Plagiarism

Once again, I have discovered that my posts have been shamefully copied without my permission on a website, pictures and text and all. I might have to change my rss feed as I am having difficulty figuring out how to change my current one. It is disgusting when you spend so much work documenting your time and someone just lifts it for nothing. Last night I was so upset, I considered deleting my blog and giving up this project that I have built up over the years.

Audio accompaniment: Ben Harper - Oppression

Mung Bean Paneer

Revisiting an old favorite of mine, via Lord Krishna's Cuisine by Yamuna Devi. As usual, I always change recipes and this time was no exception. Creamy mung beans with fried paneer is always an irresistible treat. This recipe is a particularly good one to serve to guests.


Do take the extra time to fry up fresh paneer cheese instead of buying the pre-fried cubes. My only regret is that I didn't make my own paneer cheese from scratch.


This is my submission to Susan's ever popular monthly event, My Legume Love Affair. This time the dear founder is the host.

Mung Bean Paneer

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from Lord Krishna's Cuisine: The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking Cuisine: Indian Published on May 6, 2010 An old favorite, creamy sweet mung beans are cooked with tomatoes and spices and served with golden-brown pieces of paneer cheese Print this recipe Ingredients: 1 1/4 cups dried whole mung beans 3 1/4 cups water 1 1/2 teaspoons turmeric 3/4 teaspoon cayenne 1/2 teaspoon paprika 1/2 tablespoon brown sugar 1-inch piece fresh ginger, minced or grated 4 tablespoons ghee or oil and butter (2 tablespoons if using pre-fried paneer cheese) 8 to 12 ounces (200 - 300 grams) paneer cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes 1 1/2 teaspoons cumin seeds 1/2 teaspoon asafoetida 1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala 1 teaspoon ground coriander 1 teaspoon amchoor (dried mango) powder 2 tomatoes, diced 2 - 3 fresh green chilies, seeded and finely chopped 3 - 5 tablespoons plain yogurt or sour cream 1 - 2 teaspoons sea salt juice from 1 lemon 4 tablespoons fresh parsley or coriander, chopped Instructions: Rinse the mung beans and soak for 6 hours or overnight in several inches of water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain and rinse. Bring the 3 1/4 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the turmeric, cayenne, paprika, sugar, ginger and 1 tablespoon of the ghee or oil and butter mixture. Add the beans, reduce the heat to low, and partially cover. Gently simmer for 50 to 60 minutes or until the beans are butter-soft but not mashed or broken. Remove from heat. Transfer 1 cup of the beans to a bowl and mash with a fork or potato masher. Return to the pan. Alternately, use a hand blender to mash a small portion of the beans in the pan. If using fresh un-pre-fried paneer, heat 4 tablespoons of the ghee or oil and butter mixture in a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the cheese cubes and stir-fry for about 5 to 10 minutes, constantly turning the cubes to brown them evenly on all sides. As they turn crisp and golden, remove with a slotted spoon and drop them into the cooked beans. If using pre-fried paneer cheese cubes, add directly to the pan of cooked beans. Heat the remaining ghee or oil and butter mixture in a frying pan over medium heat. Toss in the cumin seeds and stir for a few minutes or until they turn brown. Add the asafoetida, amchoor powder, garam masala and coriander, and immediately add the tomatoes and fresh chilies. Cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until the tomatoes turn into a thick paste. Pour the tomato mixture into the beans, then add the yogurt or sour cream, lemon juice, salt, parsley, and gently mix./p> Serve hot or warm. Makes 6 servings

More mung bean recipes from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Mung Bean and Vegetable Soup
Indian Sour Mung Bean Soup
Creamy Mung Dal Curry
Spicy Mung Bean Soup with Coconut Milk

On the top of the reading stack: The National Post

Audio Accompaniment: A Blessing Of Tears by Robert Fripp

KUMBAKONAM KADAPPA - TWO VERSIONS

My MIL have told about Kumbakonam kadappa many times but she had some doubts in the actual ingredients used in it .I got this recipe in AVAL VIKATAN  and i tried on the same day..It tasted good and it‘s a yummy combo for idli. I am sure u all would like this.. Do try and let me know.

Ingredients:
 1 cup - 200ml

• Moong dal – 1/2 cup
• Potato – 1 no ( boiled and crumbled)
• Big onion – 2 nos
• Tomato – 2 nos
• Green chilly – 2 nos
• Ginger – garlic paste – 1 tbsp
• Biriyani leaf – 1 no
• Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
• Cloves – 2 nos
• Curry leaves – a few
• Turmeric powder – 1/4 tsp
• Red chilly powder – 1/2 tsp
• Salt & water – As required
• Oil – 1 tbsp

Method :

• Pressure cook moong dal and potato with turmeric powder and  set aside.
• In a kadai , take a tbsp of oil and put the chopped onions and green chillies.
• Saute till onions turn golden brown .Then add ginger - garlic paste and tomato pieces.Saute well till tomato turns mushy .
• Add little water , salt , red chilly powder .. Let it boil for sometime.
• Finally add the cooked moong dal and potato.
• Allow it to boil for 5 mins.
• Temper with mustard seeds ,curry leaves and biriyani leaf , cinnamon and cloves ..

KADAPPA VERSION - 2

In this version , kadappa will be white in color. Recently i got the recipe from my relative and tried.. it was exactly like the one i tasted in kumbakonam. The above said recipe is from a magazine which also tasted good but not the one we get in kumbakonam..

Ingredients:
1 cup - 200ml

• Moong dal – 1/2 cup
• Potato – 1 no ( boiled and crumbled)
• Big onion – 2 nos
• Green chilly – 1 no
• Biryani leaf – 1 no
• Cinnamon – 1 inch piece
• Cloves – 2 nos
• Curry leaves – a few
• Salt & water – As required
• Oil – 1 tbsp

To grind

• Grated coconut - 1/4 cup
• Fennel seeds / soambu - 1 tsp
• Green chilly - 1 no

Coriander leaves - to garnish

Method :

• Pressure cook moong dal and potato with turmeric powder and  set aside.
• In a kadai ,  temper with mustard seeds ,curry leaves and biriyani leaf , cinnamon and cloves ..now add the chopped onions and green chillies.
• Saute till onions turn golden brown .Add little water , salt ..cover cook for sometime .. In the mean time , grind the coconut mixture and add to the cooked onions. Stir well, add the mashed dal and potatoes. Mix it well. It will thicken immediately.Keep stirring and add little water if necessary..Check for salt..
• Allow it to boil for 5 mins.
• Garnish with coriander leaves and enjoy with idly !!

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

I've always wanted to make my own marinara sauce and when I recently found some quinoa pasta, I was inspired to come up with my own version. As tomatoes are rather pricey right now, I sort of cheated and used canned tomatoes instead of the fresh ones that I usually use. Easy to make and a good idea to serve with vegetables, your favorite pasta, tempeh, and of course northeast African millet patties and just plain good enough to eat by the spoonful. Your friends and family will thank you. There is really no comparison between store-bought sauces and homemade ones.

Portobello Mushroom Marinara Sauce

Recipe by Lisa Turner Cuisine: Italian Published on May 3, 2010 Simple, zesty and chunky homemade marinara sauce with big juicy pieces of tender meaty portobello mushrooms — great for serving over any kind of pasta Print this recipe Ingredients: 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 onion, finely chopped 14 oz (400 g) portobello mushrooms, chopped 2 cloves garlic, minced or crushed 2 jalapeños, seeded and finely chopped 28 oz (800 ml) can of crushed tomatoes 14 oz (400 ml) can of diced tomatoes 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh oregano (1 teaspoon dried) 1 tablespoon fresh basil, shredded or chopped (1 teaspoon dried) 1 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes 1/2 teaspoon cayenne 1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste fresh ground black pepper to taste 1 teaspoon sugar 1/2 cup black olives, pitted and chopped 1/2 cup soft goat cheese Instructions: Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. When hot, add the onion to the pan and stir for 5 minutes or until the onion starts browning at the edges. Add the mushrooms, garlic and jalapeños, and cook for another 5 minutes, raising the heat slightly. Add the tomatoes, balsamic vinegar, herbs and spices, salt and pepper and bring to boil. Reduce the heat slightly and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes with the lid slightly ajar, stirring often. Meanwhile, cook the pasta of your choice according to package directions and drain. Add the sugar and olives to the sauce and continue to simmer for another few minutes. Stir in the goat cheese or sprinkle over the pasta that you serve the sauce with. Makes 4 to 5 cups

More sauces you will be sure to enjoy from Lisa's Vegetarian Kitchen:
Devil's Nightmare Pasta Sauce
Gingered Tomato Sauce
Hot Green Chili Sauce
Best Ever Mushroom Sauce
Homemade Pasta Sauce

On the top of the reading stack: Food and Drink

Audio Accompaniment: Evening Star by Robert Fripp and Brian Eno

No Croutons Required - The Winner for April and the Theme for May

The challenge for April was to create a soup or salad suitable for vegetarians that features the allium family. Congratulations to Lucie of Cooking at Marystow who beat the competition with this lovely Potato Salad with Shallots and Chives. A perfect spring dish!

I will be hosting the May edition of No Croutons Required. This time we are going with Mexican cuisine. Make a vegetarian soup or salad Mexican-style and send us your entry by the 20th of May.

Easy Mango Thokku Recipe - Raw Mango Pickle Recipes

Mango thokku is a very simple yet finger licking n delicious side dish for curd rice.I learnt this recipe from my MIL.Before marriage,I had tasted Andhra mango thokku recipe from my friends.But after marriage,when I saw my MIL making homemade mangai thokku very easily and quickly with less oil,I was amazed. But its of Tamil nadu style. Its a great side dish for curd rice and even chapathi too,This is one of the must try Mango recipes in this season.Roasted and powdered methi seeds and Asafetida/Hing ( I used SSP Asafetida) are the star ingredients for any pickle recipe.So don’t skip it.Try this authentic Tamil nadu style mango thokku recipe and relish it with curd rice. I have also uploaded a full video recipe below.Please check it.Lets see how to make this delicious Raw Mango thokku recipe.

Mango thokku recipe - video 

Mango thokku recipe-Mangai Thokku

Easy mango thokku recipe - Best side dish for curd rice

Cuisine: Indian

Category: Pickle

Serves: 1 cup

Prep time: 10 Minutes

Cook time: 15 Minutes

Total time: 25 Minutes

INGREDIENTS

1 cup - 200ml Raw mango – 1/2 kg ( I used 1 big sized mango of 1/2 kg) OR Grated raw mango - 2.5 cups Red chilli powder - 2.5 - 3 tsp Methi seeds – 1 tsp ( dry roast & grind to a powder) Turmeric powder – 1/2 tsp SSP Hing / Asafetida – 1/2 tsp Jaggery – Big gooseberry size (adjust based on tanginess of mango) Salt – As needed To temper Sesame / Gingely oil – 4 tbsp Mustard seeds – 1 tsp

METHOD

Wash the raw mango.No need to peel the skin.Grate the mango using a grater. Set aside. Dry roast the methi seeds in a kadai till it turns golden brown and powder it nicely. In a wide mouthed kadai,add 3 tbsp of sesame oil.Put the grated mango & required salt to it. Saute well till it becomes soft.Cover and cook the mangoes for sometime in very low flame. After the mango is cooked well,add the turmeric powder, red chilly powder, hing/Asafetida and jaggery.Mix well and saute for sometime till raw smell goes off.As u mix,thokku will start to leave the sides of kadai. Lastly add the roasted methi seeds powder,mix it and switch off the flame. Temper with mustard seeds using a tbsp of sesame oil. Once the thokku cools down , store it in an air tight container.Refrigerate and preserve for months. Enjoy with curd rice !

Enjoy this finger licking mango thokku with curd rice.Tastes yummy !

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Italian Onion and Bean Soup with Parmesan Toast

Tender cannellini beans, just-wilted fresh arugula leaves, and good white and red wines add flavor, color and depth to this Italian-style baked onion soup topped with crusty bread and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Not only delicious and a nice impression on your guests, this "minestra di cipolle e fagioli in crosta" is also very easy to make. It's also my entry for this month's onion-family themed No Croutons Required hosted by my wonderful friend Jacqueline.

If you have a rind left over from grating the Parmesan cheese, add it during the simmering stage of the soup. This or the rind of any other hard aged cheese lends a wonderful depth and base to the stock of any savory bean or vegetable soup, and they can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.

This recipe is loosely adapted from Marlena de Blasi's A Taste of Southern Italy — a unique and attractive collection of authentic dishes that are unfortunately almost uniformly non-vegetarian. But there's nothing wrong with a vegetarian using a little imagination to transform a salt-pork soup like de Blasi's original into a meatless delight.

Italian Onion and Bean Soup with Parmesan Toast (Minestra di Cipolle e Fagioli in Crosta)

Recipe by Lisa Turner Adapted from A Taste of Southern Italy: Delicious Recipes and a Dash of Culture Cuisine: Italian Published on April 19, 2010 Attractive and elegant soup of tender cannellini beans, caramelized sweet onions and just-wilted arugula leaves simmered with wine and served with broiled crusty bread and fresh grated Parmesan cheese Print this recipe Beans (Fagioli): 1/2 cup dried cannellini (white kidney) beans 4 cups vegetable stock 1 bay leaf 1 dried whole red chili Soup (Minestra): 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 lb (450 g) Vidalia or sweet onions, thinly sliced 6 cloves garlic, slightly crushed 1/2 tablespoon sea salt 3/4 teaspoon brown sugar 1 cup dry white wine 1/2 cup red wine 1 cup fresh arugula leaves, torn or shredded Toast (Crosta): 4 1/2-inch slices of crusty bread 1 cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese olive oil for drizzling fresh ground black pepper Instructions: Rinse the beans and soak for 8 hours or overnight covered in several inches of cold water with a little yogurt whey or lemon juice added. Drain and rinse the beans, and transfer to a medium saucepan. Cover with the vegetable stock, bay leaf and dried red chili. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the beans are soft. Discard the chili. Drain, reserving the cooking liquid and bay leaf, and set aside. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a large cast-iron skillet or stove-top safe casserole. When hot, add the onions and garlic and toss until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Turn down the heat a little and sprinkle on the sea salt and brown sugar. Cook, stirring frequently, until the onions are golden-brown and slightly caramelized, about 30 minutes. Pour in the white wine and 2 1/2 cups of the reserved cooking liquid from the beans. Add the bay leaf, and bring to a simmer. If you have a Parmesan rind, add this to the soup as well. Cook for 20 minutes. Now add the beans and red wine, and simmer gently for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and discard the bay leaf and Parmesan rind if using. Pre-heat the oven broiler. Toss the arugula leaves into the soup. Lay slices of bread over the soup, sprinkle the bread with Parmesan cheese, and drizzle olive oil over the bread and cheese. Generously dust the bread and soup with plenty of fresh ground black pepper. Place the skillet or casserole under the broiler to toast the bread and melt the cheese. Carry hot to the table and ladle soup and bread into warm bowls. Makes 2 to 4 servings

Other Italian-style soups you may enjoy:
Tuscan-Style Pinto Bean Soup with Kale
Cannellini Bean Soup with Fontina Gremolata
Tuscan Bean Soup with Fresh Rosemary
White Cabbage and Bean Minestrone