10 minutes or until onions are translucent or little brown and so are peanuts.

Add crumbled wheat tortillas (crumble them in a processor)

Add it to the mixture and fry for title more time. Add lemon juice. I like it tangy so I add little bit more of lemon juice.

You are all done with chapatti uppama J

Ps; you can add cup of mixed vegetables precooked in microwave. The best I like in this is, peas and small fried potatoes.  

Left over Brown rice

Basmati brown rice   1 Cup or left over brown/ white  rice
     Mixed vegetables   1 cup
     Ginger garlic paste   1 tsp
     Onion        1
     Tomato     1 or 2
      Red chilly powder    3/4 tsp
      Pav bhaji masala      2 tbsp
      Turmeric powder   1/4 tsp
       Salt    As needed
       Cumin powder  1/4 tsp
       Oil       1 tbsp
       Coriander leaves  to garnish     

Green chilly   2   optional

·         In a pan add oil and add the ginger garlic paste. Slice the onions into long.

·         Add the onions to this and saute well.

·         Add the finely chopped tomato and sauté well. When the tomatoes are mushy add the mixed veggies to this. pre cook in microwave to lesson cooking time

• Add salt, turmeric powder, pav bhaji masala, red chilly powder and cumin powder.
• Mix well and cook in a low flame. 10 min
• Add the cooked rice once the veggies are cooked.
• Mix gently and cook for 2 -3 minutes in a low flame.
• Garnish with coriander leaves.
• Sprinkle cumin seed powder.

Enjoy !

Cheesy Potato Frittata

The luxury of a slow morning with my family, lounging in our PJs and waiting for a brunch and this weekend is Frittata. Easy simple and healthy.  I tried this  recipe from "Pass the Shushi" 

My version follows:

·         1/4 – 1/2 lb turkey sausage/ Optional

• 1 tbs butter
• 1 tbs olive oil
• 1 cup diced red potatoes or whatever kind of have at home
• ½- 1  cup sliced mushrooms
• 1/2 cup diced yellow onion
• 2cups  Baby spinach
• 1 teas dried thyme, or Italian spices
• 6 eggs ( remove 3 egg yolks  OR equivalent portion of egg beaters
• 2 tbs milk
• 1/2 teas salt
• 1/4 teas pepper
• 4 ounces cubed Colby jack cheese.
• 2 scallions, diced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375.

In an oven proof skillet over medium heat, brown sausage and crumble, set aside. On a medium-high flames, add olive oil and butter to pan. When hot, sauté onions saute. Add diced potatoes onions, mushroom, and thyme / spices and sauté until potatoes are done. Add spinach sauté for 2 minutes and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, salt, and pepper . (I have to add cayenne pepper) in a large mixing bowl. Add cheese and scallions when and stir to combine.

Arrange potatoes, mushrooms, and onion, spinach mixture in your skillet and pour the egg mixture over everything.

Put the frittata in the oven and bake for 15-20 minutes.

 

Spinach Soup

Spinach soup..winter comfort soup minus Fat..

This is so easy more like 15 minutes comfort winter soup.  Try it today:

Boil 1 cup of chicken stock or vegetable stock with 2 cups of water.  Add crushed garlic clove,  3 cups of spinach, remove some stalk..

Add cubed firm tofu if you like.  Boil for 10 minutes.  Add 1 tsp sesame oil, 1 tsp soy sauce and salt to taste. You are done, serve hot.

Other Options : I stir fried some mushrooms and ¼ cup of green onions and added to the soup.

You can also add shrimps.

You can stir fry tofu before you add to the soup.

Add cayenne pepper.

Miso soup with Udon Noddles.

In Okemos, around this time of the year, by night, you begin to feel the nippy cool breeze, declaring the onset of fall. It’s one of the most pleasant time of the year where the blazing sun is calmer and nite is cool and not stinging. And around this time of the year I start to crave for something warm and a bowl of soup completes it. So Here is tried and test default  Miso soup with Udon noodles.

For this, You need to pay a visit to your local Oriental store in your neighborhood.  
 Ask and don’t look for  Shiro Miso if you have no clue what it is..(psst .. soybean paste)  …or you might choose to be my disciple  and do exactly what I did which is , look for it in every aisle approx 12 min and then ask owner, who then takes you straight to freezer section.  Ask for white shiro miso with Dashi added. I bought mine from Lotte market. Vegan avoid dashi and ask for without .. Dashi is Japanese chicken bouillon.

I basically added vegetables I love in soups..so I finely chopped carrots, mushrooms,  scallions, baby bok Choy, bean sprouts and snow peas.Cut them real fine so they cook faster.
  Recipe, requires seaweed but oh!  well ,I forgot to buy them!

Other Ingredients are:

• 5 cups Vegetable or chicken  broth.( low sodium).
  1 cup water.
  1 1/2 teaspoons instant dashi granules( optional).
  2 heaps tbsp of miso paste( mix in water to remove lumps).
  1 tablespoon dried seaweed, soaked in water.
  1  cup cubed tofu( semi firm).
  ½  tsp cayenne pepper ( optional).
  Udon noodles from frozen section (  Udon is made from wheat).
  and vegetables given above  or add your favorite vegetables.

Boil water for Udon .Cook Udon based on how much you want.

In boiling broth, add thinly sliced vegetables and tofu, and seaweeds, simmer and cook for 10-12 minutes.  Once tender add diluted Miso paste, stir and switch off your stove.You are done. Do not boil once you add Miso paste. Serve Steamy hot  and enjoy!