Madhu Knits and Cooks

Recipe, knitting, and sewing project notes

  • Two Disappointing, Picture-Less Recipe Attempts – Indian Black-Eyed Peas + Parmesan Cauliflower

    The title says it all!  Just a quick update to make sure I don't make either of the following two recipes again.

    First, sadly from the Ministry of Curry, which developed my favorite Instant Pot Chana Masala recipe, is the Instant Pot Indian Black-Eyed Pea recipe.  Sadly, I just found this recipe didn't really come together with underdeveloped flavors and too watery of a sauce.  Back to the drawing board for a tasty Indian black-eyed pea recipe!

    Second on my "no repeat" list is America's Test Kitchen Parmesan Roasted Cauliflower.  This finished cauliflower did have a great taste, but the texture was a mess.  Some of the browned cauliflower edges with the cornstarch coating stuck to the tin foil and a lot of the cauliflower also was more steamed than roasted.  So the odd steamed / partly roasted texture ruined the presentation and overall enjoyment of the dish.  Boo.  

  • Simple Quinoa and Vegetable Soup – Great for Comforting Winter Meals

    Seeking more weeknight meal diversity, as well as a way to use up my big bag of quinoa in the cabinets, I decided to try a New York Times Hearty Quinoa and White Bean Soup recipe.  

    Quinoa White Bean Soup

    This savory soup was flexible with modifications, of which I made many.  I didn't add in any beans, and instead slightly increased the quinoa to 1/2 cup and added in a handful or two of ditalini pasta two minutes after adding in the quinoa.  I also added in some thawed frozen corn, fresh thyme, and a full can of diced tomatoes – why not?

    Perhaps because of the increase in quinoa and the pasta, the soup ended up more like a stew, which my husband liked a lot.  

    With some final grated parmesan on the end, this soup had a pleasing creaminess and saltiness to supplement the vegetables and fragrant herbs.  I look forward to making it again!

  • Cable Lace Baby Blanket – Squishy Treat for a Young Child!

    I recently made another wonderful baby blanket, a modern twist on a classic cable baby blanket pattern.  

    Oscar Blanket Folded Edges

    Completing this gorgeous pattern was my go-to squishy baby blanket yarn, Cascade 220 Superwash Merino.  The pattern was relatively easy to follow, though not the quickest knit with offsetting cables throughout.

    Oscar Blanket Full

    The baby for whom the blanket was made seems to be loving it as a stroller blanket, and otherwise, as the weather gets colder!  More details below.

    Cable Lace Baby Blanket

    Pattern:  Cable Lace Baby Blanket by Alma Mahler

    Yarn:  Cascade 220 Superwash Merino in Color 26 Silver Heather, approx. 3.2 skeins

    Needles:  1 US7 circular

    Measurements:  pre-blocking measurements of 28.5 inches wide by 27.5 inches long; post-blocking measurements (machine wash and dry) or 28 inches wide by 27.5 inches tall

    Oscar Blanket Pattern Close Up

  • Subtle Summer Corn and Tomato Pasta from Milk Street

    I've had my eyes (or rather tastebuds) on a sweet / spicy Milk Street Corn, Tomato, and Basil recipe for a number of years.  The recipe requires fresh corn on the cob, so I've been waiting for those blissful two months a year when farmers market corn is ever so sweet in New York.  

    Milk Street Corn Tomato and Basil Pasta

    This past year, I struck during this critical window.  The resulting dish had a sweet, subtle flavor from the corn broth and grated corn kernels.  This sweetness contrasted well with the tartness of the fresh tomatoes and the light spiciness of the red fresno chile.  I wish I could have found the habanero recommended in the original recipe because that would have provided a better kick to this otherwise subtle dish.  

    I don't know if I will make this pasta again because the flavors were more muted than I would like, especially after the multiple steps to prepare this dish.  Moving forward, I may just try to use frozen corn and the rest of the ingredients (fresh tomato, basil, chile) as standard sauceless pasta toppings instead of trying to create a corn broth sauce.  

  • New Weeknight Staples – Simple Indian Cauliflower with Peas and Cilantro Rice

    I tried two new recipes this summer, both of which I think can become staples for a variety of meal combinations.  The first, from my new favorite Madhur Jaffrey Vegetarian India cookbook, is a cauliflower with peas that can be prepared entirely on the stovetop.  

    Madhur Jaffrey Cauliflower and Milk Street Cilantro Rice

    The result is savory from the dried spices, slightly tart from the cooked down tomato, and the green peas add a nice sweetness.  The cauliflower is soft when you bite into it, despite retaining a pleasant, slightly firm exterior.  I could truly eat this dish all day.  And of course, per personal preference, I omitted the ground coriander.  

    As pictured, I complemented this dish with a Milk Street cilantro rice recipe.  I halved the recipe, and it was much better than I was expecting.  The reason?  A tremendous lightness from the lime juice.  The pureed scallions similarly elevated this rice with a herby sweetness.  If I have a lot of extra cilantro on-hand, this a great dish for any Indian or Mexican meal (and that's just what immediately came to mind!).

  • Narrowing in on a Winning Deviled Egg Recipe – NYT “Classic” Approach

    I'm so happy I am now inclined to finish up my expired eggs instead of sadly throwing them out en masse.  The mass egg preparation approach that has become my go-to is deviled eggs, which I made this summer for a party appetizer.  After experimenting with a few past recipes with varying success, I decided to try another new approach to narrow in on a winning consistent recipe.  

    NYT Simple Deviled Eggs

    This NYT recipe featured dijon mustard to offset the mayonnaise – which generally is not to my liking in deviled eggs – and some dashes of Tabasco and chives for additional flavor.  Following some recommendations in the comments, and to further reduce the flavor of mayonnaise, I made a few modifications – added a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce, reduced the mayonnaise to 2 tbsp., and added 1/2 tbsp. of softened butter.  I also forgot to buy chives at the store, so inadvertently omitted those.

    NYT Simple Deviled Eggs Close Up

    The final result was good, but not outstanding,  The flavor was subtle, certainly "classic," with not too much mayonnaise thankfully.  I think adding the chives and perhaps increasing the dijon will help punch these up a bit more.  

    That being said, as prepared, these were a hit at the party I brought them to and I should have made more!

  • A New Mujaddara Approach and Delicious Korean Battered Squash (Hobak Jeon)

    I recently had the opportunity to try two new recipes in one night – oh my!  One was a new version of an old favorite, mujaddara, and the other was an entirely new dish, hobak jeon.  

    Mujaddra and Hoebbek Jeon

    The Milk Street mujaddara was pretty good.  Not good enough to replace my standard recipe, but it did have some added flavorings I may play with in the future, including allspice and scallions.  I ended up making this dish twice because I burnt it the first time (really turn the flame to low once the rice is on!) and I used green lentils instead of brown.  The recipe definitely requires a drizzle of olive oil post-cooking for extra creaminess, but it's very good.

    The Korean battered squash, hobak jeon, I made from Joanne Lee Molinaro's The Korean Vegan Cookbook.  I really liked that I could use plant-based milk, which I always have on hand.  I also used cornstarch instead potato starch because I couldn't find potato starch to use.  It was also pretty easy to batter the cut zucchini, though because of my second mujaddara attempt, I let the battered zucchini set a little too long before cooking.  The result was that some of the coating came off prior to the pan frying, but the final result turned out really well.  The turmeric was a great inclusion and added a nice earthy flavor to the crisp and smooth zucchini.  I will make this recipe again!

    Mujaddra and Hoeebek Jeon Close Up

  • NYT Instant Pot Khichdi – Simple Recipe Repeat (with modifications)

    Seeking an alternative from my standard stovetop khichdi, I recently tried a NY Times version.  Do you need a recipe for khichdi?  Not really, but here we are – and with pretty good results.

    NYT Kichidi

    I halved the recipe, and then halved the water again because I was worried about the dish being too watery than cooked down – in hindsight, slightly more water probably would have been fine.  I reduced the coriander as well to use approx. one-third of the recipe amount, but moving forward, I would omit entirely because of personal preference.  

    The recipe basically made itself in the Instant Pot, and I threw in some chopped up leftover spinach at the end as well which was a nice, healthy addition.  Moving forward, I will probably add some other vegetables and maybe some cilantro or other fresh herbs for more flavor diversification.  Otherwise, this dish as prepare was creamy, substantive, and nourishing.  Perfect cooking time as well.  

    I guess you don't need a recipe for khichdi after all 🙂

  • A Dorie Greenspan Hit and a Miss – Vanilla Sugar Cookies and Togarishi Meringues

    While browsing the library stacks, my eyes caught Dorie Greenspan's massive "cookie book" Dorie's Cookies, and on a whim, I decided to check it out (largely because I parked my car nearby). 

    I've made Greenspan's World Peace Cookies before, but have yet to make any other of this famed cookie creator's recipes.  When flipping through her book, I decided to make two different recipes – one that used egg whites and the other conveniently the leftover egg yolks.  A great low-waste approach to try new cookies!

    The first recipe – the Togarishi Meringues – sounded a bit wild to be honest.  Using a spicy and largely savory Japanese spicy blend in meringues?!  Even typing these words together still seems wild to me!

    Togarishi Cookies on Sheet Pan

    I used 1 tsp. of the mixture from an expired blend a friend bought for us on a trip to Japan.  Even though the mix was expired, just one 1 tsp. did pack quite a punch on these tiny meringues, which I think I piped too small.  In addition, I also spaced these meringues too close together AND prepared them on a pretty humid day, so they didn't quite dry out and were unpleasantly chewy and sticky.  I don't think these will be a recipe repeat, but I am happy I lived on the wild side by making them!

    Togarishi Cookies Close Up

    The second recipe I prepared – the French Vanilla Sables – were excellent, by comparison.  Incredibly buttery and smooth, slightly crisp, crumbly, and chewy in the middle, and a simple sweetness from the sanding sugars on top.  The vanilla flavor also shined through as well.  

    Dorie Greenspan Vanilla Sables

    I loved the fun king cake / Mardi Gras sanding sugar colors I used as well, and look forward to making these again and again!  They are a hit among both adults and kids alike, based on the event to which we brought them.

    Dorie Greenspan Vanilla Sables v2

  • Uttar Pradesh Muslim-Style Moong and Masoor Dal – Very Good, Simple Dal

    Madhur Jaffrey's Vegetarian India has a number of regional dal preparations, which I am slowly working through (as I am with all of her other great recipes!).  I was immediately drawn to her Simple Moong and Masoor Dal Cooked in the Style of Uttar Pradesh Muslims because it evoked a wonderful UP meal a friend's mother prepared for us recently.  

    UP Moong and Masoor Dal

    To prepare the Madhur Jaffrey dal, I halved the recipe and used the Instant Pot to cook the dal via 10 minutes of pressure coupled with a natural release.  My sense is that I used low pressure v. high pressure because that's what I usually do with dal, but I didn't take notes to confirm!

    I then prepared the tadka on the stovetop and added it to the salted, cooked dal. 

    The result was lightly spiced from the cumin, garlic, and shallot.  This is a simple side dal that is perfect when I don't have tomatoes or other dal flavorings at home. 

    Would I make it for a dinner party to wow guests?  No.  But for a simple, protein-rich side for home meals, it's a good addition.